The Georgia Bulldogs travel to Auburn for a night game in Jordan-Hare Stadium to play the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. Coming off an impressive win against Kentucky, the Bulldogs are looking to continue this newfound success since the loss to Alabama. For Georgia to keep their SEC Championship aspirations alive, here is what they need to do to be successful against Auburn.
Gunner Stockton: Push the ball downfield
Gunner Stockton has only thrown one interception on the year. He has been extremely cautious with the football, but almost too cautious.
At times, he has foregone the opportunity to take a medium-to-deep shots at a wide receiver because there was five yards or less of separation. Stockton needs to be able to trust in his receivers more and push the ball to them in one-on-one matchups he identifies.
The Bulldogs have two guys 6'4" or taller in Colbie Young and Noah Thomas. Not to mention, the Bulldogs have a loaded tight end group as well. They are talented enough to win those matchups a majority of the time. Can an interception or two come from that? Absolutely. However, Stockton needs to put his trust in these receivers. This is a different group than last year, and they can more than handle the contested catch opportunities.
Defensive line must create havoc
Georgia has struggled to get to the quarterback this season. Specifically, they have had a difficult time being able to do it without sending pressure. For Georgia to be successful against Auburn, they must be able to pressure quarterback Jackson Arnold with four rushers or less.
Blitzing all night is going to put incredible strain on the Bulldog secondary. When Auburn has receivers like Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton, Georgia cannot afford to put less guys in the secondary just to get a little bit of pressure on Arnold. The Bulldogs must cause some chaos in the pocket on Saturday.
Stifle Auburns' run game
Auburn thrives on running the football. So far this season, Jeremiah Cobb has rushed for over 400 yards and Arnold has nearly 200 yards keeping it himself. On the flip side, Georgia has stifled teams that have tried to run the football on them this season. So far this season, nobody has rushed for more than 3.6 yards per carry as a team against Georgia. It will be a battle in the trenches, and Georgia must win. If they don't, it could get ugly for the Bulldog defense.