Georgia Bulldogs (6-3 SU, 3-6 ATS) vs. Auburn Tigers (5-4 SU, 2-6-1 ATS)
College Football Week 10
Date/Time: Saturday November 14th, 12:00PM EST
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, A.L.
TV: CBS
by Jay, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: AUB -1.5/UGA +1.5
Over/Under Total: 50.5
The Auburn Tigers snapped a two game losing streak last week by capturing a victory against no. 19 Texas A&M on the road in College Station in convincing fashion by a score of 26-10. The Tigers have seemingly found some confidence on both sides of the ball and they have a chance to salvage a season that once appeared destined for the dumps. The Tigers will get the opportunity to become bowl eligible this Saturday in an early noon kickoff against the Georgia Bulldogs inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The visiting Bulldogs appear to be a team with momentum going in the wrong direction. Georgia did conquer Kentucky last week in a rather solid 27-3 victory in a game where quarterback Greyson Lambert returned to lead the offense. After a few shaky performances, Coach Mark Richt had turned to Faton Bauta to lead the Bulldogs against Florida two weeks ago in a game with SEC East Title implications on the line. The experiment turned into disaster as Bauta threw 4 interceptions and the Bulldogs were dominated by Florida 27-3. The coaching move additionally threw Mark Richts name back into the coaching hot seat. However, that is not necessarily a new seat for Richt as he has managed to keep things from completely unraveling in similar situations over the last several seasons.
Nevertheless, the quarterback experiment failed and last week the Bulldogs returned to Lambert to lead the way. The junior quarterback was not that impressive in the win against Kentucky but he did not hurt the team either. Instead it was running back Sony Michel that took control to rush for 165 yards with a touchdown in his biggest outing of the season. The offense has not been the same without former starting running back Nick Chubb who started the season on a blistering pace running the football. In fact, Georgias collapse from the top of the SEC East basically started with Chubb suffered his season ending injury. However, last weeks victory over Kentucky was the first game where Michel looked like his predecessor which could be huge for the offense going forward.
Georgias offense is not designed to attack through the air and honestly Lambert is not the quarterback to lead an air assault. Instead, Georgias offense relies heavily on the run with their talented tailbacks. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if Michel can pick up where he left off this week against a mediocre Auburn rush defense that has been awful against the run giving up 191 yards per game on the ground. If Georgia is able to keep the chains moving again this Saturday, Auburn will be in trouble.
The Tigers defense did have a good outing last week against Texas A&M but lets be honest; the Aggies offense looks to be falling apart. Therefore it will be interesting to see how Will Muschamps defense stacks up against Georgias primary rushing attack led by Sony Michel. If Auburn can find a way to scheme against Georgias offense, I think they have the ability to make some scores on the offensive side of the football. Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson returned to the starting role last week in the place of a banged up Sean White.
Johnson performed well by hitting 13 of 17 passes against the Aggies. This week there is some uncertainty as to which quarterback will get the starting nod but I am going to guess it will be Johnson again. However, Auburns most dangerous weapon comes by the 511 frame of running back Peyton Barber. Barber has rushed for 828 yards and 12 touchdowns thus far this season and he is a guy that could give the Georgia defense trouble again this Saturday. Ironically, both offenses rely heavily on their rushing attack and do not have much confidence in their quarterbacks ability to throw the football. I think that will make for some interesting football from a matchup perspective this week as both teams try to put together an actual winning streak.
Jay’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I know neither one of these defenses are good and there will be some attention on the over in favor of a shootout style game. However, I think the opposite will happen. Both offenses struggle here as each defense knows exactly what to expect considering the way they prepare each week against their own offenses. Ironically, I think the defensive play shines in this game. Take the under 50.5!
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