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Georgia, Auburn set to renew the Deep South’s oldest rivalry
By John Hollis
Published:
The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry resumes on Saturday when Georgia and Auburn meet for the 119th time.
Only the advent of World War I (1917, 1918) and World War II (1943) has been enough to put the brakes on a storied annual rivalry that dates back to 1892.
The all-time series is tied at 55-55-8, although the Bulldogs have won nine of the last 13 in the series.
Here’s a quick look at five players to keep an eye on during the game.
1. Georgia RB Sony Michel: The sophomore tailback is coming off a career-best 165 rushing yards in last week’s 27-3 win over Kentucky. Michel accomplished the feat while playing with a cast to protect a broken bone in his right hand. He carried the ball with his left hand the entire game.
2. Georgia WR Malcolm Mitchell: The senior continues to have an outstanding year and leads the Dawgs with his 43 catches for 617 yards and 4 touchdowns. Mitchell was named to the Watch List for the Biletnikoff Award that annually goes to the nation’s best receiver. The fifth-year senior has been the Bulldogs’ leading receiver in every game this season, including a career-high 8 catches for 122 yards in the win over South Carolina.
3. Georgia WR Terry Godwin: The speedy freshman receiver played a pivotal role in last week’s win over Kentucky by taking direct snaps as part of the “Wild Dog” formation, the Dawgs’ version of the Wildcat. Godwin, a former high school quarterback, helped inject new life into a struggling Bulldogs offense by accounting for 26 yards rushing, including a touchdown. He will assume a similar role again this week.
4. Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson: Given up on and relegated to an afterthought after a disastrous start that saw him lose his starting position, Johnson appeared somewhat revitalized after again assuming the starting role against Texas A&M last week. He completed 13 of 17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown without an interception as the Tigers beat the Aggies 26-10 to snap a two-game losing skid.
5. Auburn RB Jovon Robinson: The junior rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown against the Aggies last week to pace an effective Tigers ground game that chewed up 311 yards on the ground. Auburn ran the ball 52 times with just 17 pass attempts in the game.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
