UGA travels to take on Auburn and former Middle GA stars Tyler Fromm, Wesley Steiner
The Georgia Bulldogs are hitting the road to take on Auburn in the latest edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry game.
UGA is coming off a 37-0 shutout of then-No. 8 Arkansas. Auburn comes in ranked at No. 18 and could be part of a four-game stretch in which Georgia has to take on ranked opponents, with Kentucky and Florida next up.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said there are no off weeks in the SEC and no opponent can be taken lightly.
“I think it’s more about how do you write the chapters in your book where all the chapters are good chapters,” Smart said. “We’re trying to write a really good book and we don’t want a bad chapter in our book. So, we’re trying to write each individual chapter, and it has a history and life of it’s own, and you do that by focusing on what’s present now. And that, for us right now, is Auburn.”
Auburn presents an interesting challenge for Smart’s team. The Bulldogs will be in a hostile environment, really for the first time this season. The only other true road game this season was against an overmatched Vanderbilt team in which the stadium was packed with red and black.
Last week, Smart challenged the fans to be elite at home against the Razorbacks by showing up to the early kickoff and being loud throughout the game. This week Smart said he doesn’t expect the fans to takeover Jordan-Hare but that the group traveling to Auburn can have an impact on his team.
“I don’t know how much they can impact the game, but they can definitely impact our players and the momentum. You know you want to feel like you’ve got support when you go into a place like that,” Smart said. “A lot of kids play well on the road because they feel like it’s them against the world and sometimes that’s the best mentality to have when you go on road games, but each player is different psychologically.”
Another wrinkle in the game is Auburn starting quarterback Bo Nix. Nix has the ability to make plays outside the pocket and extend plays against the pass rush to give his receivers time to get open. The Georgia defense is one of the best in the country and averages nearly four sacks per game, which ranks in the Top 10 in all of college football.
Last season, Nix was sacked three times by the Bulldogs defense and finished the game 21-of-40 for 177 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Senior linebacker, Channing Tindall said the Bulldogs are ready for the challenge from the mobile quarterback.
“(Nix) has always been a dual-threat quarterback and someone that you always have to watch out for. Just watching the last game that he played against LSU, he went left, right, back, front, then he scored a touchdown, so we have to keep him in the pocket,” Tindall said. “He is definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with. I feel like as long as we do our job and try our best to keep him in the pocket and not try to be Superman, I think we can get the job done.”
HOW TO WATCH
Who: Georgia Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0 SEC) vs. Auburn Tigers (4-1, 1-0 SEC)
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: CBS
THIS WEEK’S SEC BETTING ODDS, SCHEDULE
Georgia is favored by 15.5 points over Auburn. Georgia has won eight of its last 10 games against Arkansas, including a 27-6 win in Athens last season.
College football point spreads, according to ESPN Consensus.
Noon — Arkansas at Ole Miss (-6)
Noon — Vanderbilt at Florida (-38.5)
Noon — South Carolina at Tennessee (-10.5)
3:30 p.m — Georgia (-15.5) at Auburn
4 p.m. — North Texas at Missouri (-19)
7:30 p.m. — LSU at Kentucky (-3.5)
8 p.m. — Alabama (-17.5) at Texas A&M
THREE AUBURN PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Bo Nix, QB: Nix has been on a rollercoaster ride over the last two weeks. Against Georgia State, Nix was benched in favor of backup TJ Finley, who led the Tigers to a come-from-behind win.
Nix drew the start last week against LSU but once against ceded to Finley for a few plays before coming back in the game. In true Bo Nix fashion, he led the Tigers to a win in Death Valley for the first time since 1999.
A big part of that comeback was a touchdown pass to former Warner Robins standout Tyler Fromm, the younger brother of former Georgia quarterback, Jake Fromm.
Nix has yet to throw an interception this season but will face his toughest test when he takes on the Georgia defense.
2. Tank Bigsby, RB: Bigsby is actually not the leading rusher in terms of yardage this season for Auburn; that’s Jarquez Hunter. But Bigsby leads the team in carries, and he is the guy who sets up Hunter to come in and gash defenses with his speed.
Bigsby hasn’t made the jump some thought he might this season as one of the country’s elite backs but he is still an elite talent.
However, his matchup this week is against one of the best front sevens in all of college football. Bigsby needs to get going early to give Bo Nix space to throw against the Georgia secondary.
3. Wesley Steiner LB: Another former Middle Georgia standout on the other side of the ball, Steiner played high school football at Houston County and was a viral sensation for his weight lifting videos.
Steiner is one of the most athletically gifted players to ever come through Middle Georgia and is earning playing time at Auburn as a second unit linebacker.
Against Georgia, Steiner will likely play a bigger role as the ground attack of Georgia could force the second unit into action more often as Zamir White and the other running backs pound the ball against the starters.