SEC Championship: Georgia vs. Auburn
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, 4 p.m.
RECORDS: Georgia 11-1; Auburn 10-2
TV: CBS (Gary Danielson, Brad Nessler, Allie LeForce); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle); Sirius/XM (137/190)
KEY PLAYERS:
Georgia – QB Jake Fromm, RB Nick Chubb, RB Sony Michel, LT Isaiah Wynn, WR Javon Wims, WR Terry Godwin, WR Mecole Hardman, TE Isaac Nauta, LB Lorenzo Carter, LB Davin Bellamy, LB Roquan Smith, DT Trenton Thompson, N John Atkins, DB J.R. Reed, DB Dom Sanders, K Rodrigo Blankenship.
Auburn – QB Jarrett Stidham, RB Kerryon Johnson, TE Jalen Harris, WR Darius Slayton, WR Eli Stove, LT Austin Golson, C Casey Dunn, Buck Jeff Holland, DT Dontavius Russell, DT Derrick Brown, DE Marlon Davidson, Mike Deshaun Davis, Will Tre Williams, S Trey Matthews, CB Carlton Davis, K Daniel Carlson.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
--RB Nick Chubb recently joined Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to post three 1,000-yard seasons in his career. Chubb comes into the SEC title game with 1,098 yards. For his career, he’s rushed for 4,522 yards which stands as the fourth-most in SEC history, but with 69 yards can move past Darren McFadden into second place all time.
--Quarterback Jake Fromm is coming off one of his best games, one that saw him complete 12 of 16 passes for 224 yards and two scores.
--Linebacker Roquan Smith is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award which goes to the top linebacker and is on pace to lead the team in tackles for the second straight year after collecting 93 for the Bulldogs in the regular season.
SERIES HISTORY: Georgia leads the series with Auburn 57-56-8
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Anytime you play an SEC game, the line of scrimmage is straight warfare. Warfare is what we call it. It’s big, physical guys going after it. I think the line of scrimmage is really critical in this game for both sides. You can say our offensive line being physical is just as important as our defensive line being physical. We have to do a good job against the knock back. .”- Kirby Smart on keys to Saturday’s game.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
GAME BREAKDOWN
...Scouting the running game: Georgia is back to leading the SEC in rushing with 265.7 yards per game, but will need to do much better than it did three weeks ago when Auburn held the Bulldogs to just 46 yards. For the year, Auburn is giving up 125.9 rushing yards per contest, third in the SEC.
...Scouting the passing game: Like most of the Bulldog team, quarterback Jake Fromm struggled against Auburn before coming back with back-to-back strong contests, including his 12-for-16, 224-yard effort against Georgia Tech that included a pair of touchdown passes. His 19 touchdown passes stand as a Bulldog record for freshmen.
...Scouting the run defense: Georgia ranks second in the conference in rush defense (112.5 yards), but struggled against Auburn when Kerryon Johnson ran for 167 yards. Johnson injured his shoulder against Alabama, and his status is somewhat questionable. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs must focus on doing a better job than last time out.
...Scouting the pass defense: Georgia tops the SEC in pass defense, allowing 159.4 yards per game, but face a tough task in Garrett Stidham, who threw for 214 yards and three scores three weeks ago.
...Scouting the special teams: Rodrigo Blankenship has converted 13 of 15 field goals and boomed 56 kickoffs for touchbacks, a school record. Meanwhile, Cameron Nizialek continues to excel while Mecole Hardman has been close, but is still waiting to break his first kickoff or punt return for a score.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Defensive tackle Trenton Thompson (knee) and fullback Christian Payne were both injured against Georgia Tech. Thompson returned and is expected to play without any hangups, but Payne will be a game-time decision, according to Smart.
PREDICTION
There are so many keys to Saturday's rematch, but for me, the biggest is the health of Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson. Johnson injured his shoulder against Alabama, and his playing status remains a mystery that we won't know the answer to until sometime before kickoff. One wouldn't think Johnson would be 100 percent, but he's one of the tougher dudes in the SEC, so it would be foolish to discount him, injury or no. Whether he plays or is limited, Georgia will need to be a lot more physical on both lines of scrimmage than it was on Nov. 11. Jake Fromm just needs to be given time to throw. If he can get just a second or so more, there will be opportunities for plays downfield. Assuming Fromm can do that, it's also going to help open up a running game that gained just 46 yards last time out. Prediction: Georgia 32, Auburn 28.
