Welcome to Great Day, UGA, your one-stop store for Georgia football news and takes. Check us out every weekday morning for whatever you need to understand about Georgia football, recruiting, basketball and more.
Georgia football winners and losers following 27-6 win over Auburn
Winner: Adam Anderson
SACK!!!! Adam Anderson @AdanAnderson5 pic.twitter.com/OQ6dnoYl7k
— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) October 4, 2020
Both of Andersons sacks can be found in the second half, when the Georgia defense has a three-touchdown lead and was able to tee off on the Auburn offense, as there was little hazard Auburns run video game.
MonsterAdam Anderson @AdanAnderson5 pic.twitter.com/rcOBwgJ2ET
— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) October 4, 2020
The junior outside linebacker from Rome, Ga., had the very best game of his Georgia career on Saturday night. Anderson chose up 2.0 sacks and was continuously harassing Auburn quarterback Bo Nix as Anderson had a team-high six pressures.
To this point in his profession, Anderson has produced as his 5-star recruiting ranking wouldve suggested But in his junior season, it seems like he has actually finally found a role where he can shine and maximize his skills. Georgias outside linebacker group might be the finest position group on the team and if Anderson can continue to work as a designated pass rusher, that will open things for the rest of the Georgia defense.
When you consider the similarity Azeez Ojulari, Nolan Smith and Jermaine Johnson, its reasonable why Anderson isnt an every-down player on this defense. It states a lot about Anderson and the Georgia training personnel that he was able to have the impact he did in a game in between top-10 groups.
Loser: Gus Malzahn
The offense was supposed to be the unit that assisted carry Auburn early in the season as the Tigers have to replace the similarity Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson on the protective side of the ball. Nix and company couldnt do that on Saturday.
Thats not a dish to beating this Georgia group. In the previous two years, Nix has thrown the ball 90 times versus the Georgia defense.
Since Malzahns famous pet dog crap comments back in 2017, the Auburn offense has struggled to do much of anything against the Georgia defense. The most the Tigers have actually scored versus Georgia in game came in 2019 when they set up 14 points on Georgia in a 21-14 defeat.
Related: Georgia football: What Auburn and Gus Malzahn needed to say after that 27-6 loss
But it still didnt wind up changing the story surrounding Malzahn vs. Smart.
Smart actually acknowledged after the game that the modifications new offensive planner Chad Morris made Auburn a various offense than what the Tigers have typically done.
Given that Smart took control of in 2016, Malzahn is just 1-5 against Georgia. The win in the 2017 regular season was the only time Auburn scored more than 14 points. For a coach in Malzahn who increased to prominence because of his offense, it needs to be deflating to be so thoroughly beat when that system is on the field.
” I got comfortable playing versus Auburn with Gus (Malzahn) at the helm,” Smart stated. You can try to out-execute him, you can see things coming maybe before they come.”
Winner: Georgia secondary
Georgia will deal with comparable obstacles in weeks to come– Alabama and Mac Jones– but for the very first huge test of the 2020 season, the Georgia secondary smothered Auburn and its passing attack.
Consider that male the SAVAGE PADS #ATD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/Kl88BBiH5U
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 4, 2020
Great Coverage!!!! Tyson Campbell @tysoncampbell_ pic.twitter.com/83uvtJSrL9
— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) October 4, 2020
Anthony Schwartz on the other hand never seemed to break the huge play. He had eight catches for 57 yards. He had an opportunity to score a touchdown prior to halftime but Campbell turned up and made a substantial deal with on his former high school colleague.
Tyson Campbell said previously in the week that protecting Auburns pass receivers would be a challenge. On Saturday, Campbell and the group more than lived up to that talk.
HUGE STOP!!!! Great job Tyson Campbell @tysoncampbell_ pic.twitter.com/xnJiMUhtb6
— GEORGIA HEROES (@GeorgiaHeroes) October 4, 2020
Auburns leading receiver was actually running back Tank Bigsby, as he completed with 68 backyards on seven catches. Many of those came when Nix was scrambling and looking for a security worth.
The Auburn pass receivers never actually started against the vaunted Georgia secondary. Seth Williams had simply 3 catches for 34 yards. He had a number of big fights with Campbell on the outdoors, with the Georgia cornerback more than holding his own.
The Georgia secondary likewise required the Auburn passing attack to do something it hadnt done given that Oct. 26 of 2019. Senior defensive back Mark Webb managed to obstruct a Nix pass. The interception was the very first of Webbs profession.
Loser: Georgias sack total
Nix does deserve some credit for having the ability to get away pressure on the night, though it also clearly contributed to his struggles in the death video game.
Georgia did eventually do that in the second half, however with how Georgias pass rushers dominated the Auburn offensive line, the final sack total shouldve been much higher.
” I dont think we ended up well. I think we had, I do not know, I d be guessing, 4 or 5 missed sacks, just could not get him on the ground,” Smart stated. “I believe thats a credit to his athleticism since weve got some quite great professional athletes out there that could not get him on the ground.”
Georgia ended up with 3.0 sacks against Auburn. After listening to Smart talk following the win, you might tell that the number ought tove been greater.
Finishing plays was something the Georgia defense and coaches spent much of the offseason harping on. Georgia had no problem pressuring groups last season, however it requires to convert those pressures into sacks.
Winner: Kirby Smart
Really rarely do coaches have declaration video games in which they win emphatically and have the possibility to harp on things that can be enhanced.
And the Tigers were able to play rather better on 3rd down in the last 30-minutes, which you can tell bugged Smart.
The Bulldogs played well on Saturday and raced out to a 24-0 lead. The Bulldogs mightve and most likely mustve won by more. For as excellent as Stetson Bennett looked, there were some missed throws as well. The Georgia offense didnt score a goal in the second half.
Sounds like a respectable place to be for the Georgia head coach.
Smart wont deal with the exact same number of questions this week about his groups location at the top of the polls nor about his handling of the quarterback scenario. However he does have legitimate things to fix with his group, particularly with Georgia needing to face ranked enemies in back-to-back weeks in Tennessee and Alabama.
But thats what Smart made and did on Saturday.
” Weve been respectable at getting off the field on third down and seven of 16 is not our, we didnt satisfy our goal,” Smart stated. “So we understand that the first drive of the second half is not up to our standard.”
More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation
Dawgs on Twitter
Right on queue #ATD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/vTStDwu6OE
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) October 4, 2020
Matthew Stafford discovers @DAndreSwift for a @Lions TD!
: #NOvsDET on FOX: NFL app// Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/T1i6s2rIdv pic.twitter.com/phjGLd2qUZ
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
pic.twitter.com/I6kjvhG2Br
— Kearis Jackson (@king_kearis) October 4, 2020
Man I had a good time with my colleagues in last night game #GoDawgs
— Malik Herring (@HerringMalik) October 4, 2020
Good Dawg of the Day
This is Uga X. He will not be allowed at the Auburn Georgia game. Upon learning this news, he was displeased. More from Uga who is home in Savannah on @CollegeGameDay tomorrow. 9a ET. pic.twitter.com/zekUcW7CJ8
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) October 3, 2020
In the past 2 years, Nix has actually thrown the ball 90 times against the Georgia defense. Considering that Smart took over in 2016, Malzahn is just 1-5 versus Georgia. The Auburn large receivers never ever actually got going against the vaunted Georgia secondary. The Georgia secondary likewise required the Auburn passing attack to do something it had not done because Oct. 26 of 2019. He will not be permitted at the Auburn Georgia video game.
.