Three Observations
3. The stars will shine bright out on the Plains
Georgia is getting healthy. I said last week that the team needed to develop an identity with who they had, not who they were missing. Well, scratch that. It’s time to see what Georgia can do without an arm tied behind its back.
I expect Mykel Williams to be at full strength and raring to harass whoever starts at quarterback for Auburn. He’ll likely be sent to HR after the game.
Part-time hitman Javon Bullard is ready to go but might be used situationally as he gets his ankle back to speed.
Ladd McConkey will travel, dress, and be available for limited action as well.
Per Kirby Smart, Kendall Milton worked all week so expect him to be added to the running game. He’s also really good on blitz pickup so that is an even bigger reason for him to dress.
2. "Johnny, I apologize, I forgot you were there."
This is not to say that Auburn is Johnny Tyler in Tombstone, but you can forgive Kirby if he doesn’t panic at the thought of facing the Tigers. It may be the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but old doesn’t always mean valuable. The cheap bottle of Brut cologne you gave your dad 17 years ago isn’t exactly maturing in value.
Over the last 17 years, Georgia is 15-3 versus Auburn. That smells nice. And Kirby is 7-1. In fact, he’s facing this third Auburn coach. The Tigers have been changing coaches every time there is a donor fight or total lunar eclipse, both of which are quite predictable. Meanwhile, Smart is riding a 21-game winning streak and a 38-1 record. He has a pair of titles but wants more. Georgia has been lying in the weeds but will now start looking like the team I projected them to be since the injured players are starting to return.
1. Trench Warfare
Watch the trenches in this game. For Auburn to have any shot with its limited offense, it will need improvement up front. The Tigers only had 200 yards of offense against Texas A&M last week, failing to score a TD on offense. The Plainsmen gave up seven sacks. They had 56 passing yards. In fact, if you look back at Auburn’s last five games against Power 5 opponents, the Tigers have not had over 100 yards of passing. I haven’t seen anything that limp since Nickel Night at Lowery’s.
Auburn has to get some sort of running game going to limit Georgia rushing the passer or it will get ugly. Like the morning after Nickel Night at Lowery’s.
Two Questions
2. Will we see more explosions on Saturday?
Don’t threaten a Palestinian with a good time.
I kid, I kid.
Still, Smart mentioned explosive plays gained versus explosive plays given up as being a big part of how he gauges success. And the big complaint last week was Georgia missing on some long pass plays. Fear not. I look for some huge gains against the Tigers this week. Unless the Dawgs just blow coverages or miss tackles, Auburn should be quite limited in how many they hit.
Brock Bowers, Dominic Lovett, Arian Smith, and RaRa Thomas should eat on Saturday. Plus, I can see Daijun Edwards having a big day on the first road game of the season.
1. How will Georgia handle the first road game?
Crowd noise can be an issue on the road and while the Auburn faithful may not have a lot to cheer about, they will be loud. For UGA, this game is a stepping stone. For Auburn, a win would mean the entire season under Hugh Freeze in Year One is a success. For UGA this is game 5 of 15. For Auburn, it's one of two chances for a coronation.
Will Georgia be able to maintain its poise? I say yes and here’s why. The Bulldogs have been going up against each other more in practice in order to make up for the lack of quality competition on the schedule. Smart has alluded to how each side of the ball faces one of the best units in college football. The players have been adamant about how much tougher practice is than the games. I don’t believe that when they are facing the scout team. But when they go good on good for extended periods? That will make anyone better.
One Prediction
I always have trepidation about traditional rivalry games. Part of how they become so wildly popular is, again, not the age of the series, but rather the unlikely outcomes and dramatic, last-minute wins. It’s also partly contempt bred out of familiarity and extra desire to take revenge or earn bragging rights. Long story short, it’s easier for an underdog to get juiced up for a rivalry game.
But this contest will feature a lot of personnel mismatches that favor Georgia. The Bulldogs have far more talent while Auburn has kids without rhythm trying to Swag Surf.
I predict Georgia will get an impressive win and send a message around the SEC that the Dawgs are back.
3. The stars will shine bright out on the Plains
Georgia is getting healthy. I said last week that the team needed to develop an identity with who they had, not who they were missing. Well, scratch that. It’s time to see what Georgia can do without an arm tied behind its back.
I expect Mykel Williams to be at full strength and raring to harass whoever starts at quarterback for Auburn. He’ll likely be sent to HR after the game.
Part-time hitman Javon Bullard is ready to go but might be used situationally as he gets his ankle back to speed.
Ladd McConkey will travel, dress, and be available for limited action as well.
Per Kirby Smart, Kendall Milton worked all week so expect him to be added to the running game. He’s also really good on blitz pickup so that is an even bigger reason for him to dress.
2. "Johnny, I apologize, I forgot you were there."
This is not to say that Auburn is Johnny Tyler in Tombstone, but you can forgive Kirby if he doesn’t panic at the thought of facing the Tigers. It may be the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but old doesn’t always mean valuable. The cheap bottle of Brut cologne you gave your dad 17 years ago isn’t exactly maturing in value.
Over the last 17 years, Georgia is 15-3 versus Auburn. That smells nice. And Kirby is 7-1. In fact, he’s facing this third Auburn coach. The Tigers have been changing coaches every time there is a donor fight or total lunar eclipse, both of which are quite predictable. Meanwhile, Smart is riding a 21-game winning streak and a 38-1 record. He has a pair of titles but wants more. Georgia has been lying in the weeds but will now start looking like the team I projected them to be since the injured players are starting to return.
1. Trench Warfare
Watch the trenches in this game. For Auburn to have any shot with its limited offense, it will need improvement up front. The Tigers only had 200 yards of offense against Texas A&M last week, failing to score a TD on offense. The Plainsmen gave up seven sacks. They had 56 passing yards. In fact, if you look back at Auburn’s last five games against Power 5 opponents, the Tigers have not had over 100 yards of passing. I haven’t seen anything that limp since Nickel Night at Lowery’s.
Auburn has to get some sort of running game going to limit Georgia rushing the passer or it will get ugly. Like the morning after Nickel Night at Lowery’s.
Two Questions
2. Will we see more explosions on Saturday?
Don’t threaten a Palestinian with a good time.
I kid, I kid.
Still, Smart mentioned explosive plays gained versus explosive plays given up as being a big part of how he gauges success. And the big complaint last week was Georgia missing on some long pass plays. Fear not. I look for some huge gains against the Tigers this week. Unless the Dawgs just blow coverages or miss tackles, Auburn should be quite limited in how many they hit.
Brock Bowers, Dominic Lovett, Arian Smith, and RaRa Thomas should eat on Saturday. Plus, I can see Daijun Edwards having a big day on the first road game of the season.
1. How will Georgia handle the first road game?
Crowd noise can be an issue on the road and while the Auburn faithful may not have a lot to cheer about, they will be loud. For UGA, this game is a stepping stone. For Auburn, a win would mean the entire season under Hugh Freeze in Year One is a success. For UGA this is game 5 of 15. For Auburn, it's one of two chances for a coronation.
Will Georgia be able to maintain its poise? I say yes and here’s why. The Bulldogs have been going up against each other more in practice in order to make up for the lack of quality competition on the schedule. Smart has alluded to how each side of the ball faces one of the best units in college football. The players have been adamant about how much tougher practice is than the games. I don’t believe that when they are facing the scout team. But when they go good on good for extended periods? That will make anyone better.
One Prediction
I always have trepidation about traditional rivalry games. Part of how they become so wildly popular is, again, not the age of the series, but rather the unlikely outcomes and dramatic, last-minute wins. It’s also partly contempt bred out of familiarity and extra desire to take revenge or earn bragging rights. Long story short, it’s easier for an underdog to get juiced up for a rivalry game.
But this contest will feature a lot of personnel mismatches that favor Georgia. The Bulldogs have far more talent while Auburn has kids without rhythm trying to Swag Surf.
I predict Georgia will get an impressive win and send a message around the SEC that the Dawgs are back.
