Final Thoughts For Auburn Vs Georgia

This is the Locked On Podcast Network, celebrating 10 years of your team every day. Game day is here for the Deep South oldest rivalry. Final thoughts. Here we go. You are Locked On Auburn, your daily podcast on the Auburn Tigers. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Yes, I'm Zac Blackerby. He is the Montgomery Radio legend, Darryl Daprich. This is Locked On Auburn, and it's game day. In just a few hours, Auburn will kick off against Georgia in the latest edition of the Deep South oldest rivalry in the game. Darryl, where Auburn is not being given much of a chance. No, it seems it's been that way for quite a while. I think when Auburn plays Georgia in Jordan-Hare, there always seems to be some optimism. There's some hope, and Auburn has played them very close at Jordan-Hare. When the game goes to Athens, it's like even when Auburn was pretty good and with Bo Nix and some of the situations they had, it just doesn't seem to be much of a chance given or hope. And again, I've said this a thousand times, and I don't know how you feel about it because you followed Auburn football for a very long time. For me, Auburn gets back to the status that it was and gets to what they were as far as the football program when they're starting to win some of these games on the road. And it's just been a very, very long time. Yeah, you're right. And Auburn has an opportunity to do that today. It's, I mean, unlikely. But my question is, what Auburn needs to do the things before that, before they could beat elite teams on the road? Can you beat Tennessee on the road? Can you beat Florida at home? Or later in a few weeks, can you be an LSU team at home? Can you beat an Arkansas and a Mississippi State team later in the year? So you're 100 percent right. And Auburn will have a chance to show where it is in comparison to the best team in college football. It's a great opportunity. But to me, it's like, yeah, for Auburn to get back to that point, you got to do the other stuff too. And up to this point, they haven't done the other stuff. Yes, it's walk before you run. So before, as a fan base or anyone that covers Auburn, there's the expectation to go on the road in Tuscaloosa or go on to the Swamp or go on to Austin or go on to Athens and winning games. You better take care of business, like you said, and the other road games, you know, going to Vanderbilt and winning, going to Kentucky and winning. Auburn's done that some in the last few years, but for this year in particular, I think the LSU game at home and Ole Miss on the road are two very big tests to see if you can take those baby steps. Unfortunately for Auburn, they get the final exam before they get the pop quiz. Yeah, that's right. You know, and so and so that's what happens by going to Athens. Now, I say that, but going to Knoxville should have been a little bit of an indicator of a warm up or a litmus test because it's a tough place to play, but they're not as good as Georgia and you're doing your first road game. So and they weren't ready. No, they weren't ready. Now, I would say this. I haven't been to Athens for a game and I know it can get extremely loud. I don't know what the capacity is for Sanford Stadium, but, you know, Knoxville was pretty loud, one hundred and eight thousand people there. It was loud. It was disruptive. It was more of a, even though the game kicked off at 2.30, it turned into an evening game. So I don't know what the atmosphere is going to be like being the deep SouthSoul to Slythley. Does Georgia and its fans take Auburn seriously? Do they still, God bless you, do they still consider you a threat? You know, is this because it is such a rivalry game? Are they still going to be hyped and not overlook Auburn? There is going to be a natural letdown. I don't care what anybody says. I don't care what bowl cut Kirby says. I don't care what anybody says. When you go to Alabama, who has been the standard and who Georgia has chased as like chasing ghosts. Remember how long it took for Kirby to get over the hump to be in Alabama. When you go there and win that game at a top six matchup, there is going to be a letdown coming back home because they don't take Auburn seriously, nor should they. I'm just being honest with the way they've dominated them all these years. So maybe there's that chance, that slight hope of, okay, they're not going to play their very best because it's a letdown. Expectations for Byron Brown today. I hope they put him in situations to run the ball early. That was a big thing going into Tennessee and we didn't see it. I think if you're going to beat Georgia, you need to be on the field a lot in the first quarter, or at least from a snap standpoint, maybe not a time of possession standpoint, but you need to run more plays than you typically have in the first quarter. You need to do what you can to set up field position, so you can have a full playbook available for you for Byron Brown. To me, I think it's obvious, but you got to do whatever it takes to get Byron Brown comfortable. So that is putting your best five offensive linemen on the field. That is calling the best route patterns based off of your game planning and your tape and your film that you've watched for these receivers and tight ends, and figuring out ways to get these running backs involved against the front seven that outmatches you in every single way and play calling. But all of this is going to impact Byron Brown. Everything about offensive football typically comes back to the quarterback. And so, one Byron has to play a heck of a game today if Auburn wants to pull this off. But also, this coaching staff needs to put Byron Brown in a situation where he can be his best self. And that's obviously something we're all going to see pretty quickly one way or the other. I get all that and I want to see that, but I don't want anything forced because if you are saying those things and you are anticipating more Byron Brown runs, or is that what Auburn needs to do to be successful, I can bet you that a defensive mind like Kirby Smart is thinking the same thing and they're probably... And that's why I emphasize play calling. I mean, you've got to... Can you out coach Kirby today? I don't know. Stuff to do. Not many people do it. So not many people do it, but you know, with the talent disparity that like they're going to have to, they're going to have to out coach them today if Auburn is going to win this game. I suspect that Georgia's defensive game plan is going to be a little bit tilted towards, we're going to have to take Byron Brown's legs out of the equation. And if that's quarterback power or whatever it is, so I think that they think along the lines as us and all the other Auburn faithful think is get Byron more involved running the football. I think Georgia is going to think that's going to happen too. And so you're going to see a defensive game plan slanted towards that. If you can combat that and scheme to where that's more of a, not a decoy, but an overplay and throw off that and surprise them a little bit. That also has to happen. I mean, look, can Byron get a hundred on the ground with his leg? Sure he can. I mean, Georgia's had some great defenses and we saw Peyton Thorn go for some big yards on the ground against Georgia. So can he? Yes. Will it be enough to win? I think you're going to have to have balance. I really do. I do think, I say balance and it's a trifold balance. I think Byron's going to have to run the football effectively. I think he's going to have to be efficient in the air. By God, our running backs are going to have to run the ball well. If that happens, you got a chance. But can that happen? Yeah, you're going to need everything. You're going to need a full roster of guys stepping up. I want to ask you a question real quick. I thought about this before we- Let's do it on the other side of the room. Sure. I got something for you. That's coming up as well as our final picks in just a moment right here on Locked On Auburn. I think we've all been in this predicament before. You go to make dinner, you open your refrigerator, you look in there for five to 10 minutes, then close the doors and think, I've got nothing to work with. That is where Butcher Box comes to the rescue, and I can attest to this firsthand because I have been a proud Butcher Box customer for years. They deliver in a big, big way. 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And today's show also brought to you by our friends over at Fandle. Fandle is America's number one sports book. The line scooted down to 19 and a half. Georgia minus 19 and a half. So if you think Auburn can keep it within 19 points, head over to Fandle and get in on the action. fandle.com. They want to make this your most rewarding season yet. You can see more over at fandle.com today. All right, Dap, we'll get to our final picks in just a moment. But you teed up a question. What's our question? If you're a football genie, right? Someone rubs the lamp and you pop out and you can grant a wish. What do you think the following that you're able to grant happening gives Auburn the best chance to win if you had a choice? Auburn offensively has balance and has 400 yards of offense, or Auburn's defense holds Georgia's running game under 150 yards? I would take the offense, I think. I would take the offense because if you told me, I mean, Gunner Stockton is so good for Georgia. Georgia can win this game without rushing for 150 yards. They also could win this game, I think, rushing for 150 yards and win it 17 to 10. So I think you're going to have to score. That's my thought process. That's a great question. I think you're going to have to get in the 30s. I agree with you. And I also think that on the flip side of that, if Georgia does rush for over 200 yards and you don't have a prayer, at least you get, give yourself a little bit of a chance if you slow down the running game. I think if Georgia goes wild running the football, forget about it. There's not a hope. You know what I'm saying? So I think the only hope, Gunner Stockton can beat you. You're right. And Georgia could rush for 140 and he could throw for 300. And they can beat you. But I think that you take is picking your poison because if they go for 200 on the ground and chew up time and yardage, I don't think you have a prayer. And if you had a good offensive day and you just couldn't stop the run and you were to lose, I think we can take that good offensive day and say, okay, maybe they figured it out. Maybe they can keep up with LSU. Maybe they can get it going against Ole Miss. Maybe they can get it going against, you know, these teams that we feel like we should win going into the season like Arkansas, Mississippi State. I feel better about everything else after this if Auburn had a really good day offensively as well. It's a great point because it sets up mindset then for the rest of the year and it's not just about this game. Because whether it's fair or not, that's like if Auburn does not win today, if Auburn does win today, oh my goodness, we look at the whole rest of the slate. Absolutely different. Gosh, it would change everything. It would be huge and that's what we're all rooting for. But odds are if we do come up short today, I mean the line's 20 points, it's insane, we're going to be looking and saying, okay, what if this is relevant for the rest of the year? What did they fix in the off season that will bode well for them with the rest of the year that might allow them to win four more games, just three more games? You see what I'm saying? Yeah, right. I said it earlier this week. I'm sticking with it. I'm going 35-17 Georgia today. Yeah, and I said 31-17 Georgia as well. I think that everyone is saying, where are you going to get those 17 points from? I think that's feasible. You probably get it from two touchdowns on a field goal. Correct. And kicking the extra points, right? Point PATs. That's right. That's right. Yeah. We'll see. Hopefully Auburn's defense steps up. Hopefully Auburn's offense steps up and it's much, much closer. That's what we're all hoping for and hopefully it's a win. But that's how we see it going. We'll see. Let us know your final thoughts in the comments down below. Dap, how can people check out everything you've got going on? Right here, Locked On Auburn. Obviously, we'll have our post-game show and we'll do a little halftime, off-cast thing as well on Auburn Daily. So, we'll have a lot going on over the next 48 hours. That's right. Yep. I'll be live here right after the game. Darrell and I will have a show that drops tomorrow morning as well. So, make sure you're subscribed whether you're on YouTube or on audio. We'll see you next time. This has been Locked On Auburn. Hey, sports fans, it's JD, the host of Locked On Cardinals. And did you know with the Discover Cashback Card, it's payback time when you earn cash back on everyday purchases? Activate and earn 5% cash back at different categories each quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases. That's 5% cash back at different places each quarter, like grocery stores, on gas and at restaurants. It pays to Discover. Terms apply. See discover.com/five for details. All right, put down the third cup of coffee. More coffee is not fixing your testosterone. Gameday Men's Health is the leader in men's health and optimization with more than 430 clinics across the US and Canada. You sit face to face with a clinician who only does men's health. Testosterone, sexual performance, peptides, weight loss, on-site labs with results in 15 minutes. Start with a complimentary testosterone test and consult. Book your appointment at gamedaymenshealth.com. Hey, it's Isaac Shade, your host of Amazon Fire TV's College Football Kickoff. Join Kenyon Barner, Jesse Holly, myself and the local hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network each week on Fire TV throughout the season to preview the biggest matchups across college football. Search College Football Kickoff on the Fire TV app.