Behind enemy lines: A look at the Georgia Bulldogs

Auburn will face an uphill battle on Saturday when they host the Georgia Bulldogs inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Georgia’s defense and overall team talent present a ton of issues for opposing teams. They’ve demonstrated this throughout their season so far with several dominating wins.

Auburn fans feel more at peace with the idea that an upset could be possible within Jordan-Hare Stadium as crazy outcomes seem to happen there every single season.

As we preview this matchup, we went behind enemy lines to get the Georgia perspective. The following are thoughts from UGA Wire’s Joe Vitale on this weekend’s installment of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

Who is the one player that you predict will give Auburn the most trouble?

Photo by Joshua L Jones

That’s tough because there are so many elite players on this defense. But I’d say defensive lineman Jordan Davis will be the biggest problem for Auburn on Saturday. He’s so big, so fast and so strong that offensive coordinators are having to game-plan around him. He may not be the one making the plays and stuffing the stat sheet, but he’s the guy that allows other UGA defenders to make those plays.

Does the Demetris Robertson storyline make an impact on the field Saturday?

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I don’t think so. Robertson is a guy who almost committed to UGA, ended up going to UCLA, and then transferred to Georgia after a great freshman year for the Bruins. He never really performed at Georgia, though. He was sidelined a good bit because he was not the best run blocker and when he left, he left behind a really crowded UGA WR room filled with talent. I’m sure the players and coaches will give their nice embrace and greetings, but he left Georgia to play for the enemy. Players and coaches don’t forget that. I don’t expect him to make much of an impact on Saturday – and that’s not because Georgia players are salty that he left, it’s because UGA has the nation’s No. 1 ranked passing defense. They’ll shut anybody down regardless of if they used to be teammates or not.

What’s Georgia’s biggest concern heading into this game?

Joshua L. Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia’s biggest concern is without a doubt at the quarterback position. Will JT Daniels be good to go or will UGA have to start Stetson Bennett on the road in a hostile environment? Bennett has been really solid, but he’s no Daniels. And that could be a huge problem.

How will the Georgia run game do against the Auburn defense?

News Joshua L Jones

Bennet started last week against Arkansas and only threw the ball 11 times. Georgia ran it 56 times and did so effectively. If Daniels plays, I’d expect it to be a more balanced approach. But Georgia has five running backs who could start almost anywhere in the nation, so I’d be shocked if it was not able to move the ball well regardless of who plays at quarterback. Auburn will be the most physical opponent Georgia has played since Clemson, so I’m not expecting huge numbers. But I think they should be able to run it.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

I think Georgia wins 31-3. This is a UGA defense that has allowed just 16 points all season…that’s an average of 3.2 points per game surrendered. I really like Bo Nix – he’s scrappy and tough – but I don’t think it matters who is at quarterback. This Georgia defense is downright dominant.

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