Kirby Smart knows his defense is facing a stern challenge on Saturday.

Auburn has struggled offensively for much of the 2021 season. But the Tigers' offense has received a bit of a jolt over the past two weeks with the insertion of quarterback Robby Ashford into the starting lineup.

If Georgia wants to win its sixth straight contest against the Tigers, containing the redshirt freshman signal caller is a must.

"He’s a wild card because he’s gotten better each week as a passer and in his decision making," Smart said. "He’s converted more and more third downs with his arm, and he’s never not going to have his legs, and his legs are incredible as far as making plays with his feet."

While starting the last two weeks, Ashford has completed 31 of 56 passes for 464 yards with two touchdowns to one interception. He is also a threat with his legs, as he has totaled 26 carries over the past two weeks.

Smart and company are no stranger to Ashford's talents. Georgia recruited him and hosted him in Athens on visits. Georgia receivers coach Bryan McClendon spent time around Ashford during his time at Oregon.

"(McClendon) talked about how phenomenal an athlete he is," Smart said. "He worked out with the receivers and athletes—didn't even work out with the quarterbacks during a lot of their conditioning program. You see it on tape. He's really special in terms of twitch, being elusive."

Ashford can especially hurt defenses when he scrambles, but still looks to throw. LSU head coach Brian Kelly learned that lesson the hard way last week.

"He breaks down the defense," Kelly said. "The big touchdown, they ran a simple arrow route, and we didn’t stay on body in coverage, he was able to find (the receiver) as he broke contain and they got into the seam on our Sam linebacker, who didn't cover a vertical."

Kelly said Auburn "flipped the script" on his Tigers from Baton Rouge. LSU came into the game expecting to defend the run and then had to scramble against a pass-heavy Auburn attack.

Smart knows that if Georgia wants to continue its defensive success, discipline will be vital at all levels of the defense.

"So being disciplined in your rush lanes, being disciplined in your coverage responsibilities when a quarterback scrambles will probably happen more often this week than most weeks, because of the athlete he is," Smart said.

Georgia has already faced two mobile quarterbacks this season in Oregon's Bo Nix and South Carolina's Spencer Rattler. If Georgia can contain Ashford the way it did those two signal callers, the Bulldogs will be in good shape to extend their winning streak against the Tigers.