JEREMIAH HOLLOMAN (WR, #9)
The 6-2, 200-pound Holloman, along with the also 6-2, 200-pound Riley Ridley, has given the Bulldogs a big and physical receiver … much in the order of last year’s leading pass-catcher, Javon Wims. Holloman, just a sophomore, has excellent hands with outstanding leaping ability as he displayed in the win over Florida when he went up and snatched two touchdown passes from QB Jake Fromm. Holloman and the rest of the Georgia receiving corps will need to play “big” against a still dangerous Auburn team on Saturday between the hedges.
 
 
ISAIAH WILSON (OT, #79)
A starter all season at right tackle after redshirting in his true freshman season in 2017, the 6-7, 345-pound Wilson has steadily refined his blocking skills as the 2018 campaign has moved along. Possessing outstanding physical strength to go with his immense size, Wilson could certainly develop into an all-conference candidate over the next three seasons. Wilson and the Bulldogs’ offensive linemen will need a top-notch performance Saturday, so as to keep the Tigers’ rugged defensive front off Jake Fromm and the UGA running backs.
 
 
TAE CROWDER (ILB, #30)
Crowder, a 6-3, 235-pound junior, came to Georgia as a running back but, now, he’s running down ball carriers from his inside ‘backer position. And Crowder has really adapted the move to defense well. He’s brought pressure on opposing quarterbacks, managed a pass interception and also recovered a fumble, that coming at Florida’s 1-yard line in the Bulldogs’ recent whipping of the Gators. Good pressure by Crowder and the UGA linebackers on Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham would be huge for the Bulldogs this weekend.
 
 
D’ANDRE WALKER (OLB, #15)
The Bulldogs’ sack and tackles-for-loss leader this season, Walker will be zeroing in on Tiger QB Stidham Saturday but must also “stay at home” when Auburn’s leading rusher, JaTarvious Whitlow, runs the football both on the edge and between the tackles. Walker has been a headache for opposing offenses the season long and a big game by No. 15 Saturday at Sanford Stadium would ignite the rest of the defense into a stellar performance.
 
 

 
 
Tigers:
 
JARRETT STIDHAM (QB, #8)
An All-SEC second-team selection in 2017 when he passed for 3,158 yards (2nd in SEC) and 18 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to a win over state rival Alabama and a berth in the SEC title game vs. Georgia, Stidham is on target for Auburn again this season, completing 60 percent of his passing attempts. The 6-3, 215-pound junior, who guided the Tigers to a 40-17 blowout win over Georgia during the regular season last year before the Bulldogs extracted revenge with a 28-7 pasting of Auburn in the SEC championship, will undoubtedly be motivated to take down Georgia this time in Sanford Stadium Saturday.
 
 
RYAN DAVIS (WR, #23)
And between the hedges Saturday, Davis will be looking for his favorite target, senior wideout Davis who again leads the Auburn receiving corps after setting a school single-season record for receptions in 2017 with 84 catches for 815 yards. With his speed and sure-handedness the 5-9, 185-pound Davis is both a deep and intermediate-range threat for the Tigers as well as being a big-play man on punt returns. The Georgia defense will have to know Davis’s presence at all times in this, the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
 
 
DESHAUN DAVIS (ILB, #57)
By far Auburn’s leading tackler this season, this 5-11, 233-pound senior has a distinct nose for the football. In the Tigers’ loss to the Bulldogs in the SEC title game last season, Davis totaled 10 tackles as well as a tackle-for-loss. Davis can be most disruptive on defense and Georgia’s offensive front will have its hands full in attempting to neutralize this guy.
 
 
DERRICK BROWN (DT, #5)
A Georgia boy returning to go against his home-state team the 6-5, 325-pound Brown, out of Lanier High and Sugar Hill, Ga., is indeed a force in the Tigers’ defensive front. With his strength and quickness off the ball, the Auburn junior tackle can create stalemates with opposing offensive linemen and thereby clear the way for the Tigers’ capable linebacking corps to nail the ball carrier. The Bulldogs’ O-linemen simply can’t allow Brown to dominate the line of scrimmage come Saturday.