Auburn vs. Georgia Week 5 Preview

Quick-Hitters

• Georgia's 37-10 victory over Arkansas is deceiving, as the score was 10-5 midway through the third quarter.

• Auburn passed a legitimate test in their season-opener, beating Kentucky 29-13, despite possessing the ball for just over 25 minutes of game time.

• Georgia (-255) is favored by 6.5 points over Auburn (+205) with the over/under set at 45 total points. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!

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Georgia's Question Marks

Last week’s season-opener against Arkansas wasn't quite as easy as Georgia anticipated. The Bulldogs trailed 7-5 at halftime and were down 10-5 midway through the third quarter before they finally got their act together. A 37-10 win looks good on paper, but the Bulldogs surely can’t afford another sluggish start this week.

Georgia hopes to sort out their quarterback quandary by the time they kickoff against Auburn. Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman opting-out of the season threw the Bulldogs for a loop. Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started, but was replaced by Stetson Bennett, who got the Georgia offense rolling. With USC transfer J.T. Daniels being medically cleared to return, he's likely to start against Auburn. Regardless of who’s playing quarterback, the Bulldogs gained just 2.9 yards per carry against Arkansas, which makes their running game suspect.

On the bright side, the Georgia defense was in midseason form in the season-opener. The Bulldogs stuffed the run against Arkansas while also collecting three sacks and three turnovers, including a pick-six. The competition level will only increase in the weeks to come, as the Razorbacks figure to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this year.

Impressive Opener

While Georgia struggled against a lesser team, Auburn passed a legitimate test in their season-opener, beating Kentucky 29-13. The win was far from convincing for the Tigers, who were out-gained and barely logged 25 minutes of possession. It was a game that the Tigers could've lost if they didn’t play well, making it a positive first impression for Gus Malzahn’s team in 2020.

Despite a solid performance and three touchdown passes from Bo Nix, the Auburn offense wasn’t quite clicking in the season-opener. The Tigers rushed for less than 100 yards, which is a rarity for Malzahn’s teams. In fact, Nix was the team’s leading rusher, which is a light concern. On the other hand, Nix was sharp throwing the ball, and Auburn’s receiving trio of Seth Williams, Eli Stove, and Anthony Schwartz were difficult for Kentucky to handle, which bodes well for them moving forward.

The Auburn defense was also impressive. After allowing a 93-yard touchdown drive early in the game, the Tigers settled in and didn’t allow much for the rest of the game. Auburn's defense also created three turnovers, which helped the Tigers remain in control for most of the game.

Talented Foes

Ultimately, this game will come down to the play of the Georgia offense. The Bulldogs don’t know what they’ll get out of Daniels in his first start and the running game remains a question mark after struggling last week. Even with a quality defense, the Bulldogs could struggle to contain Auburn’s passing attack all game. At some point, the Georgia offense will need to prove they can find the end zone against the Tigers.