It’s time for Auburn vs. Georgia—the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Dawgs return to Sandford Stadium for Homecoming after last week’s loss to Alabama. The loss to the Tide was a bitter pill to swallow. Georgia fell to 1-9 in their previous ten games against the Tide. Being down 30-7 at halftime was a shock and left many fans (including this writer) with more questions about the future and expectations in 2024. Georgia did not quit in the second half. Instead, they weathered the storm and battled back to take the lead with less than three minutes left in the game. Ryan Williams‘s acrobatic catch and a 75-yard touchdown, paired with Zabien Brown’s interception, sealed Georgia’s fate in Tuscaloosa. All is not lost in 2024; everything is still before Georgia.
A New Beginning
Sure, the regular season winning streaks are over, not that they really mattered anyway. But all is not lost for Georgia. Saturday marks a new beginning. The path to Atlanta and an SEC Championship is still before them. A first-round bye and a spot in the College Football Playoff are still in the cards. Kirby Smart is famous for his halftime speeches—just ask Florida. It was his message after Saturday night’s loss that should encourage Georgia fans that the Dawgs will be locked in and ready for Auburn.
“I have never in my life been more proud of guys competing for 60 minutes of the game over and over and over and over,” Smart said. “We said in the second half we got to win more moments than them. One moment short. One moment short. But I want every one of you, I want every one of you to think about how you feel right now. Think about how you feel right now. Right now, how do you feel? Because how you respond to this tells me everything about who you are. But you know what, we better get better. I love every one of you. You’re fighters.”
Let’s get you ready for Auburn vs Georgia with the five biggest questions leading up to the game.
Five Questions for Auburn vs. Georgia
What Are the Game Details?
Opponent: Auburn
History: Georgia leads the series 86-58-6
Last meeting: Georgia defeated Auburn 27-20 last year at Jordan Hare.
Date and Time: Saturday, October 5 | 3:30 p.m. EST
Location: Vince Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium
Television: ABC
Spread: Georgia -23.5
Over/Under: 49.5
Rep after rep 🔁#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/3Juntx1nWg
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 2, 2024
What Should You Know About Auburn?
Things are not going quite as expected when Hugh Freeze was hired two years ago to fix the Tigers. Auburn comes into Athens at 2-3, with all three losses coming at Jordan Hare. Freeze was brought in because he knew how to accumulate (we use this word loosely) talent and had an offensive scheme that gave opposing defenses fits. The offense and the quarterback situation remain in flux. Freeze has been critical of his team in press conferences, deferring any personal accountability. He passed on the opportunity Transfer Portal to secure the position in the offseason, claiming the rent was too high. Despite these challenges, Freeze has gotten the Tigers up for big games. He took Georgia and Alabama to the limit last season despite mind-boggling losses to teams like New Mexico State. Leaving the only certainty about Auburn in 2024 is uncertainty.
What Should You Watch for on Georgia’s Offense?
Carson Beck had his worst performance as the Georgia starter last week. A fumble and three interceptions is not what many Georgia fans expected from the signal caller. Beck acknowledged his poor performance after the game. “Obviously, I’m upset,” Beck said. “I’m not big on moral victories. I believe in winning and losing, and we lost. But we fought hard, and that’s something to be proud of.” If Georiga continues to show the fight that Smart talked about in the game, it must come from Beck.
The Alabama game showed that Georiga does not have a big-play receiver in 2024. Sure, Arian Smith and Dillon Bell had some nice catches late, but the Dawgs are missing that go-to guy when they need a first down or a score. The success of the offense will rest instead on Beck’s shoulders. The Dawgs can ill afford another multi-turnover performance if they want to achieve the goals many fans expect this season. Beck acknowledged those mistakes after the game but said he would not dwell on them. “I think we just made mistakes,” Beck said. “That was all it was. We had some busts and certain concepts, and we didn’t run the right things And, you know, just it is what it is. It’s part of the game, and then they stopped us whenever we needed to convert, and that’s football.”
What Should You Watch for on Georgia’s Defense?
Georgia’s first-half performance was concerning. Last week, the defense was exploited on the ground and in the air. Thorne is not Jalen Milore, but last week’s loss brought about some of the same questions we had about the Georgia defense in the offseason. Georgia lacks a difference-maker or disruptor on the defensive line, and the Dawgs still seem vulnerable when teams run to the edges. To make matters worse, Georgia is just not healthy. Linebacker Smael Mondon is out. Defensive linemen Mykel Williams and Jordan Hall are questionable. While Auburn may not be able to exploit all of these gaps, Freeze has shown a knack for finding favorable matchups.
Who Will Win Auburn vs. Georgia?
It’s not all doom and gloom for this Georgia writer. Smart and Georgia right the ship and have Sanford rocking for Homecoming.
Georgia 34
Auburn 13
