Georgia football must remain focused against Auburn in Week 11
With its eyes drifting toward a CFP rematch in Atlanta, Georgia football must remain focused on the task at hand against Auburn this week.
Georgia clinched the SEC East last week by rolling over Kentucky in Lexington, and by doing so set up a National Championship rematch with Alabama in Atlanta with the SEC Championship, and likely a playoff bid, on the line.
After an ugly performance in Baton Rouge, Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have rebounded with resounding victories over Eastern division counterparts Florida and Kentucky to retain its perch atop the divisional hierarchy. Despite improvement in The Swamp, and a magical season in Lexington, the East still very much belongs to Georgia.
Before they can begin shifting their focus toward Atlanta, Georgia must first take care of business against rival Auburn in their final SEC regular season game of the year. The Bulldogs met the Tigers twice last season — getting routed at Jordan-Hare and then avenging that loss with a rout of their own in the rematch in Atlanta.
Auburn entered the season with SEC and playoff aspirations of their own, but the Tigers have disappointed to the point that fans have been eager to assist in paying for head coach Gus Malzahn’s $32 million buyout.
Consecutive October losses to Mississippi State and Tennessee knocked Auburn out of contention in the SEC, but the Tigers have renewed a little bit of confidence with consecutive wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M leading into their date in Athens. It hasn’t been the year anyone on the Plains was hoping for, but Auburn can relish the role of spoiler down the stretch, with a game in Athens this week and Tuscaloosa in two weeks, as they could knock their rivals out of the national championship race.
Does Auburn have a shot at upsetting the ‘Dawgs on the road? Or will Georgia handle its business and take another step toward a de-facto playoff quarterfinal in Atlanta?
Here’s how you can watch Saturday night’s game between the hedges in Athens:
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Date: Saturday, Nov. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Sanford Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
For Georgia, they’ll need a better performance from sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm than they got a week ago in Lexington to ensure offensive success against a tough Auburn defense. Fromm was mediocre against the Wildcats, throwing for just 113 yards and posting his second worst passing efficiency day of the season. He shook off a poor performance in Baton Rouge a few weeks ago by lighting up Florida in Jacksonville to help his team seize control of the SEC East. Kirby Smart will be hoping for a similar bounce back this week at home.
For Auburn, they must win the battle at the line-of-scrimmage on both sides of the ball to have a realistic shot at winning this game. The Tigers managed just 19 net rushing yards last week against Texas A&M, and have had a consistent problem running the football all season, which really hampers what Malzahn wants to do offensively. If they’re forced to put too much pressure on Jarrett Stidham’s shoulders, that’s playing right into Georgia’s hands as the Bulldogs rank 5th in the nation in passing downs, per S&P+.
Defensively, it will be key for Auburn to stop the two-headed monster of D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield in the backfield, or it will be a long day for the Tigers on that side of the ball. With as much talent as Auburn boasts in the front seven, they’ve been surprisingly leaky against the run this season, ranking 34th in the country in rushing yards allowed.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Point Spread: Georgia -14
Over/Under: 50
Prediction
With zero consistency from the running game, I find it hard to believe that Auburn will be able to ascertain much offensive success in Athens. Forcing Jarrett Stidham to throw 30-40 times in order to remain competitive plays right into the hands of Mel Tucker’s defense, as the Bulldogs boast one of the best secondaries in the country, led by future first round pick Deandre Baker. Auburn’s defense will likely keep them in this game for a while.
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The Tigers stiffen up in the redzone, having allowed only eight touchdowns on 27 opposing trips inside the 20 this season, so expect Georgia to have to kick some early field goals. Also, expect the Auburn defense to eventually wear down, and for Georgia to start pulling away in the second half.
Final Score: Georgia 30, Auburn 13