ESPN College GameDay crew picks winner of Georgia vs Auburn

ESPN’s College Gameday is in the Classic City today to preview the biggest college football matchup of the week. Who did the crew pick?

It’s a beautiful day in Athens DawgNation!

ESPN’s College Gameday is in the Classic City today to preview the biggest college football matchup of the week – No. 4 Georgia versus No. 7 Auburn.

The crew is joined by special guest picker, actor Omari Hardwick, a former UGA cornerback in 1995, who spent time in the NFL before moving to film.

Here are the picks:

Desmond Howard – Auburn

David Pollack – Georgia

Omari Hardwick – Georgia

Lee Corso – Georgia

 

Need a quick preview of today’s game? Listen to our podcast here – featuring former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and an Auburn preview.

UGA announces team captains for matchup with Auburn

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is here, No. 4 Georgia versus No. 7 Auburn Between the Hedges. Here are the captains for today’s game.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is here, No. 4 Georgia versus No. 7 Auburn Between the Hedges at 7:30 p.m.

Georgia’s team captains for today’s game are sophomore running back Zamir White, senior linebacker Monte Rice and junior cornerback Tyson Campbell.

The Bulldogs won their season opener last week at Arkansas 37-10. The heralded defense played lights-out, racking up three interceptions, including a pick six and safety, but the offense struggled mightily.

Georgia once again hasn’t named a starting quarterback ahead of kickoff, so we will have to wait to see if junior Stetson Bennett ‘the mailman’ gets another chance after a solid performance last week, or if USC transfer J.T. Daniels gets the nod after being cleared on Monday from a knee injury suffered in 2019. We could even see redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis get some snaps as well.

Regardless of who starts at signal caller, the Bulldogs will be facing a tough Auburn team lead by sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who against Kentucky last week, threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with 3 touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

 

 

 

Georgia vs Auburn: Previewing The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry

Georgia football has a big game this weekend: UGA vs Auburn. Here’s a preview of the 2020 edition of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia versus Auburn, comes early this year with the SEC’s conference-only schedule.

And it’s a matchup of two top-10 programs – Georgia comes in ranked No. 4 after a 37-10 win versus Arkansas in Fayetteville and Auburn sits at No. 7 after a 29-13 win versus Kentucky.

The biggest question once again for the Bulldogs is who will start at quarterback?

USC transfer J.T. Daniels was cleared Monday after missing 2019 with an ACL tear, so we may finally get to see what Daniels can do under center for Georgia on Saturday.

If Daniels doesn’t get the start, we will either see junior Stetson Bennett or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis.

Mathis started the game at Arkansas but was quickly relieved of duties just five drives. Bennett, who went 20/29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, replaced him and led Georgia back from a 5-point deficit.

Hear what former Georgia quarterback, CBS Sports analyst Aaron Murray thinks about the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks here:

Regardless of who winds up at quarterback, Georgia will have its hands full with a loaded Auburn team.

The Tigers are led by sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who was responsible for most of Auburn’s offense versus Kentucky.

He threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with 3 touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Nix didn’t get much help from the Tigers’ backfield, but he did establish a connection with junior receiver Seth Williams, who went off with six receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.

They will face a Georgia secondary coming off of a three interception performance versus the Razorbacks, returning one for a touchdown and adding a couple of passes defended.

Preseason All-American safety Richard LeCounte had two of those picks and looks like the unquestioned leader of the 2020 Bulldogs defense, who’s depth and talent across the board is among the best in the nation.

The Bulldogs have big junior tackle Jordan Davis in the middle of its defensive front and senior defensive end Malik Herring setting the edge with star linebackers Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari cleaning up. And don’t forget about senior linebacker Monte Rice at the mike linebacker spot.

With the current quarterback mess, Georgia will have to lean on these talented guys on the Bulldog defense to get a win versus a tough Auburn team, but Auburn coach Gus Malzahn always seems to have issues scoring versus Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s defenses, so look for a low scoring punt-fest this Saturday.

What Auburn football media is saying about Georgia ahead of Saturday’s matchup

No. 4 Georgia takes on No. 7 Auburn Saturday at 7:30 p.m., see what Auburn media is saying about the Bulldogs here.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is here a bit early.

Because of the SEC-only schedule this season amid the Covid-19 pandemic, No. 4 Georgia and No. 7 Auburn matchup in just their second games of the season.

Once again we are in the dark about who will start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and staff elected to start redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis against Arkansas, and then abruptly pulled him after only five drives for junior Stetson Bennett.

Bennett played well, using his championship run experience at Jones County Junior College in 2018 to lead the Bulldogs back from a 5-point deficit to beat Arkansas 37-10.

There was a chance we would see USC transfer J.T. Daniels if he was cleared from an ACL tear from 2019, but he wasn’t cleared before kickoff like Smart hoped.

Then, on Monday, Smart announced that Daniels had been cleared for gameplay and now the Bulldogs once again must make a decision on who will start at signal caller.

Here is what the Auburn media is saying about Georgia and its quarterback situation:

“A defense that led the nation in points allowed last year (12.6 per game) and rushing defense (75 yards per game), the Georgia Bulldogs bring back plenty of talent from that 2019 group led by a deep and talented front seven along with a secondary that has one of the best college football players in the country in senior safety Richard LeCounte.”

“We recruit the state; I think a third of our team is from the state of Georgia,” Malzahn said. “You can look at it since I’ve been at Auburn, it’s always been very, very important and the winner’s usually gone on to do really well. It’s a big one.”

“Smart has had to worry about his own quarterback situation this week after redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started but struggled against the Razorbacks and junior Stetson Bennett entered the game in relief. The availability of Daniels, a former five-star recruit, has muddied the picture going into Saturday’s game, and Smart has been hesitant to tip his hand one way or the other.”

“No. 7 Auburn at No. 4 Georgia (-6.5): The wrong team is favored here. I don’t buy that JT Daniels is 100% following his knee injury last season or that he has the same ceiling as he did prior to it. Whether it’s Daniels or Stetson Bennett IV, Auburn’s defense won’t be threatened by an offense that struggled to find its sea legs. Auburn has its work cut out for it on offense, though. Quarterback Bo Nix looked better after some halftime adjustments last week, and there’s no doubt that coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chad Morris held back much of the offense against Kentucky. Take those points, but you won’t need them. Auburn will win this game outright. Pick: Auburn (+6.5)”

 

 

Georgia football at Auburn: Expert picks and predictions

The UGA Wire staff gives their score, stat and game predictions ahead of the Georgia football home opener against the Auburn Tigers.

The No. 7 Auburn Tigers travel to Athens this Saturday to face the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs between the hedges.

This top-10 matchup will be the host to ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew and is expected to be a shootout.

The Tigers beat Kentucky last week, 29-13, while the Bulldogs beat Arkansas, 37-10. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is scheduled to kick off this Saturday at 7:30 EDT on ESPN.

With that said, the UGA Wire staff has put together a number of score, stat and game predictions ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Here are the picks:

The moneymakers:

No. 4 Georgia (-6.5) vs. No. 7 Auburn

(Odds courtesy of BetMGM)

UGA WIRE Game Picks:

Joe Vitale: Georgia 

James Morgan: Georgia

Henry Sillen: Georgia

J.C. Shelton: Georgia

Spread Pick (Georgia -6.5/Auburn +6.5):

JV: Georgia -6.5

JM: Auburn +6.5

HS: Georgia -6.5

JC: Auburn + 6.5

Over/Under (44.5):

JV: Under

JM: Under

HS: Over

JC: Over

Score prediction:

JV: Georgia 27, Auburn 13

JM: Georgia 20, Auburn 17

HS: Georgia 30, Auburn 23 (Correct score prediction last week of 37-10)

JC: Georgia 26, Auburn 22

UGA Football Live, with J.C. Shelton: S1, Ep. 2 – Aaron Murray talks UGA QBs

You don’t want to miss my conversation with former Georgia QB Aaron Murray about the Bulldogs’ QB situation. Listen here!

Your friends at “UGA Football Live” and UGA Wire present your one-stop shop for all things Georgia Football!

We will release episodes and interviews each week during the 2020 college football season with a little bit of everything sprinkled in between.

Listen here:

OR:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uga-football-live-with-j-c-shelton/id1533295384#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-5686597

In this week’s episode I talk with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (10:32) about the Bulldogs’ quarterback situation and what he saw from redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and junior Stetson Bennett versus Arkansas.

PLUS:

  • Arkansas recap

I go through key stat lines and plays from Georgia’s 37-10 win over the Razorbacks

  • Georgia analysis 

Who played well and who didn’t? I go through each position group and look at the numbers.

  • Auburn Preview

What will the Tigers look like Saturday? I break down some key match ups to look for when Georgia takes on Auburn this Saturday in Athens.

  • Braves and sadly, the Falcons

I give the Atlanta Braves update and cry about the Atlanta Falcons. It’s all in a day’s work as a Georgia sports fan.

 

 

 

 

 

PFF spotlights Georgia football WRs George Pickens, Dominick Blaylock

Georgia football receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock are due for a big 2020 college football season.

George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock signed with Georgia as five-star receivers in the class of 2019.

Georgia was able to flip Pickens from Auburn on signing day, while Blaylock was all-dawg from the start. Blaylock committed to Georgia in July of 2017 and then signed in December of 2018.

Georgia fans had high expectations for both of them, and both lived up to the hype.

Pro Football Focus spotlighted how the two finished the season with zero drops. See the tweet below.

Pickens was a superstar his freshman season, catching 49 passes for 727 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’s considered one of the top returning receivers in college football for the 2020 season.

Blaylock hauled in 18 catches for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns. He suffered a torn ACL against LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

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How Georgia, LSU stack up ahead of SECCG: Statistical breakdown

How Georgia and LSU stack up statistically ahead of the SEC Championship Game, which is college football’s biggest of the weekend.

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The big one is here.

On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, Georgia and LSU will square off in the SEC Championship Game in what will be a College Football Playoff play-in game for Georgia.

Flor LSU, the Tigers can probably afford to drop this one given their undefeated record and body of work to date.

But for the Dawgs, this is it. It’s win or go home. We suffered defeat in the exact same scenario last season and Kirby Smart will put out all the tricks to make sure that does not happen.

Georgia and LSU are two very different football teams.

LSU’s offense is incredible. Georgia’s, well, is not.

Georgia’s defense is equally as good as LSU’s offense. LSU’s defense is nothing special.

How this game plays out will be fun to watch. LSU will score points, less points than usual I would assume. Can Georgia hang in there and match them?

Here are how these two teams match up statistically.

OFFENSE:

Georgia football’s defensive stats are absolutely nuts

These Georgia football defensive stats are literally nuts.

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This Georgia defense is the best in the conference and it’s one of the NCAA’s elite defenses. In nine games this year, the defense has allowed a high of 17 points.

Here’s each game so far:

6, 17, 0, 17, 14, 13, 0, 17, 0.

Remember, in the South Carolina game Georgia’s defense actually only allowed 13 points. The Gamecocks got seven when they returned an interception back for a touchdown.

That’s three shutouts, and two of those came against SEC teams Kentucky and Missouri.

This defense is something special.

Saturday proved that again as Georgia held Missouri to 0 points, 198 total yards, 148 passing and 50 rushing.

In the fourth quarter, Georgia almost saw its nine game streak of no rushing touchdowns allowed come to a close. But the defense prevailed and not only did not allow a rushing score, but no score at all for that matter.

The passing defense could be cleaned up a little bit, but the Dawgs are still fine in that category, ranking 17th nationally.

A big part of Georgia’s solid passing defense can be credited to the run defense. Georgia takes away its opponents run game. It’s a sure thing. Basically, if you think you want to run the ball against Georgia, think again.

With the Dawgs being so stout against the run, teams are forced to throw it. And just because the Georgia pass defense is not as elite as its run defense, don’t take that secondary lightly. There are some big name players back there just waiting for you to throw it at them.

Compared to the rest of the SEC, there’s no questioning that Georgia has the conference’s best defense.

Just look at these stats and where they rank among the SEC and the nation.

10.1 points per game allowed (2nd nationally, 1st in the SEC)

260.3 total yards per game allowed (5th nationally, 1st in the SEC)

4.32 yards per played allowed (4th nationally, 1st in the SEC)

185.8 passing yards per game allowed (17th nationally, 3rd in the SEC)

5.6 yards per attempt (5th nationally, 2nd in the SEC)

74.5 rushing yards per game allowed (4th nationally, 1st in the SEC)

2.77 yards per carry allowed (4th nationally, 1st in the SEC)

29.6% opponent 3rd down conversion rate (11th nationally, 1st in the SEC)

57.14% opponent red zone score conversion rate (1st nationally, 1st in the SEC)