Opposition Insight: Q&A, game preview with a Georgia reporter

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Opposition Insight: Q&A, game preview with a Georgia reporter

ByNathan King 21 hours ago

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Auburn Undercover's preview coverage of the top-10 showdown between Auburn and Georgia continues with Opposition Insight, a weekly series aimed at providing a beat reporter's perspective of Auburn's upcoming opponent. For our first installment, AUC's Nathan King chatted with Jake Rowe, who covers Georgia for Dawgs247.

Dive in for Jake's assessment of the Bulldogs through one game, and how he sees the action playing out Saturday night inside Sanford Stadium, where Auburn is looking to notch a win for the first time since 2005. For more in-depth coverage of how the Bulldogs are preparing for Auburn this week, read Jake and the rest of 247Sports's Georgia outlet at Dawgs247.com.

Nathan King: Let's get the quarterback question out of the way: Will we see JT Daniels this weekend, and which QB gives Georgia the best chance to win?

Jake Rowe: I think there's a shot that you see JT Daniels this weekend but as of right now, through two practices, I feel more comfortable in saying that you'll see both Stetson Bennett IV and D'Wan Mathis for sure. Bennett has probably earned the start and if he doesn't get it, I still think he'll play. He had a calming effect on the offense and brought a play-making element as well. He has always been a guy that the UGA staff was higher on than most who follow the program from further away.

I'm interested to see how Mathis factors in because they were really impressed with him this preseason. He struggled so badly against Arkansas that fans lost confidence but he wasn't the only one who struggled while he was behind center. Right now, I'd have to go with Bennett giving UGA the best chance having not seen Daniels at all.

NK: What do you attribute the slow start against Arkansas to? Are the issues easily mended, or will they create problems for UGA again?

JR: Sloppiness. Georgia had eight penalties for 73 yards in the first quarter and it's tough to overcome that. If UGA had overcome that, the total yardage number might have been monstrous, but that didn't happen. The offensive line got off to a slow start and committed penalties. Some young players seemed to let the moment get too big for them. The moment is going to be even bigger against Auburn so we'll see if that gets any better. There was plenty to pinpoint and improve upon after that one.

 NK: This Bulldogs defense got tons of hype in the offseason. What are its strengths and weaknesses, and what makes UGA confident it will be elite on that side of the ball?

JR: One of the biggest strengths of Georgia's defense is the fact that there are no real weaknesses. There were some specific things it could have done better last year like more sacks, more tackles for loss, and more turnovers, but it stopped the run, limited the pass, and rarely gave up a big play. It brings most of those guys back and seemed to be a little more aggressive in week one against Arkansas. The Bulldogs called a safety blitz on the first play from scrimmage for crying out loud.

Whether or not that results in more plays behind the line of scrimmage in the long term remains to be seen but the unit also created three turnovers. There are big-time, experienced players at every level of the defense and there is a lot of depth in the front seven where the Bulldogs can legitimately play 13-15 guys.

NK: We know about George Pickens and Zamir White, but who are some under-the-radar X-factors on offense Auburn fans should be aware of?

JR: Kearis Jackson seems to have found a bit of a groove. If he can stay healthy, which has been a problem, he can do a lot of good things for the offense. I've also got a feeling that you're going to see more of Kenny McIntosh, who looked explosive for the Bulldogs as the kick returner against Arkansas. I can't help but think that he earned himself some more looks on offense.

Freshman tight end Darnell Washington and freshman wideout Jermaine Burton are also really talented guy who may or may not be ready to breakout early in the season.

NK: What's your prediction for Saturday?

JR: I'll hold my score prediction for later in the week but I think this one is going to be an all-out war. It's kind of strength on strength in a lot of ways. Georgia's defense did such a good job against Auburn last year and it was a dropped interception from Eric Stokes away from potentially pitching a shutout. I think it's going to come down to what Chad Morris can get figured out as the game goes on. If he can find an area that he can pick on, Auburn has a great chance but if UGA continues to defend Auburn the way it has (excluding the shellacking at Jordan-Hare in 2017) the Bulldogs are going to have a chance to lean on its depth.

I'm not sure how likely it is but I think UGA's best (not only) path to victory in this one is to get out to a strong start. I'm honestly pretty surprised that the opening line was Auburn +8.

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