Sophomore safety Lewis Cine was born in Haiti before moving to Florida. He lived there until attending high school in Massachusetts for three years, before transferring for his senior year to Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas. The nation’s No. 54 overall prospect, including No. 5 safety, for the 2019 class, Cine saw only 83 snaps as a true freshman last year during Georgia’s 12-game regular season.
Therefore, it’s certainly understandable if Cine cannot quite fully appreciate the long-standing tradition of the Georgia-Auburn rivalry—or, for that matter, any of the Bulldogs’ traditional rivalries.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been here long enough,” Cine said while addressing the media this week. “But from the older guys, I’m getting the sense that [the rivalry is] very important to them. I’m taking it on myself to appreciate the tradition behind the game. So, it’s something I’m respecting. This is my first classical [rivalry] game that I’m starting in.”
After playing sparingly during the 2019 regular season, Cine started for the Bulldogs against LSU in the SEC Championship Game and Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, before getting the starting nod again last Saturday for Georgia’s season-opener at Arkansas. Seeing 61 snaps against the Razorbacks—tied for the most on the Bulldog defense with fellow safety Richard LeCounte—Cine made six tackles, including a team-high five solo stops, and recorded a quarterback hurry. In addition, his 85.1 and 87.3 Pro Football Focus grades for run defense and tackling respectively, were both team highs among the 33 Georgia defenders who saw action against the Hogs.
Although he’s somewhat unaware of Georgia’s rivalry with Auburn, Cine is rather familiar with the Tigers’ star sophomore quarterback, Bo Nix. The two were teammates in 2019 on Team Ballaholics, which defeated Team Flash, 28-27, in the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, Fla.
“I know Bo Nix, personally, from playing with him from UA (Under Armour),” Cine said. “I think he’s a very great player. He brings a lot to their offense. He’s fast, he’s athletic, and he has a good arm. I’m really looking forward to playing against him.”
Cine and his defensive teammates will be playing against an Auburn quarterback coming off a 16-of-27, 233-yard passing performance last week against Kentucky. In the 29-13 win over the Wildcats, Nix tossed three touchdowns, while adding 34 rushing yards on five carries and two punts for a 38.5-yard average. Remarkably, he hasn’t been intercepted since October of last season, entering the Georgia game with 218 consecutive pass attempts without being picked off. Nix’s string without being intercepted is an Auburn record, ranks fourth all-time in SEC history, and currently is the second-most nationally to Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (276).
Nix engineers a fast-tempo offense coordinated by newly-hired Chad Morris, whose name is synonymous with an up-tempo style. Auburn’s fast-paced offense has demonstrated in the past that it often becomes more productive as the game wears on. For instance, last season against Georgia, the Tigers had been limited to 186 total yards, 3.3 yards per play, and no points through the game’s third quarter, before scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives totaling 132 yards (7.8 yards per play). In the end, Georgia was fortunate to escape Auburn with a 21-14 win.
According to Cine, Georgia will be well prepared this season for Nix and Auburn’s up-tempo style, especially considering that the Bulldogs not only defend against a fast-tempo offense during practices—they already faced such an attack in Fayetteville.
“Arkansas used tempo—a lot of fast tempo—and we get ready for that in practices,” Cine said. “So, coming up, we’ll be prepared for the fast tempo [Auburn has].”
