College Football Preview: Georgia Double-Digit Favorites over Auburn
Article by Jack T. Jones
One of the oldest rivalries in college football renews this Saturday when Auburn goes “between the hedges” to visit Georgia. Auburn is trying to stay afloat in the intensely competitive SEC West, while Georgia is looking to stay ahead of South Carolina in the battle for the East title. Georgia controls its destiny, while South Carolina will need to win and have Georgia lose.
This will be the 115th all-time meeting between these two schools, with Auburn holding a 54-52 lead (eight ties). Auburn won last year’s game, 49-31, en route to the SEC and National Championships. That game broke a four-game Georgia win streak in the series. The last Auburn win in Athens was a 31-30 decision in 2005.
Auburn
Auburn recovered from the loss at LSU by returning home to post a 41-23 win over Ole Miss two weeks ago. However, the team has alternated wins and losses in their last five games, after a 3-1 start. Auburn is 1-3 on the road this year, but that one win was a 16-13 upset of nationally ranked South Carolina.
Auburn ranks 68th nationally in scoring defense (28 points per game), allowing 401 yards per game (215 passing, 186 rushing). The squad has posted 17 sacks and forced 16 turnovers, with two returned for touchdowns (interceptions by Demetruce McNeal and Jermaine Whitehead). Neiko Thorpe has 69 tackles with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Daren Bates has 62 stops, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Corey Lemonier has 6.5 sacks, McNeal and T’Sharvan Bell have two picks and McNeal and Lemonier have two forced fumbles.
Auburn’s offense ranks 70th nationally in scoring (26 ppg) while it compiles 354 yards per game (191 rushing, 163 passing). Michael Dyer is the leader of the offense, rushing for 989 yards and nine TDs while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Barrett Trotter has completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,009 yards and 10 TDs, with six interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 21 sacks. The top receivers are Emory Blake (24 catches, 404 yards, five TDs) and Onterio McCalebb (23 for 244, TD).
Georgia
The Bulldogs are rolling along, winning seven straight games after last week’s 63-16 home win over New Mexico State. Since giving up 80 points in their opening two losses, Georgia has allowed an average of 14 points per game during the win streak, and has not lost to an unranked team.
The Bulldogs ranks 23rd nationally in scoring defense (20 ppg) while allowing just 282 yards per contest (191 passing, 91 rushing). The unit has recorded 20 sacks and forced 20 turnovers. Michael Gilliard leads the team with 54 total tackles, adding a sack and a forced fumble. Jervis Jones has eight sacks, Bacarri Rambo has six interceptions, while Brandon Boykin and Amarlo Herrera each have two forced fumbles. Shawn Williams has a blocked kick and two fumble recoveries, while Corey Moore and Orson Charles both have blocked kicks to their credit.
The UGA offense has been solid all year long, ranking 26th nationally in points scored (35 ppg), while posting 429 yards of offense per contest (253 passing, 176 rushing). Aaron Murray has completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,060 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His offensive line has allowed 19 sacks. Charles leads the receiving corps with 31 catches for 390 yards and five TDs, while Tavarres King adds 29 grabs for 320 yards and five more scores. Isaiah Crowell leads the rushing attack with 689 yards and four TDs on 4.7 yards per carry.
The Auburn Georgia odds show the Bulldogs favored by 13 points, while the total is listed at 53 points. You can also check the college football spreads on the rest of the games at BetFirms.
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