Georgia Football: Keys to beating Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium

Georgia football goes on the road to Jordan-Hare this weekend. Kirby Smart is 0-1 in that venue and 0-3 on the road to the SEC West. What does Georgia need to do in order to get the win in this hostile environment?

The first thing Georgia football fans should think about this matchup with Auburn is, how do you slow down Tigers defensive tackle Derrick Brown? He is going to be a handful for the interior blockers on Georgia’s offensive line. The Bulldogs must control him at the line of scrimmage or it is going to be a very long day at the office.

One way you can do this would be to run away from him. Use more outside zone rather than running it inside. Try to attack the perimeter of Auburn’s defense rather than running it into the teeth of the defense and straight to their best player. If we can make him chase D’Andre Swift and Brian Herrien all game it will wear him down and help to neutralize him.

Another way they can neutralize Auburn’s defensive line is by using more quick slants and crossing routes to get the ball out quick and keep Jake Fromm from taking too many hits.

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Now, on the offensive side of the ball, Auburn has a lot of weapons, but the one that should cause the most concern for Georgia is wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, one of the fastest men in college football.

Kirby Smart was asked how he plans to deal with Schwartz at his press conference on Monday.

"Well you try to know where he is. They do a good job of putting him in different locations. They don’t leave him in one spot. He’s not always the feature guy. Sometimes he’s the decoy and sometimes he’s not the decoy. You don’t really ever know which one he’s going to be. He’s very explosive. I think awareness is how you handle it. We got the players we got. They got the players they got. No one in the country is as fast as (Schwartz). Nobody’s going to be able to just match up with him and just run with him. You gotta have ways to put people over top of him. You gotta have ways to protect against him. You gotta have ways to get your hands on him. They’re going to give him the ball. You gotta tackle him. Good thing is, we’re not in a track race against him. We gotta play football against him. He’s a really good football player."

Georgia has its own speed demon in Demetris Robertson. Some have forgotten about him because he has not been featured much this season. Robertson could be a real threat on crossing routes, jet sweeps, or even slants. He’s is the kind of athlete that can take it to the house anytime he touches the ball, you just have to give him a chance.

However, Robertson is most likely not the X-factor for Georgia. That would have to be Lawrence Cager, who has been cleared to practice and is expected to play this Saturday. Cager has become Fromm’s most trusted target, and the passing game just is not the same without him out there.

Auburn’s starting cornerbacks are Noah Igbinoghene (5’10), Javaris Davis (5’10), Christian Tutt (5’11). Lawrence Cager is 6’5, which presents a huge matchup problem for the Tigers in the secondary.

Cager is not the only matchup problem either. Matt Landers (6’5), George Pickens (6’3), and Dominick Blaylock (6’1) could all beat out the much shorter Auburn defensive backs for those jump balls.

Now that’s not to say that Auburn doesn’t have a few matchups in their favor. Seth Williams is 6’3, and just as good at catching 50/50 balls as Cager. It was Williams who won the game for Auburn against Oregon by out-jumping a defender for the winning touchdown.

Two more guys that might be tough matchups for the Dawgs are Sal Cannella (6’5) and Zach Farrar (6’4). Georgia will cover these guys with Eric Stokes, Tyson Campbell, Mark Webb, and Divaad Wilson – all who come in at 6’2 or under. Big receivers are nothing Georgia’s corners have not seen before. They faced Chase Claypool earlier this season and held him to six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

But even though Georgia’s secondary can match up with those receivers, they must get to the quarterback in order to win. Georgia’s pass rush has been inconsistent and must find ways to rattle Auburn quarterback Bo Nix this week. The Bulldogs have just 20 sacks on the season, averaging 2.22 sacks per game, which is 59th nationally. The pass rush is led by Azeez Ojulari, who has 4.5 sacks on the year.

Overall this is a game that the Bulldogs can and should win. They have the talent and the pieces to go into Jordan-Hare and hand the Tigers their third loss of the season. Georgia just needs to block out all the noise and do what they have practiced all week.

Neutralize Derrick Brown, stop the Tigers running attack, minimize the plays by Schwartz, and get to the quarterback. Win your individual matchup, make the plays when they are there, continue to play great team defense and the Bulldogs will win this game.