Early tilt for oldest rivals
SEC foes Auburn, Georgia set to tangle far ahead of traditional November date
Athens, Ga. The Deep South’s oldest rivals usually tangle deep into fall, long after the leaves have turned and talk has turned to conference titles and postseason games. It just doesn’t seem right for Georgia to be facing Auburn at this time of year, when the college football season is just getting started, the dog days of summer still fresh in everyone’s minds.
“We can play them Week 1, Week 9, it don’t matter,” Auburn defensive end Big Kat Bryant said. “It just makes the game more exciting.”
While the timing seems off, the ramifications for Saturday night’s showdown at Sanford Stadium are downright familiar.
No. 4 Georgia (1-0) is still trying to settle on a quarterback but has another deep, talented squad that expects to be part of the national championship race. Ditto for No. 7 Auburn (1-0), which is eyeing its first league championship since 2013 and making a run at the College Football Playoff.
There are certainly no off weeks with the Southeastern Conference playing a 10-game, league-only schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Week 1, Georgia rallied from a sluggish first half for a 37-10 win at
Arkansas, while the Tigers pulled away from Kentucky 29-13.
“Usually when we have the regular schedule, we have these easy teams,” Bryant said. “So when you jump off playing teams like Kentucky and Georgia and you do good, you get instant credibility. I look forward to games like this.”
The biggest issue heading into this game is who will play quarterback for the Bulldogs.
Redshirt freshman D’wan Mathis started against the Razorbacks in his first college game, but he was yanked after completing just 8 of 17 passes for 55 yards. Junior Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on, sparked the offense in the second half, finishing 20-for-29 for 211 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Then there’s former Southern Cal starter JT Daniels, who has finally been cleared to play after recovering from a serious knee injury.
Daniels was one of the nation’s most highly recruited QBS coming out of high school and just the second true freshman to start his first college game for the Trojans. He transferred to Georgia after missing most of 2019.
Auburn is prepared to adjust if Daniels winds up in the game for the Bulldogs.
“In a way, it’s like another first game preparation,” coach Gus Malzahn said. “Last week, I thought our defense adjusted well in the second half. If they end up playing him, it could be a little bit of a period of time to adjust on what their plan is.”