Georgia defense can cash another under against Auburn

Georgia needed to answer questions about its thin, inexperienced secondary entering the season.

As it turns out, the Bulldogs’ defensive front has squashed teams so thoroughly that opponents haven’t been able to throw downfield.

Georgia is second in plays of 10-plus yards and 20-plus yards allowed. The Bulldogs have allowed an opponent passer rating of 78.2. The last defense that finished the season under 90 was Alabama in 2011 with 83.7.

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has run for 7.2 yards per carry against the Razorbacks’ other opponents and 0.6 ypc against Georgia. So Auburn QB Bo Nix’s scrambling won’t be useful, and the Tigers receivers probably aren’t good enough to test Georgia’s secondary.

Georgia QB JT Daniels has been downgraded to a game-time decision and might miss another game. Almost every top Bulldogs receiver and tight end is dealing with an injury.

If last week was any indication – Georgia ran on 83.6 percent of its snaps — coach Kirby Smart remains comfortable relying on his defense. Auburn’s run defense is pretty good, too.

Take Georgia-Auburn under 47.

Four more plays (home team in CAPS):

Louisiana State-KENTUCKY U51: Auburn played three linemen and dropped eight into coverage at times last week. LSU still couldn’t run the ball. Kentucky is first in the nation in 20-plus-yard plays allowed with just seven. I expect the Wildcats to keep everything in front of them and dare LSU to run. Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez leads the Southeastern Conference with 375 yards after contact. But Kentucky’s passing game is struggling despite star wideout Wan’Dale Robinson. With Wildcats wide receiver Josh Ali out and a good Tigers pass rush, it might be tougher for Kentucky to find Robinson.

Arkansas-MISSISSIPPI U67: QB Matt Corral threw six interceptions against Arkansas last season, when the Razorbacks dropped eight into coverage. It was so effective that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin adopted the defense for the Rebels in the offseason. Arkansas doesn’t run as much tempo this season. And in a game in which it trailed Georgia 21-0 in the first quarter, Razorbacks QB KJ Jefferson attempted only 13 passes. Ole Miss runs the ball on 57.4 percent of its snaps this season and is missing wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. Razorbacks receiver Treylon Burks is dangerous. But I expect a lot of running plays and not many explosive plays against these defensive schemes.

Texas-El Paso (-2) over SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI: UTEP defensive coordinator Bradley Dale Peveto spent 13 seasons as a defensive assistant at five SEC schools. He’s been huge for the Miners, who rank eighth in defensive Expected Points Added per snap, fourth in opponent completion percentage and 30th in yards per carry allowed. Southern Miss is down to its third quarterback, a freshman who threw three interceptions against Rice and will make his first start.

West Virginia (+2½) over BAYLOR: The Bears didn’t show much of their offensive playbook until facing Iowa State in their fourth game. Baylor shocked Iowa State in the first half, gaining 9.0 yards per play on its first three drives and scoring three touchdowns. The rest of that game and against Oklahoma State, Baylor has averaged 4.2 yards per play. That includes 4 of 18 on third and fourth downs against the Cowboys. Now they face a West Virginia defense that’s 25th in SP+ and 31st in EPA per rush.

Last week: 3-2

Season: 15-10