Georgia is chasing the lofty goal to become college football's first three-peat national champion since World World II, and that chase continues on Saturday as the Bulldogs take a road trip to meet rival Auburn. This game should provide a much different test for the Dawgs after an easy 49-21 win in Week 4 over UAB. Carson Beck might have been in just his third start at quarterback for the champs, but he looked in complete control of the offense with 338 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
On the other side, the Tigers are in a rough spot. The offense was almost nonexistent in the 27-10 loss to Texas A&M. Coach Hugh Freeze was forced to play three quarterbacks -- Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner -- in an attempt to find any semblance of offense. Meanwhile, the defense, led by linebacker Eugene Asante, has done everything it can possibly can to keep the Tigers in games.
It is expected that Georgia will get back several key players from the injury report this week, as defensive back Javon Bullard, wide receiver Ladd McConkey and defensive lineman Mykel Williams are all expected to see the field today. None of the three names listed were participants against UAB a week ago.
Georgia is making its first road trip of the season in week five with an undefeated record thus far in the 2023 season. Auburn, on the other hand, was dealt a loss from Texas A&M during week four.
There were also plain miscommunications, such as a third-and-9 Thorne scramble, where it looked like Smael Mondon Jr. and Jamon Dumas-Johnson weren’t on the same page on who was assigned to watch Thorne and who was supposed to pursue the running back.
But it wasn’t all bad for Georgia’s defense. Dumas-Johnson came up with a huge tackle on fourth-and-1 in the red zone to stop an Auburn drive dead in its tracks in the second quarter. The defense as a whole tightened up in the fourth quarter and made the game-sealing play on a late fourth-and-9 when safety Malaki Starks intercepted Thorne to give Georgia the ball for good.
Auburn wore Georgia down with the run, but the Bulldogs’ defense had just enough left in the tank to hold on for the win. Still, their struggles defending the Tigers’ ground game will be something to look out for as Georgia gets further into its SEC schedule.
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.
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