Auburn Daily Roundtable: How perfect do the Tigers have to be to beat Georgia?

The Auburn Tigers have a tough test at home against the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs this weekend.

Here's our staff's thoughts on the difficult matchuo

Who has a better day on the ground: Auburn or Georgia?

Joshua: I believe with the current stable of running backs that Auburn has despite Alston's absence, Auburn will win the day on the ground. I haven’t seen Georgia be as dominant as they are typically on the ground this season as they have been in the past.

Steve: Auburn will have a better day running the football. Georgia’s rushing attack has been hampered by injuries and less than desired offensive line play this year., as they are only averaging 159 yards per game. Auburn has rushed for almost 200 yards per game. That trend should continue Saturday.

Lindsay: Georgia does - I think the key to beating this version of Auburn is loading up the box to stop the run and making Payton Thorne beat you, and he hasn't shown that he can do that yet.

Shel: Auburn will have a better day rushing against Georgia’s disappointing front on defense.

Jeremy: Georgia. Why would you not stack the box against what Auburn has shown through the air? I think UGA will be aggressive defensively in stopping the run.

Who wins the turnover battle?

Joshua: This is a toss up between both teams, our secondary is talented enough barring injuries to win the turnover battle. However, if our quarterback room continues to make careless passing mistakes Georgia's secondary could eat up errant passes.

Steve: Auburn will win the turnover battle. They did a much better job of taking care of the football last week, despite the loss. Look for Auburn’s secondary to get at least one interception and force another turnover of some kind.

Lindsay: Georgia - I trust their offense to control the ball, and I expect Auburn to probably have one punched out of a back's hands while they're pressing, trying to do too much to make up for the passing game struggling.

Shel: Georgia. Auburn has had issues with protecting the ball. I fear that problem will continue on Saturday.

Jeremy: Georgia. The Tigers have turned it over a lot this year, and the Bulldogs have a talented roster defensively.

What’s Georgia’s biggest strength and weakness in your mind?

Joshua: Georgia's greatest strength is their defense. Carson Beck has yet to be tested in SEC play on the road, so I would identify him as their biggest question on offense going into Jordan-Hare.

Steve: Georgia’s biggest strength is their defense. The Bulldogs defense is only allowing 282 yards and 11 points per game. As mentioned above, the rushing attack is Georgia’s weakness.

Lindsay: Georgia's strength is their depth - they have a second team that's just as talented as the first team, and so over the course of a 60-minute game, they can wear your starters down and their 2nd team will outproduce yours. Their weakness is that there's not really any game-breaking talents on offense (outside of maybe Brock Bowers) - just a bunch of really good football players, and so there's no real star/stud they can lean on in a pinch.

Shel: The biggest strength is that Georgia’s talent vastly outweighs Auburn. The biggest weakness is the voodoo within the stadium of Jordan-Hare and this will be the first time Georgia takes a trip out of Athens. This is a game where Carson Beck is exposed.

Jeremy: Talent is Georgia’s strength. They have won back to back on the backbone of having better players than the other team. They’re defensively sound. I don’t know how they’ve kept Kirby, Schumann, and Muschamp on the same staff this long, but there are rumors of infighting. Georgia's weakness is their success. Off the field issues and arrests are out of control. The train may be falling off the tracks, but it’s hard to lose with that much talent.

Does Auburn even have a chance here? What would have to happen for the Tigers to win?

Joshua: I feel that the Tiger's have a chance in any matchup this season despite the roster issues. With great coaching and determination the Tiger's could shock the world with an upset, but they will have to play perfect.

Steve: Yes, Auburn has a chance, but it all depends on the play of Payton Thorne. The defense will keep them in the game, but if Thorne can’t get the offense in gear, it could be a long day on the Plains. For Auburn to win we need to see the version of Payton Thorne that played against Samford. Pair that with a solid day from the running backs, another good defensive effort that forces a couple of turnovers and the Tigers can pull the upset.

Lindsay: Auburn always has a chance inside of Jordan-Hare stadium. But Auburn's got to hold the ball on offense, convert third downs and scoring opportunities, and not ask the defense to spend too long on the field (plus Thorne needs to be closer to the Samford version than the TAMU/CAL version).

Shel: Auburn has a chance if Payton Thorne can play these bulldogs like he played the Samford Bulldogs two weeks prior. I’m not sure I see that happening.

Jeremy: Yes there’s a chance. Last week wasn’t pretty, but with turnovers falling your way anything is possible in a rivalry game. Auburn plays better at home. They also play better coming off of disappointment.

Final score predictions.

Joshua: 17-14 with Auburn producing the upset.

Steve: Georgia 23, Auburn 17.

Lindsay: Georgia 31, Auburn 14

Shel: Even though the odds are stacked against Auburn. My official score prediction is 24-21 with the Tigers beating the No. 1 Dawgs in Hugh Freeze’s first season.

Jeremy: Georgia 20, Auburn 10

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