Auburn looks to erase bad memories against Georgia

By Lee Roberts  |   Wednesday, November 12, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Auburn Tigers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

Last season, the Auburn Tigers went into Athens to face Georgia and suffered a blackout. With the Bulldogs and their fans in all black, Georgia handed Auburn a 45-20 loss despite the Tigers leading 20-14 in the third quarter. It’s a game that Auburn would like to forget along with most of this season. With a win Saturday, the Tigers can ease the pain of a long, difficult season on The Plains.

The lasting image of last season’s beating in Athens is the Georgia sidelines dancing to Soulja Boy in the fourth quarter. To make sure the Tigers have not forgotten that scene, “Crank Dat” has been playing nonstop in the Auburn training room. It’s doubtful the players needed added motivation to get ready for Georgia, but it's likely this tactic has twisted the knife a little deeper for the Tigers.

Of course, it will take more than just raw emotion to beat Georgia. Considering the woeful play of Auburn’s offense this season, it might take a small miracle. There is good news, though. Last week, Kentucky quarterback Randall Cobb was able to run for three touchdowns and 82 yards against Georgia’s defense. Mobility from the quarterback position gives the Bulldogs fits, as I’m sure they still have nightmares of Tim Tebow running and throwing his way to five touchdowns earlier this season. And guess what? Auburn QB Kodi Burns ran for 158 yards last week.

On the other side of the ball, Auburn has been ravaged by injuries. However, the Tigers will get some of those players back, which means the defense should be as healthy as it has been since before the Vanderbilt game. Sen’Derrick Marks, Tez Doolittle and Antonio Coleman will all be back on the defensive line and cornerback Jerraud Powers should be back to full speed. The defense has always been the strength of this team, but injuries have cost the unit dearly this season. Auburn will need its best effort of the season to slow down Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford.

Beating Georgia will not be an easy task. The Tigers must limit mistakes on offense and create turnovers with their defense. If Auburn’s offense can operate on short fields, it has a chance to put up some points in the final home game of the season. Burns must play with poise and effectively mix the run in with the pass. It has been a long, painful season for Auburn. A win over rival Georgia will ease some of the pain and erase some of the memories of a wasted campaign, however. And maybe the Tigers will be able to do some dancing on the sidelines of their own this year.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report