Season 3 Volume 10 Auburn

Intro

A lot of teams doing a lot of talking this year without the horses. We walked into the biggest game in Commonwealth stadium history, fumbled twice, couldn’t score a TD from the inch line and still won by 17. Consistent winning doesn’t happen by accident. It takes years of recruiting and culture implementation. In Georgia’s case both recruiting and culture have come extremely quickly. There are no shortcuts. A great coach can get you a few wins against semi talented programs, but you can’t beat the top tier without the foundation of recruiting and solid in game coaching. If Kirby and the Dawgs can keep this pace, we should expect a few more East titles in the years to come.

Freshman Emergence

It can be easy to start to forget freshman at the beginning of a season when they aren’t seeing a ton of playing time. Don’t forget that Alabama started to excel last year when their #1 2017 class transitioned to starters. The amount of freshman Bama had on the field in the second half of the National Championship was astounding. Georgia’s 2018 #1 class is making a similar move . Do not underestimate them and the impact they could have on this season.

• 1- picked up another sack and has been solid on the outside
• 55- other than a bad snap, had a tremendous game filling in for Lamont at center
• 77- another solid outing before injury
• 1- Finally being used the right way and you can see how much he will mean to this team down the stretch
• 41- a guy I am really excited about at ILB had a crucial sack. Future is bright for him
• 56- playing a lot in pass rush situations. Once he adds weight he will be our best sack man
• 99- the man in the middle
• 3- getting tested weekly as a freshman. Come junior year he will be an all SEC
• 17- more minutes every week. Hard hitter
• 33- redshirts get love too. Making plays at OLB and getting pressure more and more each week

Most improved players

• Holloman- he has added weight, sured up his hands and blocks really well. It’s amazing to see a kid turn into the go get it guy when the biggest concern on him out of high school was his catching abilities. Javon Wims 2.0 which is crucial in this offense
• Wilson- just as Andrew Thomas kept things quiet last year at RT, Wilson has done an excellent job in pass protection. His run blocking has been even better. Wilson and Thomas completely shut down Josh Allen on Saturday
• Holyfield- patience, strength, angles and deceptive speed. Please stay for year 4
• Ridley- Riley is so physical in the run game and after the catch. Truly an every down receiver that can stretch the field and break runs wide open

Things to Love

Pressure Package- the Dawgs have struggled to generate pressure with a four man rush this year. Other than Dandre Walker, no one has proven they can consistently get to the QB. So how do you produce sacks if your four man front can’t get it done? Manufacture pressure with a different look. Georgia used a pressure package multiple times against UK where Channing Tindall and Adam Anderson sub in and blitz from the inside along with the front four. Tindall got a sack and Anderson also looked twitchy. I loved this look and Change up

Offensive Line- I’ll say it again. What Sam Pittman has done with Georgias offensive line is absolutely remarkable. This is a position group that could barely field a competitive five in Richt’s final years. At one point in the UK game last weekend, we were playing 3 freshman and 2 sophomores. In the SEC. Against one of the country’s best defenses. We ran for 330 yards. Hard to fathom. We are banged up on the offensive line and somehow we’ve gotten even better. We haven’t even used Justin Schaffer or Jamaree Salyer, who could both easily sub in effectively. Truly amazing

Justin Fields Usage- I loved how Fields was used against UK. The QB sweep play was extremely effective. It is so hard to make a defensive man up and then account for an extra runner who is 230lbs and runs a 4.5. I hope we continue to let fields run sweeps, reads and open up his passing options. But for the love of God. If we have another goal line opportunity or a 3rd and one, put the kid in and let him lean forward. Don’t leave Baby Cam on the bench when you need half a yard please.

Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn Preview

This is a scary game. Auburn has not looked great in recent weeks but this is still a team that barely lost to LSU and just defeated a talented Texas A&M team. What really makes you sweat when it comes to Auburn is how talented their defense is. A really skilled defensive front will challenge our run game but I don’t think they have enough depth to sustain all 4 quarters. On the offensive side, Auburn has been a mess this year. I really do not think Auburn’s offense is able to operate at peak performance unless they have an elite dual threat QB or an NFL level RB they run to death. Proof below

• 2010: Cam (14-0)
• 2011: 8-5
• 2012: 3-9 (lulz)
• 2013: Nick Marshall & Tre Mason (12-2)
• 2014: 8-5
• 2015: 7-6
• 2016: 8-5
• 2017: Kerryon Johnson (10-4)

They have a good freshman running back but Stidham is not the guy they need behind center. I would actually be more nervous if Auburn was playing their backup QB in Malik Willis out of Roswell. I think Auburn is a good team on both sides of the ball. However, I think recruiting below their potential for a few cycles has affected their depth. Without peak auburn talent and the exact types of players needed to be successful on offense, the tigers will struggle. Keep D’andre Baker matched up on Darius Slayton deep balls and limit turnovers. If those two things get done, the Dawgs walk away with a win. Dawgs 31 Auburn 20

Bucky’s Easy Money of the Week

Overall: 86-75-3, 53% win percentage

This Season: 26-19-1, 58% win percentage

Last Week: 2-3

This is the week of road favorites. Enjoy!