Georgia football defensive players to watch vs. Auburn

Georgia football dominated Arkansas defensively, but Auburn presents a bigger challenge this Saturday.

Georgia football is known for its dominant defense. Few offenses gave the Bulldogs fits last year, but Auburn came the closest to getting the better of them with a fourth-quarter comeback.

Georgia returns most of its dominant defense, while Auburn faces a lot of turnover on its offense. But that's not to say Auburn won't challenge Georgia. With Bo Nix under center throwing to Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz, the Tigers can score against any defense. Here are some of the defensive players Georgia will rely on to beat Auburn's offense.

Nolan Smith - Edge

Auburn's weakness on offense is evident. The Tigers are replacing five offensive linemen and is completely rebuilding its running game. Against Georgia's stellar run defense, the Tigers are going to rely heavily on the arm of Bo Nix.

The Tigers' signal-caller is one tough customer with a solid arm and a heap of targets to throw to. Georgia will look for ways to pressure Nix, and the player leading that pressure will likely be Nolan Smith. The sophomore led the Bulldogs with 1.5 sacks against Arkansas, including one sack on a third-and-goal situation.

Smith is one of the hardest-working players on the team, as evident by his request to get reps with the scout team because he's rotating with two other edge rushers on the first team. His hard-work compliments his talent (consensus No. 1 player in 2019 class), and with a year of experience, his work is beginning to translate to on-field success.

Monty Rice - Linebacker

In rivalries, especially those as big as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry," you have to rely on your leaders. Georgia couldn't ask for a better leader for this week's game than Monty Rice. The senior has been a stalwart among Georgia's linebackers since 2018. He's experienced the highest of highs against Auburn and the lowest of lows.

But Rice is going to do more than just lead. He is also tasked with helping slow down receiver Anthony Schwartz. Auburn likes to use Schwartz on crossing, drag, and screen routes because of his elite athleticism. Rice needs to be on his A-game this Saturday because Schwartz will be in his area a lot.

Eric Stokes - Cornerback

Eric Stokes has his work cut out for him this week. Stokes is going head-to-head with Seth Williams. Williams had 830 receiving yards last year, and the 121 yards he gained against Georgia were the most any receiver tallied against the Bulldogs all season.

If Williams gets the better of Stokes too often, Georgia might be in trouble. But if Stokes wins the war against Williams, it ought to deter Auburn's offense enough for the Bulldogs to win their 14th game against the Tigers since 2006.

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