3 & Out Report: UGA vs Auburn
During game week the staff at Dawg News Daily previews the matchup between the Bulldogs and their opponent. We focus in on 3 key position matchups or players that we believe will be the difference makers in Saturdays game.
DAWG NEWS DAILY'S 3 & OUT REPORT:
1) Tank Bigsby vs. UGA Run Defense
Before the season Auburn running back considered transferring from Auburn before changing his mind after a talk with head coach Bryan Harsin. Unfortunately for Bigsby, the choice to return has not culminated in more touches in the backfield. Against Power 5 competition, Bigsby has yet to top 50 yards rushing. Auburn OL Brandon Council seems to think they have the advantage at the line of scrimmage with this quote:
"If you start off fast, run the ball on them and keep them out of their third-down packages, really, we could demolish them."
The loss of Jalen Carter will play a factor early on Saturday. The front seven have been stingy so far this season allowing under 90 yards per game on the ground. The Tigers will need Bigsby to be a force if they expect to stay in this game come the 2nd half.
2) Auburn OT vs. UGA PASS RUSH
Auburn QB Robbie Ashford has come in to replace a struggling TJ Finley and has given the Tiger offense some life. Ashford threw for 339 yards last week in the loss to LSU. They got out to a 17-0 lead before failing to make 2nd half adjustments and losing 21-17. Ashford is a dual threat QB that can hurt you on the ground as well. Ashford is the 2nd leading rusher for the Tigers at 223 yards on 50 carries. Expect the Dawgs to spy the Auburn QB and look to contain him from extending plays or moving the chains. LSU made 2nd half adjustments and pressured the QB to some miscues that stalled out the Tigers. Look for Coach Muschamp/Schumann to take a page out of the LSU defensive 2nd half playbook
3) Stetson Bennett
Bennett came out red hot in the first 3 games of the season and even received some Heisman talk. The last 2 performances have quieted those mentions. Bennett has been unable to throw a touchdown in the last 2 weeks and last week only completed 56% of his passes. This will be a big game for Bennett as he has had success the last 2 seasons against Auburn. Will Bennett and the Dawgs be able to snap out of the 2 game funk and get back to the dominance they showed early on in the season or will the offense continue to have hiccups and keep lesser competition in the game.
DND's Score Prediction:
Georgia has won 10 of its last 12 with Auburn. It extends to 16 of the last 21 meetings. Also, Auburn hasn't scored more than 10 points in Athens since 2009. Expect Dawgs to feed off home crowd and take control in the 2nd half.
Georgia 38-10 (Line: Georgia -30)
*BREAKOUT PLAYER: Kendall Milton, RB