A victory on the Plains will most definitely require the spike shoulder pads… time to let the Tiger hunt commence

 

Another week and another victory for our men in red and black, which included wrapping up a berth in the SEC Championship Game … I could certainly get used to this lifestyle. However, this Saturday’s game on the Plains is sure to be the toughest game on the 2017 regular season schedule.

We’ll get into the showdown with Auburn in a minute, but first I want to give some credit to Will Muschamp and his South Carolina squad. They fought valiantly and forced our team to dig deep to come away with the 24-10 victory. Personally, the close game didn’t surprise me one bit as the Gamecocks are always a stubborn out for our Bulldogs.

 
My biggest take away from the South Carolina game is that our defense struggled to get pressure on the quarterback. Perhaps that was part of the game plan, but I don’t think giving Auburn’s Jarred Stidham a bunch of time to find receivers is the formula for a victory on Saturday afternoon.

However, I certainly have all the faith in the world in Kirby Smart and his staff to solve my Monday Morning Quarterback concerns.

 
The play of our defense this season is what has established the tone for the entire team. You gotta love Kirby’s decision to lead off the South Carolina game with an onside kick. It didn’t work as South Carolina corralled the ball, but the statement it made certainly did. Basically, the gamble told the Gamecocks that our Dawgs were willing to give them the ball at midfield and say score if you can.

As they have done in each and every game, our defense rose to the occasion and yielded no points on the Gamecocks’ opening drive. And by the end of the game, the Georgia secondary sneered two interceptions, which brought out the coveted spike shoulder pads, which was exactly what I hoping for … cover gold for our Auburn issue.

Just in case there are a few folks out there who aren’t familiar with the spike shoulder pads, they were inspired by the UGA Spike Squad and get to be donned by the defensive player who comes up with a turnover. Sports fans, you better believe that if our Dawgs are going to come out of Auburn on Saturday with a victory, they darn sure better force the Tigers to turn the ball over a few times.

For this reason, our cover headline is appropriately coined as Tiger Hunt. Our defense must be at its nastiest against an Auburn offense that has scored over 40 points in six of its nine games this season. Hunt the Tiger, Dawgs!!!!

Man oh me, Saturday’s Georgia-Auburn game is going to be an absolute battle, which means our entire team will have to be at its sharpest in the always incredibly loud and hostile Jordan-Hare Stadium. Deafening is an understatement when things are going Auburn’s way on their home turf.

 
Thankfully, just like I have faith in our head coach, I also know the Bulldog Nation will do its part on Saturday. There will only be 10,000 or so of us on the Plains, but that doesn’t mean that our team will not feel our support from the opening whistle. It’s the least we can do for a team that has played lights out for nine straight games. Keep it rolling Dawgs.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy this issue of BI. Creating our magazine each week is certainly a blast right now when there is so much to be excited about on the field.

Don’t miss our Proust interview with Athens resident Houston Gaines. Houston made the decision to run for the State House this summer. The election is on Tuesday, so make sure you vote, if you live in his district. Houston interned with us before he was even a teenager and he’s been destined for big things his whole life.

That’s going to do it for me. Like so many of you, going to all nines games is quite grueling, so ample rest is prudent. Get ready Georgia fans … it’s time to go on a Tiger hunt on Saturday. May the spike shoulder pads come out early and often … Go Dawgs!!

 
 
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