Three defensive keys for Auburn's SEC rivalry game vs. Georgia on Saturday

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The Auburn Tigers must be efficient on defense if they want to escape Athens, Georgia, with an upset win over No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.

The Auburn Tigers will be as healthy as they can be on Saturday, as zero players will be held out of the game due to injury; however, the Tigers will be without a key piece, as linebacker Xavier Atkins has been suspended for the game for reasons that will be kept "in house" according to head coach Alex Golesh.

Without Atkins, Auburn will face an even steeper challenge against one of the nation's cleanest offenses, led by quarterback Gunner Stockton. Golesh described what makes Stockton a lethal quarterback during his weekly press conference on Monday.

"You can tell a veteran guy that's played in the system that gets the ball to the right places, can move it with his feet, can escape in a lot of ways. You watch us a year ago, he did a really good job of getting out of some things and creating with his feet. He’s only gotten better in that regard."

Earlier this week, we examined three keys for Auburn's offense to be successful on Saturday against the top-ranked Bulldogs. Today, we look at what the Tigers need to do well to slow down Georgia's offense. Here are three factors that, if done well, could lead Auburn to a massive upset win.

Auburn must expose Georgia's run game

Auburn's ability to stop the opposing run game has been the difference in wins and losses this season. Auburn has allowed 88.3 rushing yards per game in its three wins and 240 rushing yards per game in its two losses. Georgia will be without running back Chauncey Bowens on Saturday, and Nate Frazier is expected to return to the Bulldogs' backfield after missing the last three games with a rib injury.

Slowing down Georgia's run game will be crucial to the defense's success.

Auburn must be better at slowing down the pass

Auburn's pass defense has improved slightly over the last few weeks, but it is still a long way from being desirable. The Tigers rank No. 8 in the SEC in pass defense, allowing 208 yards per game. Georgia ranks No. 6 in the SEC in passing, with 263 yards per game, and has one of the conference's most efficient passers, Gunner Stockton, who has completed 76% of his passes this season and has thrown just two interceptions.

Saturday would be a great time for Auburn's defensive backs, who have reeled in six interceptions this season, to disrupt Stockton's flow with his wide receivers.

The next man up at linebacker must be efficient

Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins will not play on Saturday in Athens, which is a tough blow since he is tied for the team lead in sacks and ranks second in tackles behind fellow linebacker Elijah Melendez. Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin mentioned Bryce Deas and Demarcus Riddick as possible replacements for Atkins and has confidence in them to fill Atkins' role well on Saturday.

It will be important for the linebacker corps to play with the same intensity on Saturday as they have all season, even without one of their leaders.

Taylor Jones is the lead writer for Auburn Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky. Follow Auburn Wire on X and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Three defensive keys for Auburn's SEC rivalry game vs. Georgia on Saturday

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