If you’re looking for a contrarian analysis of the Georgia-Auburn game, Bleacher Report’s Barrett Sallee and Michael Felder think Auburn wins because of Auburn’s run defense.
The Tigers’ rushing defense is pretty good, ranked 29th nationally. But it’s been sagging over the last month.
More than that, there’s only been one game so far this year in which an opposing defense has held Georgia’s running game under the defense’s average yards per rush on the season. (And that game, South Carolina, was more a result of how lousy the Gamecocks’ defense has been in general (5.90 ypc), not the team shutting down Georgia’s running attack (5.71 ypc)). That includes the games against Clemson’s 4th ranked rushing defense (8.00 ypc) and the 15th ranked Florida run defense (4.41 ypc). So I’m not sure where the confidence in Auburn’s run defense is coming from.
I think Saturday is going to be a track meet. Turnovers are likely to be the key; if not, it may very well turn out to be a case of last team with the ball wins. But I don’t think either team will be slowing down the other’s running game.
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The game is going to boil down to our secondary. Auburn will do what they do, which is run to set up jump-balls to their WRs deep. Hope Mauger can step his game up.
The Wart Eagles will score a lot of points, and we will too. We’ll have more chances to get TOs if we can stop the run, particularly to the outside, by limiting the deep passes.
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ugh…videos might be worse than listicles IMO when it comes to internet content.
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I saw that too; Senator I would like to point out you (like me!) have gotten it wrong a few times this season, however I agree, they HAVE NOT faced a run team like ours yet and then you have that Hutson Mason nugget about having everyone back. This is the first game we are near 100% since which includes the Clemson game.
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It’s all about the LOS and we haven’t always been strong there and they have a stout DL.
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That must be why Auburn is tenth in the conference in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss.
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Sacks have nothing to do with run defense. You don’t understand how they think their run D will be the difference and I just gave you a legitimate reason why they might think that. Never mind that we still haven’t posed much of a deep threat this year so they’ll probably stack the box like most. Florida is 8th in tackles for loss so yeah. I’m not saying I agree with them but these are the facts. The game plan for stopping our offense is about as easy as it gets. Only one team has done it. A team that is right there with Auburn in tackles for loss and sacks.
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Our center getting hurt early in the game hurt us and helped FL. If Andrews had been there all game it would have been a different game.
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You called their d-line “stout”. That’s what my comment was in response to.
As for Florida, as I noted, the Gators were unable to hold Georgia below its seasonal average in ypc. I’m not seeing how Auburn does it, either. Especially with the way that run defense has looked over the last four games.
Maybe the Tigers jump out to a huge lead and take Georgia out of its run first strategy, like last year. But if that happens, that doesn’t mean Auburn’s run defense is stout.
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AU’s DL is stout, but there’s no speed. With the loss of Lawson and none of the other players having developed yet, there’s no end rush.
Mason will have all the time he needs and can even make some runs.
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Not saying this is or isn’t the case. But my first thought when seeing that Auburn’s rush D is 29th nationally was that UGA’s rush D was pretty good as well in 2009…
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I don’t always resort to ad hominem arguments about commentators, but when it’s Auburn grad Barrett Sallee — whose sole purpose in life is to troll Alabama and Georgia under the guise of “commentary” — I pretty much consider the source and ignore it.
Wasn’t he the one saying Richt would be fired at the end of 2011 after a 7-6 record or something similar?
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45-42 someone this Saturday evening. Unless, of course, Nick Marshall gets nicked for trying to pick a teammate’s pocket in the locker room before kickoff.
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If half the media picks the Tigers and the other halfs pick the Dawgs then 1/2 will be right either way and can crow about it.
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I still think we will be able to run the ball on them. 3 healthy backs will be too much for auburn in the end
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Fix bayonets, bayyyyyyybeeeee! GATA
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Whoa Scorp!!!!! … find another metaphor.Can’t get behind that one. K?
Too soon. 😉
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Buckle up Homes, buckle up.
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He left out the part about the tipped pass.
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Yes but did he hear about the happy Roman?
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Barrett is a huge Barn fan, I grew up with his wife. He crowned Auburn after week 3, and thankfully, I don’t believe one of his pre or mid season predictions have come true. I mean, he said Mason would be in New York.
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Senator, I get the “track meet” reference. Both offenses like to go fast. I can’t help but wonder if Bobo isn’t tempted to go ball control and keep their defense on the field, causing AU to try and score quick. They dont seem to do well running a deliberate, ball control offense. Their instincts are to move fast and they look out of sorts when the pace slows. I think they go fast, get their points and put it on the defense. Which is exactly what I hope happens.
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Both teams are going to run the crap out of the ball. And both defenses will probably give up a few big plays.
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Game will be over in 2 1/2 hours even with the ridiculous TV timeouts
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It will all come down to which team shows up. You never know. But I like to think that we have gotten our annual bed shitter behind us. At least I hope we have. Losing is one thing. Not showing up is something else completely.
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Kind of like losing at home to a 24 point underdog that got beat 59-0 a few weeks previously?
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That 59-0 loss at bama is interesting. A&M had just come off 3 straight physical games of Arky, Miss St, and Ole Miss. That Aggie team may have been completely worn out by the time bama came around in the 4th weekend. They basically had 3 weeks to get ready for Auburn, just like Spurrior did at SC. Go look at their schedules. A&M had off week after bama, then La Monroe, then Auburn. AU was coming off very physical tough games against SC and Ole Miss. That was not the same A&M team Saturday that bama beat in Mid October. Auburn was 2 yards away from probably winning Saturday, even after that horrendous 1st half. This game at Sanford Stadium is going to be a nail biter.
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What if both teams show up?
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I’m looking at the AU/LSU recap. AU held LSU to 280 yds total and 138 rushing. LSU lines up very similarly to UGA – power running game with a marginal QB. A&M seemed to run effectively out of the spread. I’m interested to see what the Richt/Bobo game plan is. Too often, we seem to think we can run roughshod over everyone out of the Pro I. It will be an interesting (yet, bruising) chess match.
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Georgia averages 55 ypg more than LSU and scores more than 13 points a game.
Mason carries a 153.08 passer rating. Jennings’ is 120.02. Both are marginal?
Let’s just say it’s not a great comparison.
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We both kind of run “pro style”, play-action heavy offenses, but that’s about where the similarities end for us and LSU in that department.
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What similarities beyond the running game is better than the passing on both teams? Their runners don’t compare to UGA’s, and we have a passing offense, they have none. The closest thing to their passing ineptness is Florida. I don’t say they are without their strengths, DBs are studs, but LSU’s offense is terrible and ours is at the top of the league. Give us their DBs and we are in the Top 3 nationally right now and win the SEC. Their best pick off our team would be Mason.
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Stopping Auburn happens on first down. I see Pruitt run blitzing and sending Swann in to disrupt things in the backfield. Will leave our DB’s on an island…take the PI and don’t let’em score boys! If they get 5 – 8 yards on first down, they are going to go as fast as the refs will let them (and you just know the refs will allow this to be faster than anything Richt ever wanted years ago!). Have little faith our D will pull a stop in that situation if they get running downhill on us.
If Mason and the WR’s are anything close to this past Saturday, we should be fine scoring, and should probably be a little deliberate about the clock. The more we hold the ball, the fewer chances Auburn has to run that offense. So…Barber / Erickson. Prefer we don’t need them at all.
Sum it up….Our first down D, field position/ST play, and turnover margin. Win those three and we should be up by two scores at the end. Fail on any and then even though we can probably play catch-up ball, we don’t want to be in the last minute of the game, no timeouts, and 80 yards away from having to score. Too much can go wrong internally on that one…just ask Auburn!
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the plainsmen are toast. put a fork in the overrated tigers. dawgs roll 47-27. payback IS HELL. war damn buzzard
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I like yer style, dude.
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Sure a lot of confidence showing up after whupping that powerhouse in Lexington. Big difference from the afternoon of November 1st. Go Dawgs.
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you crack me up jolly. its all about the next game and forgetting the past. coach a little football and you might get my point. gata jyd
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I do coach. And I am a realist.
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