9.30.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

 

Just how wide is the talent gap between Auburn and Georgia

Nathan King

9–11 minutes

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Hugh Freeze talks a lot about the 'talent gap' between Auburn and its biggest rivals. Just how wide is that recruiting difference against the No. 1 team in the country right now?

Since taking over as Auburn's coach, one of Hugh Freeze's buzzwords has been "talent gap."

There is, of course, a sizable discrepancy between how some of the Tigers' biggest rivals are recruiting, and the level at which Auburn believes it can recruit as a program. Auburn's current three-game stretch against Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU features a stark difference in recent recruiting success. Those teams are consistently in the top 5 nationally and have been "stacking," as Freeze said, some of the best high-school talent in the country for years.

Auburn hasn't had consecutive recruiting classes rank in the top 10 since 2016-17. And Freeze knows in order to shorten the talent differential between his program and teams like No. 1 Georgia, which comes to town Saturday in the 128th edition of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, establishing a higher baseline talent level is the only way to get Auburn back competing for SEC championships.

"I would hope by Year 3, we're competing with anybody that's considered elite," Freeze said Thursday of his five-year plan at Auburn. "... We need three or four top-10 classes in the row, just like everyone else is having."

Even with the recruiting pitfalls that came with the Bryan Harsin regime before Freeze, Auburn is still No. 18 in the 247Sports talent composite this year — a measure of every team's scholarship players and how they were rated as high-school prospects or transfers.

Alabama is No. 1, with Georgia right behind. Texas A&M is No. 4, and LSU is No. 7.

Auburn appears to be on the right track in improving its talent moving forward, currently with a top-15 recruiting class for 2024 that already includes four top-100 overall players. But just wide is that talent gap Freeze refers to with his Year 1 team? Georgia, which hasn't had a single recruiting class rank outside the top 3 nationally since Kirby Smart took over, will obviously be the steepest comparison Auburn could make in 2023.

Here's a look at how the Tigers' talent compares, position by position, in Saturday's game. Transfers are given their high-school rating. All figures are via the 247Sports Composite. Auburn players will be bolded to attempt to help visualize where they stand at every position.

 

QUARTERBACK

 

• Brock Vandagriff (UGA): .9908, 5-star

• Gunner Stockton (UGA): .9506, 4-star

• Holden Geriner (AUB): .9065, 4-star

• Carson Beck (UGA): .9025, 4-star

• Robby Ashford (AUB): .9006, 4-star

• Payton Thorne (AUB): .8544,  3-star

• Hank Brown (AUB): .8439, 3-star

‌

 

RUNNING BACK

 

• Kendall Milton (UGA): .9738, 4-star

• Branson Robinson (UGA): .9729, 4-star

• Jeremiah Cobb (AUB): .9326, 4-star

• Roderick Robinson (UGA): .9248, 4-star

• Len’Neth Whitehead (UGA): .9187, 4-star

• Daijun Edwards (UGA): .9023, 4-star

• Damari Alston (AUB): .8995, 4-star

• Andrew Paul (UGA): .8826, 3-star

• Jarquez Hunter (AUB): .8647, 3-star

• Brian Battie (AUB): .8306, 3-star

‌

 

WIDE RECEIVER

 

• Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (UGA): .9734, 4-star

• Arian Smith (UGA): .9722, 4-star

• Tyler Williams (UGA): .9572, 4-star

• Caleb Burton (AUB): .9465, 4-star

• Zeed Haynes (UGA): .9238, 4-star

• Anthony Evans III (UGA): .9214, 4-star

• Malcolm Johnson Jr. (AUB): .9186, 4-star

• C.J. Smith (UGA): .9135, 4-star

• De’Nylon Morissette (UGA): .9131, 4-star

• Koy Moore (AUB): .8996, 4-star

• Dominic Lovett (UGA): .8986, 4-star

• Omari Kelly (AUB): .8967, 4-star

• Ja’Varrius Johnson (AUB): .8918, 4-star

• Camden Brown (AUB): .8889, 3-star

• Jay Fair (AUB): .8785, 3-star

• Dillon Bell (UGA): .8870, 3-star

• Cole Speer (UGA): .8722, 3-star

• Jackson Meeks (UGA): .8715, 3-star

• Rara Thomas (UGA): .8663, 3-star

• Ladd McConkey (UGA): .8485, 3-star

• Jyaire Shorter (AUB): .8164, 3-star

• Shane Hooks (AUB): .8054, 3-star

• Nick Mardner (AUB): .7798, 2-star

‌

 

TIGHT END

 

• Pearce Spurlin III (UGA): .9652, 4-star

• Oscar Delp (UGA): .9577, 4-star

• Brock Bowers (UGA): .9531, 4-star

• Lawson Luckie (UGA): .9394, 4-star

• Brandon Frazier (AUB): .8934, 4-star

• Micah Riley (AUB): .8922, 4-star

• Tyler Fromm (AUB): .8882, 3-star

• Luke Deal (AUB): .8676, 3-star

• Rivaldo Fairweather (AUB): .8093, 3-star

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OFFENSIVE LINE

 

• Amarius Mims (UGA). 9956, 5-star

• Monroe Freeling (UGA): .9865, 5-star

• Tate Ratledge (UGA): .9821, 4-star

• Earnest Greene (UGA): .9805, 4-star

• Sedrick Van Pran (UGA): .9716, 4-star

• Micah Morris (UGA): .9698, 4-star

• Dylan Fairchild (UGA): .9582, 4-star

• Bo Hughley (UGA): .9477, 4-star

• Chad Lindberg (UGA): .9366, 4-star

• Kelton Smith (UGA): .9209, 4-star

• Xavier Truss (UGA): .9158, 4-star

• Avery Jones (AUB): .9026, 4-star

• E.J. Harris (AUB): .9008, 4-star

• Aliou Bah (UGA): .8971, 4-star

• Connor Lew (AUB): .8903, 4-star

• Clay Wedin (AUB): .8891, 3-star

• Jamal Meriweather (UGA): .8879, 3-star

• Izavion Miller (AUB): .8886, 3-star

• Jared Wilson (UGA): .8856, 3-star

• Braydn Joiner (AUB): .8854, 3-star

• Tyler Johnson (AUB): .8808, 3-star

• Jalil Irvin (AUB): .8804, 3-star

• Tate Johnson (AUB): .8784, 3-star

• Joshua Miller (UGA): .8778, 3-star

• Austin Blaske (UGA): .8759, 3-star

• Drew Bobo (UGA): .8748, 3-star

• Kam Stutts (AUB): .8735, 3-star

• Jeremiah Wright (AUB): .8676, 3-star

• Dillon Wade (AUB): .8053, 3-star

• Jaden Muskrat (AUB): .7935, 2-star

• Gunner Britton (AUB): .7863, 2-star

‌

 

DEFENSIVE LINE

 

• Mykel Williams (UGA): .9958, 5-star

• Jordan Hall (UGA): .9838, 5-star

• Justin Rogers (AUB): .9744, 4-star

• Keldric Faulk (AUB): .9655, 4-star

• Zykeivous Walker (AUB): .9649, 4-star

• Christen Miller (UGA): .9560, 4-star

• Jonathan Jefferson (UGA): .9407, 4-star

• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (UGA): .9256, 4-star

• Jamaal Jarrett (UGA): .9297, 4-star

• Darron Reed Jr. (AUB): .9267, 4-star

• Nazir Stackhouse (UGA): .9097, 4-star

• Zion Logue (UGA): .8979, 4-star

• Warren Brinson (UGA): .8977, 4-star

• C.J. Madden (UGA): 8973, 4-star

• Jayson Jones (AUB): .8964, 4-star

• Wilky Denaud (AUB): .8925, 4-star

• Quientrail Jamison-Travis (AUB): .8681, 3-star

• Enyce Sledge (AUB): .8652, 3-star

• Tramel Walthour (UGA): .8622, 3-star

• Stephen Johnson (AUB): .8492, 3-star

• Mosiah Nasili-Kite (AUB): .8485, 3-star

• Lawrence Johnson (AUB): .8367, 3-star

• Marcus Harris (AUB): .8204, 3-star

‌

 

EDGE/OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

 

• Damon Wilson Jr. (UGA): .9900, 5-star

• Marvin Jones Jr. (UGA): .9887, 5-star

• Samuel M’Pemba (UGA): .9770, 4-star

• Gabe Harris (UGA): .9691, 4-star

• Darris Smith (UGA): .9352, 4-star

• Chaz Chambliss (UGA): .8914, 3-star

• Brenton Williams (AUB): .8717, 3-star

• Elijah McAllister (AUB): .8642, 3-star

• Stephen Sings V (AUB): .8593, 3-star

• Jalen McLeod (AUB): .8336, 3-star

‌

 

INSIDE LINEBACKER

 

• Xavian Sorey (UGA): .9864, 5-star

• Jalon Walker (UGA): .9803, 4-star

• C.J. Allen (UGA): .9671, 4-star

• Wesley Steiner (AUB): 9558, 4-star

• Robert Woodyard (AUB): .9428, 4-star

• Jamon Dumas-Johnson (AUB): .9215, 4-star

• Eugene Asante (AUB): .9031, 4-star

• Cam Riley (AUB): .8976, 4-star

• E.J. Lightsey (UGA): .8848, 3-star

• Austin Keys (AUB): .8663, 3-star

• Larry Nixon III (AUB): .7964, 2-star

‌

 

CORNERBACK

 

• Daylen Everette (UGA): .9874, 5-star

• A.J. Harris (UGA): .9832, 4-star

• Nyland Green (UGA): .9682, 4-star

• Julian Humphrey (UGA): .9655, 4-star

• Kayin Lee (AUB): .9386, 4-star

• Daniel Harris (UGA): .9347, 4-star

• J.D. Rhym (AUB): .9286, 4-star

• Chris Peal (UGA): .9274, 4-star

• Kamari Lassiter (UGA): .9137, 4-star

• Colton Hood (AUB): .8963, 4-star

• Justyn Rhett (UGA): .8963, 4-star

• Nehemiah Pritchet (AUB): .8809, 3-star

• JC Hart (AUB): .8761, 3-star

• D.J. James (AUB): .8726, 3-star

‌

 

SAFETY/NICKEL

 

• Malaki Starks (UGA): .9905, 5-star

• Joenel Aguero (UGA): .9842, 5-star

• David Daniel-Sisavanh (UGA): .9583, 4-star

• Zion Puckett (AUB): .9420, 4-star

• Austin Ausberry (AUB): .9275, 4-star

• Sylvester Smith (AUB): .9156, 4-star

• Terrance Love (AUB): .9081, 4-star

• Tyler Scott (AUB): .9001, 4-star

• Keionte Scott (AUB): .9000, 4-star

• JaCorey Thomas (UGA): .9000, 4-star

• Jaylin Simpson (AUB): .8958, 4-star

• Marquise Gilbert (AUB): .8867, 3-star

• Donovan Kaufman (AUB): .8860, 3-star

• Tykee Smith (UGA): .8833, 3-star

• C.J. Johnson (AUB): .8786, 3-star

• Kyron Jones (UGA): .8772, 3-star

• Javon Bullard (UGA): .8726, 3-star

• Caleb Wooden (AUB): .8717, 3-star

• Champ Anthony (AUB): .8678, 3-star

‌

 

SPECIALIST

 

• Alex McPherson (AUB): .8378, 3-star

• Peyton Woodring (UGA):  .8333, 3-star

• Brett Thorson (UGA): .8293, 3-star

‌

 

OVERVIEW

 

Average Georgia QB recruit: .9479

Average Auburn QB recruit: .8763

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Average Georgia RB recruit: .9291 

Average Auburn RB recruit: .9122

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Average Georgia WR recruit: .9091

Average Auburn WR recruit: .8722

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Average Georgia TE recruit: .9531

Average Auburn TE recruit: .8701

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Average Georgia OL recruit: .9332

Average Auburn OL recruit: .8629

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Average Georgia DL recruit: .9269

Average Auburn DL recruit: .8924

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Average Georgia EDGE recruit: .9586

Average Auburn EDGE recruit: .8572

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Average Georgia LB recruit: .9547

Average Auburn LB recruit: .8976

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Average Georgia CB recruit: .9471

Auburn Auburn CB recruit: .8989

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Average Georgia S recruit: .9237

Average Auburn S recruit: .8983

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theplainsman.com

Players to watch, keys to victory against Georgia

5–7 minutes

The Auburn Tigers return home this week to face the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in the 128th game of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Tigers will face the Bulldogs in their second conference game of the season after losing the conference opener to Texas A&M 27-10. 

Georgia has won nine of its last 10 matchups against Auburn and is riding a six-game winning streak against the Tigers. Auburn’s most recent victory over Georgia was a  40-17 home win in 2017. 

Auburn faces an uphill battle against a dominant Georgia team led by Kirby Smart. While the Bulldog offense has had some slow starts in games of the season, scoring a combined 17 points in the first quarter of the first four games of its season, Georgia’s defense has looked steady. The Bulldog defense is allowing 11.3 points per game and leads the SEC with seven interceptions. 

“(Georgia) is one of the gold standards in college football right now,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. “They’re well coached. You’ve gotta give them credit. I know it’s a rivalry game, but the truth is the truth.”

Players to Watch:

Georgia Bulldogs:

Carson Beck (QB)

Beck will be making the first road start of his career at Jordan-Hare Stadium and will be tested by the Tigers’ secondary. Last Saturday against UAB, Beck had four total touchdowns while totaling a career-high 338 passing yards in the Bulldogs’ victory over the Blazers. 

Daijun Edwards (RB)

Edwards has been the leader of Georgia’s run game this season and will be key to alleviating some of the pressure Beck will face in his first road start against a solid Auburn secondary. 

Totaling 118 yards and one touchdown in the Bulldogs’ win over South Carolina and 66 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s win over UAB, Edwards led Georgia in rushing yards in the team’s two previous matchups. 

Auburn Tigers:

Brian Battie (RB)

Even with a poor team offensive performance in its loss to Texas A&M, Battie totaled a season-high 59 yards rushing on eight carries. He also added 23 yards receiving to his offensive performance on two catches. 

Battie, who is averaging 5.3 yards per carry this season, will need to look for open space on Saturday to allow the Auburn offense to get into a rhythm comfortable enough to pass the ball. 

Nehemiah Pritchett (CB)

Plagued by injuries early in the season, Pritchett made his season debut against Texas A&M for the Tigers. The star cornerback will be key to putting pressure on Beck’s passing game. Pritchett, and the Tigers’ secondary, has a chance to keep the game close for Auburn. 

Payton Thorne (QB)

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Thorne looked shaky in his conference debut against the Aggies, going 6-for-12 and totaling 44 yards. If the Tigers want to boast a solid offense, Thorne will need to find some confidence in the pocket. Look for Thorne to attempt to find an offensive rhythm on Saturday. 

Keys to Victory:

Georgia Bulldogs

The key for Georgia on offense so far this season has been slow and steady wins the race. Expect something similar on Saturday. While it may take awhile for the Georgia offense to get some points on the board, it is still averaging 41.5 points per game and will be facing the SEC’s second-worst run defense. 

Look for Beck to build confidence on the road, utilizing Edwards and tight end Brock Bowers in the run game. If Georgia can get things going on the ground, its offense should fall into place, and Beck will have the opportunity to use his wide receivers. 

Overall, Georgia’s offense will continue to play a steady game and look to excel the Bulldogs to victory.  

Auburn Tigers:

To upset the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, the Tigers are going to have to play clean, limiting penalties and turnovers. Against the Aggies, the Tigers managed zero turnovers but still totaled 10 penalties. Auburn will have to limit its penalties if it wants to defeat Georgia. 

Look for the Auburn defense to keep the Tigers in the game. Early on in its matchups, Georgia has struggled to get its offense rolling, and if Auburn’s defense can prevent the Bulldog offense from finding its groove, the Tigers should be able to keep the game close. 

Expect Pritchett and Auburn’s secondary to try to shut down Beck’s passing game and prevent the Bulldog offense from getting the gears wound up. 

Auburn will play the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Sept. 30 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on CBS. 

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

Grace Heim | Sports Reporter

Grace Heim is a sophomore from Enterprise, Alabama majoring in English Literature. She started with The Plainsman in January 2023.

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waka.com

Auburn hopes for upset in hosting No. 1 Georgia in Deep South's Oldest Football Rivalry - WAKA 8

WAKA Action 8 News,

3–4 minutes

Posted: Sep 29, 2023 5:27 PM CDT

by WAKA Action 8 News

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze thanks the fans after an NCAA college football game against Samford, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Auburn is seeking to show progress under first-year coach Hugh Freeze and beat the Bulldogs for the first time in seven years when the Tigers host Georgia at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.

Georgia faces its first road test after starting the season with four straight home games. The Bulldogs will be looking for a faster start offensively after outscoring their opponents only 17-7 in the opening quarter.

KEY MATCHUP

Auburn quarterback vs. Georgia defensive front. The Tigers have struggled mightily on offense, and they went through three quarterbacks — Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner — in last week’s ugly 27-10 loss at Texas A&M. Auburn threw for a total of 56 yards in the game, completing just 9 of 26 passes while giving up seven sacks. That doesn’t bode well against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Bulldogs are allowing just 11.3 points a game and will surely bring all kinds of pressure in hopes of disrupting whoever is taking the snaps.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Georgia: QB Carson Beck will be making the first road start of his career. The fourth-year player has been solid so far playing in front of the home folks, completing nearly 73% of his passes for 1,184 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. But he has largely faced lesser opposition, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in a hostile environment.

Auburn: RB Jarquez Hunter remains the most proven player on the Tigers offense, even if he has only a modest 143 yards and one touchdown in the three games he has played in. With backup Damari Alston (shoulder) out, Hunter could shoulder more of a load — along with Brian Battie, Jeremiah Cobb and athletic QB Ashford.

FACTS & FIGURES

Georgia has dominated the Deep South’s oldest rivalry in recent year with six straight victories, outscoring the Tigers 179-57. … Auburn has failed to score more than 14 points in a game since its last victory over Georgia, a 40-17 triumph late in the 2017 regular season. … The Bulldogs have been No. 1 in The Associated Press poll since claiming the top spot Oct. 16, 2022. … Georgia has a school-record 21-game winning streak. … Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart set a new SEC record for most victories through his first 100 career games, improving to 85-15 with last week’s win over UAB. … Auburn has forced a league-high eight turnovers through four games with a pair of defensive scores.

Series record: Georgia leads 63-56-8.

The game is at 2:30PM CT on WAKA Action 8.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Hugh Freeze jokes he’ll have a heart attack if Auburn doesn’t run more RPO plays

Published: Sep. 29, 2023, 7:30 a.m.

5–6 minutes

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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze reacts after a call during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Samford, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

The look on Freeze’s face went viral.

He was sitting at his podium for his Monday press conference. There, he was asked about Georiga head coach Kirby Smart quickly building his program, and if he could do the same at Auburn.

At first, Freeze said he didn’t know exactly how long it took to get Georgia to the level it is at now, with three championship appearances since 2017 and two trophies. He assumed it must have taken Smart three or four years.

“They were in the national championship his second year,” the reporter said, off to Freeze’s right.

Freeze turns to look at him. A look of bewilderment on his face.

“His second year,” Freeze said. “I don’t know if that’s accurate.”

Except, it is accurate. And that was pointed out to Freeze.

“He did it pretty quickly then,” Freeze responded. “That’s even more impressive.”

Maybe that look of surprise comes from knowing it’s not going to happen that quickly at Auburn. Freeze has already talked about waiting until his third or fourth year to truly compete.

These situations are different, Auburn and Georgia. But as Freeze prepares for his first time in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium against a program he’s called the gold standard of college football right now, Freeze’s interests are being pulled multiple different ways. He’s in a battle to rebuild, to keep those he already has happy and do so with a clock ticking over him.

Step one of this rebuild comes from installing his system. That hasn’t worked so far. Freeze is offensive-minded and he reached a head coaching job in the nation’s best college football conference by using his run-pass-option offensive scheme.

But against Texas A&M — Auburn’s worst performance of the season — Auburn didn’t run a single RPO play.

Freeze hired Philip Montgomery away from a head coaching job in Tulsa to be Auburn’s offensive coordinator. The idea was to hire someone who could call plays to allow Freeze to focus on the many facets it takes to build a program.

Freeze has said for months that it has been difficult to give up playcalling. But when it’s gotten this bad, Freeze can’t take it anymore.

“If we don’t see more RPO plays, I’m going to have a heart attack,” Freeze said Thursday on his weekly Tiger Talk radio appearance.

So he’s focused more on the offense this week. Focused more on working with Montgomery and more time with quarterback Payton Thorne.

But putting this attention into the offense now — exactly what Freeze said he didn’t want to do — prevents him from looking at step two.

Step two is recruiting. It is recruiting high school players and those out of the transfer portal. It is getting the type of 4-star and 5-star recruits Auburn has already begun to land, highlighted by 5-star wide receiver Perry Thompson and an overall 2024 recruiting class ranked in the top 20 nationally.

On Tiger Talk, Freeze said he expects to have around 70 high school recruits at the game against Georgia. Every second he spends focusing on Montgomery and play-calling is time he can’t spend with Auburn’s future.

And that is step three: weighing the balance of a fanbase hungry to win now with his long-term plan.

“The wins will come, I believe that firmly, but whatever people’s patience level is -- I can’t control that,” Freeze said Monday. “I can’t worry about it, and I don’t worry about it. I worry about the people in this building and this organization. I worry about our fans, too, but I can’t control their patience level.”

Freeze has been candidly talking about Auburn’s talent gap. He’s been candidly talking about the work it takes to fix that — his plan to truly compete with the elite SEC teams will take another three to four years.

He’s received questions about whether to proverbially wave the white flag by looking as far as starting Holden Geriner to build for the future. But giving Geriner the meaningful snaps he lacks in a game against Georgia doesn’t make much sense and Freeze must balance the message he’s sending to the team he already has — many of whom won’t be here when Auburn is at the level Freeze wants.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous that those are already discussions in and around our kids,” Freeze said. “I do. But it’s not something we worry about. But they should expect us to improve.”

It will start with calling more RPO plays.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Local WR Daylyn Upshaw to visit Auburn for Georgia game

JD McCarthy

~2 minutes

The Auburn Tigers are set to host numerous recruits this weekend when they host the Georgia Bulldogs in the 127th edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. One of the recruits is wide receiver Daylyn Upshaw who will be making the short drive from Phenix City down to the Plains.

Upshaw has taken numerous visits to Auburn since wide receivers coach Marcus Davis offered him a scholarship back in March. They were the second program to extend him an offer, behind only Texas, since then FSU, Penn State and several other programs have followed suit.

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Despite an impressive offer list, he is a three-star prospect and the No. 84 wide receiver and No. 24 player from Alabama in the 247Sports composite ranking.

Upshaw has had a strong start to the season for Central-Phenix City, emerging as their No. 2 wideout behind five-star Cam Coleman, a major Auburn target in the 2024 cycle. Upshaw has caught 19 passes for 409 yards and five touchdowns in their first five games.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Georgia

Brian Hauch

5–7 minutes

The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs travel onto the Plains this week to take on the 3-1 Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

UGA comes in as the consensus #1 team in the nation, led by a tough-nosed defense and sparkling offensive attack. The Dawgs are coming off a 49-21 thumping over UAB last week, although they did give up their most points of the season (21) in the win.

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Conversely, the Tigers played their worst game of the season last week, losing at Texas A&M 27-10.

Auburn’s offense is in a state of flux, and that is not good heading into a matchup with a UGA defense that produces NFL first-round talent on a yearly basis.

These two factors are probably why Auburn is a 14.5-point home underdog on Saturday according to BetMGM.

ESPN’s FPI doesn’t like the home team’s chances either, as the Football Power Index gives Auburn an 18.1% chance to upset the Bulldogs.

Will a deeper dive into the tale of the tape show Auburn has a higher chance of shocking the college football world than the experts believe? As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Georgia came into the season with a major question mark at the quarterback position.

Kirby Smart and Co. were tasked with finding a replacement for Stetson Bennett, and they eventually landed on junior Carson Beck.

The Jacksonville, FL native has done well so far for the Dawgs, taking over the game manager role that helped his predecessor win two national championships.

Beck’s numbers through four games are actually eerily similar to Bennett’s numbers through four weeks in 2022.

At the week 5 mark last year, Stetson Bennett had thrown for 1,224 yards, rushed for 44 more, and scored 9 total touchdowns (5 passing, 4 rushing).

At the week 5 mark this year, Carson Beck has thrown for 1,184 yards, rushed for 38 yards, and scored 8 total touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing).

Perhaps most importantly, Beck has only turned the ball over one time.

On the other side, Auburn starter Payton Thorne has had a troubled start to the season.

The Michigan State transfer ended up with only 44 passing yards in last week’s losing effort in College Station, pushing his season total to a mediocre 561 yards in four games.

In two games against Power 5 opponents, Thorne has collected just 138 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The Michigan State transfer has been able to find the end zone this frequently this year (6 total touchdowns) but his 4 turnovers in 4 games are alarming.

The clear edge in quarterback play goes to Carson Beck and the UGA Bulldogs.

The skill position battle is almost as lopsided as the quarterback comparison.

Not only is UGA loaded at running back and receiver, but their best player on the offensive side of the ball is their tight end, Brock Bowers.

Standing at 6 4″ tall and 240 pounds, Bowers is coming off a dominant year in which he racked up over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 games.

Bowers is picking up right where he left off so far this season, as the junior already has 260 yards and 3 touchdowns.

While Auburn wide receiver jay fair has had himself a decent year and Georgia’s wide receiving core is nothing to scoff at, Bowers is clearly the best pass catcher in this game.

Georgia gets the advantage in the running back room as well.

Auburn’s top option, Jarquez Hunter, has struggled this year due to minor injuries, a suspension, and inconsistent o-line play.

His backup, Damari Altson, was injured in the Texas A&M game and is unlikely to play this week.

Third-stringer Brian Battie was arguably the Tiger’s best offensive player after Alston went down last week, but his youth and inexperience make him too hard to judge just yet.

Georgia’s running backs are also dealing with some injuries, but they still get the edge because of their experience in big games. UGA’s top two rushers, Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, are both seniors who were on the team for both of the Bulldogs championship runs.

Georgia’s talent and experience give them the edge over Auburn in every facet of the offensive game.

That is the case on the other side of the ball as well, although Georgia’s advantage is smaller.

The Auburn defense was the only thing that kept the Tigers afloat on the road last week, as the unit scored the team’s lone touchdown and kept Auburn in the game for three and a half quarters despite the offense failing to do much of anything.

Auburn’s defense has held opponents to just 16 PPG and 298.5 YPG this year. The 16 PPG is tied for 22nd in the nation, and the 298.5 YPG is tied for 24th.

Auburn’s defensive unit is also ranked 6th in the nation in defensive efficiency by ESPN FPI.

These numbers are all great. The only issue is that UGA’s are better.

The Dawgs are giving up 11.25 PPG and 282 YPG, good for 10th and 17th in the nation, respectively.

Auburn may have the best player on the defensive side of the ball in Eugene Asante, but Georgia is just a little bit better as a whole.

This game is probably going to be about as close as the experts believe, with UGA possibly blowing out Auburn early in this game.

The fact is, Auburn’s just not on the same talent level as the Bulldogs right now.

With that being said, the Tigers could still win this game, but it would take an amazing effort by the defense and a monster bounce-back performance by Payton Thorne.

We’ll see if the Tigers can shock the world when things kick off at Jordan-Hare at 2:30 PM CST on Saturday.

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uburn-Georgia is a rivalry game, coach. You don’t have to handle it with such care.

Updated: Sep. 29, 2023, 8:34 a.m.|Published: Sep. 29, 2023, 6:00 a.m.

8–9 minutes

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If my great-grandmother were still here on earth, she might have a page in her playbook to offer to Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze this week.

And if Freeze were smart, he’d at least hear her out.

No, my nannie wouldn’t have the answers to Auburn’s quarterback situation or how the Tigers could put their best foot forward against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday.

However, thanks to one fall Saturday sometime in the 1940s, my nannie learned quick that when you’re trying to win over someone who doesn’t care for the Georgia Bulldogs, it might be in your best interest to at least act like you don’t like them either.

My nannie was a native of Norfolk, Va., but eventually found herself courting a gentleman from north central Florida after she and her family moved to the area.

Story goes, she dove into the lake headfirst and broke her neck when she hit the bottom. Diving in after her was my great-grandaddy and allegedly the rest was history.

But one important chapter of their story was a trip to Jacksonville for the annual Florida-Georgia (or Georgia-Florida, depending on who you ask) rivalry game. It was one of their first dates and considering it required my great-grandaddy taking my nannie beyond the county line, it was a pretty big deal.

Though things were seemingly becoming serious between the two, the budding romance nearly came to a screeching halt when my nannie waltzed out of her house that Saturday wearing a black skirt and red blouse — not because she was a Georgia fan, but because she didn’t know any better and that’s what her closet gave her.

My great-grandaddy tried his hardest to stay cool, but eventually made a pitstop at one of the roadside t-shirt stands on the way to up to Jacksonville, picked her up a Florida Gators t-shirt that was surely tacky looking and politely asked if she would mind changing.

A trooper she was, so she obliged.

I couldn’t tell you what year that was exactly, but considering Florida won just two games against Georgia that decade, the likelihood that the Gators won the game that day are slim to none. But my great-grandaddy still came home a winner as his willing date went on to become his wife of more than 50 years shortly thereafter.

And that’s where Freeze’s lesson is to be learned: If you want a relationship to last, you sometimes have to have bit of a herd mentality – especially when the relationship is in the beginning stages and especially when it has to do with disliking the Georgia Bulldogs.

When asked about this weekend’s rivalry matchup against Georgia during his press conference Monday, Freeze had an interesting response.

“I’m new here, but I don’t sense the hatred that is in some other rivalries that I’ve been a part of,” Freeze said.

And at first, there might’ve been some truth to that.

For the better part of a 42-year span from 1916 to 1958, the game was held in Columbus, Ga. And it was there in 1920 that Georgia fought its way to a 7-0 win to give Auburn its first loss of the season.

After the game, Georgia fans paraded and partied into the night. The kicker? Auburn fans joined them.

“The most interesting feature of an Auburn-Georgia game is the splendid friendly relations between the two colleges,” The Columbus Ledger claimed after the fact. “If Auburn had to lose a game of football, no worthier victor would be picked than the Red and Black team.”

It wasn’t 40 years later that the two program’s attitudes of one another changed.

In the 1956 edition of the rivalry, a pair of Auburn defenders sacked Georgia quarterback and star pitcher Billy Hearn, causing him to suffer a separated shoulder. The Tigers intercepted a pass from the arm of Georgia’s backup on the ensuing play and a skirmish broke out at the line of scrimmage.

Sidelines cleared and the brawl continued until the Auburn band began playing the national anthem, which resulted in both teams retuning to their respective sidelines out of respect for their country.

And while Douglas Stutsman, author of the book “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry Auburn vs. Georgia” says the 1956 matchup remains the “most violent”, there’s still been a handful of spats between the two programs since.

In 1971 Auburn visited Athens for another matchup of unbeatens and students at Georgia were sure to remind the Tigers they were in enemy territory as members of Georgia fraternities rang bells and beat on the doors of the rooms the Auburn football team was sleeping in that night. Fans went on to rock the team busses the day of the game and later damaged the police car used to escort the Tigers back to Auburn.

More: Cam Newton, Bo Jackson, 10 other great Auburn performances vs. Georgia

Then you’ve got the 1986 game in Jordan-Hare Stadium, where the Bulldogs upset the Tigers 20-16, leading to Georgia fans rushing the field and some ripping away at the Auburn logo at midfield.

In an effort to disperse the celebrating fans, Paul Conner — who was hired by Auburn coach Pat Dye to redesign Auburn’s field — was instructed to open the sprinkler valves, dousing Georgia fans on a chilly November evening.

In a case of irony, Conner was set to speak at turf conference at the University of Georgia the following Monday. When he asked Dye if he should follow through with the obligation after what had transpired days before, Dye ripped off a zinger that few have forgotten.

“Tell those Georgia students that dogs need a bath once in a while anyways,” Dye responded.

Now, compare a comment like that to the ones Freeze made on Monday.

To play devil’s advocate, Freeze is new here. And he likely doesn’t want to pretend that he knows what it’s like to be an Auburn fan that dislikes Georgia.

Again, that’s where that herd mentality has gotta come into play.

But instead of taking a page out of my nannie’s playbook on Monday, he nearly took a line out of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”.

“I’m not big on hate,” Freeze said Monday. “I’m really not. I’m big on just, man, this means something to so many people. So we should compete in a way out of love for our people, not necessarily for hate for other people.”

“That’s kind of the way I operate, but man, I hope we compete because we love Auburn and it means something to the Auburn people to compete against Georgia. So that’ll be my approach. But nonetheless, that love is a great motivator for me.”

All that’s awfully noble of Freeze to say, but if he thinks his players or fanbase will approach it the same way, he’s mistaken.

Auburn tight end Luke Deal and safety Zion Puckett are two veteran guys on the Tigers’ roster and have both lined up in this rivalry a handful of times. And when they learned of Freeze’s comments Monday, they both said something in the vein of “he’s about to find out”.

The ask isn’t to disrespect Georgia, but disliking Georgia?

That’s a sport in itself at Auburn.

And I don’t say that because I know what it’s like to be an Auburn fan and dislike Georgia. Instead, I say that as the great-granddaughter of an ol’ Florida boy who passed down his thoughts on the matter — first to his future wife and then down every branch of the family tree since.

All that said, I’m well aware that each rivalry in the SEC is very different and independent from one another and mean a ton to the respective programs and fanbases.

And one thing is for certain: If Freeze uses similar comments leading up to the other big rivalry game Auburn plays in the weekend after Thanksgiving?

Whew, buddy.

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[SaltyTiger 8,579]

Thanx Fiddy. Have a great game day.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

2 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said:

Thanx Fiddy. Have a great game day.

i am a little under the weather this morning salty. but i could not let you down. i am  hoping a win will make me feel better. i want us to shock the world!

[SaltyTiger 8,579]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

i am a little under the weather this morning salty. but i could not let you down. i am  hoping a win will make me feel better. i want us to shock the world!

Hope you get better quickly.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

 

[SaltyTiger 8,579]

Hurt here also Fiddy but is what is right now. Feels a lot better than the past several years. Tiger Walk today for you.
 

Came home pre kick off and fly over runs holding holding pattern over my house before heading to stadium.

 

[Hank2020 3,358]

Thx for posting these!!