AUBURN, AL. (EETV)- I know what you’re thinking: the same Auburn football team that lost to Cal, Arkansas, and Oklahoma can’t possibly have a chance against a team like Georgia! To that I say, dear reader, allow me to present a completely possible hypothetical- I just ask that you hear me all the way out.
I can’t imagine it's a hot take to describe this year’s Auburn team as much more star-studded than last year's. Massive offensive additions in the offseason included WRs Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson, and breakout senior KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who, along with consistent production provided by RB Jarquez Hunter, has made the Auburn offense a truly formidable foe.
Additionally, the Tigers added players like true freshman LB Demarcus Riddick, who led the team in tackles in the first game he saw a significant snap count; he’s assisted an already dominant defense led by captain and star LB Eugene Asante, who made his mission clear: “I need to inspire our guys in big moments… to play better Saturday [against Georgia].”
Many Auburn fans will recall last year’s matchup against Georgia, in which a rebuilding, pre-recruitment Auburn team took juggernaut Georgia all the way down to the wire, forcing the Dawgs to rely on now-NFL TE Brock Bowers on their very last offensive drive to win, despite Auburn having just 88 passing yards of its own.
A common thread among Auburn losses, beyond turnovers, is simply not having an answer for one player on the opposing offense. Last year against Georgia, it was Brock Bowers; against Alabama, though most just remember the Isaiah Bond reception to end the game, it was really the Milroe rushing attack (a matchup, by the way, I am excited to see this year with Auburn’s new Riddick QB spy system) that took them apart in that game.
As such, a crucial defensive key for Auburn to win this game will be to quickly identify the aspect or “problem player” of Georgia’s game that will provide significant issues and lock it down quick before it gets out of hand. I suspect, similar to last year, there will be one receiver that Beck will target above all others- likely senior WRs Dominic Lovett or Arian Smith.
Georgia looked incredibly human in last week’s matchup against Alabama, and even more so in the week prior against Kentucky. In fact, Auburn fans will sympathize with the issue that lost Georgia the game against the Tide– turnovers.
Georgia turned the ball over five times against Alabama, and if the Auburn season has taught us anything, correcting this issue is an incredibly difficult change to quickly make. Referring to a previous point, if Auburn can lock down the “problem player,” we will likely see more panicked passes from Beck, leading to more turnovers.
I’m not completely delusional, though; I recognize the glaring issues Auburn has faced throughout the year, but I also see significant improvement on these issues, giving me the impression this team is gearing up to shock the world.
Turnovers, without a doubt, have been Auburn's biggest offensive issue, yet they were able to limit our game against Arkansas to just one, which came on a play Freeze admits he “should’ve just ran the ball and punted” to control the clock. Sure, it shouldn’t have happened, but rebuilding years are about learning and adjusting your team– players and coaches alike– something I think Coach Freeze has done a fantastic job with.
Offensively last year against Georgia, Auburn had nothing close to resembling this passing attack, yet they still made it an incredibly close matchup despite just 88 passing yards in the entire game. That’s not to say they didn’t try to throw it- in fact, Payton Thorne led the team in rushing yards, netting 95 yards on the ground with a staggering 7.7 yards per rush.
As such, we know if Payton doesn’t get a good look from any of his receivers, he’s more than comfortable running the “oh crap” rule Coach Freeze mentioned in his press conference, putting his leg in the ground, and taking off. It worked last year with a better Georgia team, so I’ve no reason to believe it won’t work now.
I get it sounds far-fetched to believe that Auburn has an incredibly real chance to take this game in Athens; however, when considering the numbers, the history, and, most importantly, the complete and total unpredictability of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, I think leaving Athens with a win may just be more attainable than most realize.
