Roundtable: Auburn Wire writers discuss Saturday’s edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry
Auburn football dropped its first game of the season last week to Texas A&M, 27-10. Their road gets much rougher this week when No. 1 Georgia pays a visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the 128th playing of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
Georgia enters the contest with a 4-0 record and has not shown signs of wear and tear from their repeat College Football Playoff National Championships. As the game draws closer, there is plenty to digest in this week’s Auburn Wire Roundtable.
Here’s what writers Taylor Jones, JD McCarthy, and Brian Hauch have to say ahead of Auburn’s SEC home opener with No. 1 Georgia.
Denied for the first time
Auburn suffered its first loss of the season last weekend at Texas A&M. What was your biggest takeaway from the loss?
TJ: My biggest takeaway is that patience is key. For as good as the defense has been, it is beyond time for the offense to take some of the stress away. It will come in time, as Hugh Freeze and Philip Montgomery were hired to specialize in making the offense one of the nation’s best, but the plan will take longer to unfold than most would like.
JM: The offense is nowhere near ready for SEC play and will need nearly every position group to progress if they want to be competitive against some of the better teams in the league.
BH: My biggest takeaway was easily the horrendous showing by the Auburn offense. Payton Thorne was seeing ghosts in College Station last week. The offense was completely inept when he was under center. Robby Ashford came in to relieve Thorne in the second half but didn’t do much better besides a few nice scrambles.
Sticking with Thorne
It appears that Hugh Freeze is going to stick with Payton Thorne for one more week. Is this the right move?
TJ: With the bye week coming up, I think this is the best move. Playing a team the caliber of Georgia with an inexperienced quarterback such as Holden Geriner will not help your cause. Maybe we will see the Payton Thorne that showed out in 2021 at Michigan State this weekend.
JM: I think so, neither quarterback has inspired much confidence and I think change for the sake of change is a mistake. Now, if Thorne has another bad game then it will be time to let Robby Ashford have a larger role and see what he can make happen.
BH: Yes, but only because of this week’s opponent. It would be unfair of Freeze to literally throw freshman Holden Geriner to the dawgs, and the coaching staff knows what it would get from backup Robby Ashford for the most part. If anything, not making a change in this game is a confidence boost for Thorne, and second-handily, Geriner.
Could a change of heart be in order?
Hugh Freeze says that he does not sense as much hatred in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. What do you take from that quote?
TJ: As wild as it was for him to admit, I see where he is coming from. More often than not, “rivalry games” are usually more about the fans than the actual players and coaches competing in them (a few glaring exceptions are Auburn-Alabama, Miami-FSU, and Ohio State-Michigan). The fans may not agree, but from a coaching standpoint, the view is justified.
JM: I thought it was very strange, this isn’t Auburn’s biggest rivalry but this is still a rivalry game and neither team or fanbase likes each other.
BH: Hugh Freeze had an odd press conference this week. This quote was one of the more confusing parts. Maybe Freeze’s mind will be changed after the dust settles on Saturday.
Personal takes on DSOR
What does the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry mean to you?
TJ: This game has always been a fun one for me, as I have family on both sides of the rivalry. I would like to see Auburn return to a state where this game is competitive again.
JM: To me, it’s one of the better rivalries in college football and Auburn’s recent struggles are the reason it hasn’t gotten as much attention. If Auburn can get back to where it should be then this can be a must-watch game.
BH: Auburn-UGA was always one of my favorite weekends during my time as a student on the Plains. The fans on both sides travel super well and the tailgates are always a great time. It’d be nice if Auburn could get back on the winning side of this rivalry, as the last few years have been pretty bleak on the football side of things.
We need you, QBs
Which unit needs to step up this weekend?
TJ: Payton Thorne. Hugh Freeze is basically giving him one more chance to prove himself at QB1, and he will need to pass this test with flying colors in order to avoid further discussion during the bye week.
JM: The quarterbacks, it’s nearly impossible to pull off an upset if you don’t get a great game from your quarterback. Auburn will need an exceptional game from Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford if they are going to upset Georgia.
BH: The whole team is going to have to play the game of their lives if they hope to upset UGA this weekend. I think the most important unit will be the offensive line though. The Bulldogs are a defensive juggernaut, holding opponents to just 11.25 points per game. The front seven has been spectacular against the run as well, as Georgia’s opponents have rushed for just 3.5 yards per carry. If the Auburn offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and run the ball on UGA, the Tigers have a shot to win this game. That task is much easier said than done.
Final score predictions
TJ: Georgia 38 Auburn 10
JM: Georgia 40 Auburn 10
BH: Georgia 45 Auburn 10
