Georgia is just one day away from their rivalry showdown against Auburn. The Tigers limp into this matchup at just 3-2 after losing their previous two games, but they are still more than capable of knocking off Georgia at home.
Kirby Smart and his staff are likely looking through all of the tape from Auburn’s games this season to see where the can get an edge. They are probably spending an extra amount of time reviewing the two games Auburn lost this season to see what they can learn from teams who already beat the Tigers.
And Georgia won’t have to look much further than Auburn’s loss to Oklahoma to see how the Sooners were able to get the job done.
Oklahoma gave Georgia the best blueprint to beat Auburn
Three weeks ago Oklahoma beat Auburn 24-17. This game was an instant classic as both teams had a chance to win late in the game. But it was the Sooners who emerged victorious thanks to the stellar play from their defensive line.
Oklahoma recorded a shocking nine sacks against Auburn in this game. It’s nearly impossible to win any football game in the SEC after giving up that many sacks, so this one stat is arguably the biggest reason why Oklahoma was able to beat Auburn.
So the formula is quite simple for Georgia Saturday night. Auburn has an electric quarterback in Jackson Arnold and a dynamic wide receiver duo that will be tough to slow down, but if UGA can get a lot of pressure on Arnold while bringing him down a handful of times then the Bulldogs will have a great chance to win.
There is only one problem, Georgia’s pass rush hasn’t been very good this season. Through five games this season Georgia has recorded just seven sacks. That is nowhere near the standard expected at Georgia, and it isn’t even equal to the amount Oklahoma tallied in this one game.
Something has to give. If Georgia is going to beat Auburn they’re going to need a much better performance from their pass rush. If they fail, then Arnold will feast on UGA’s secondary all night long which will put Georgia in a very sticky situation.