Auburn Football: 8 Tigers That Must Shine Against No. 15 Georgia

The 6-3 (4-2) No. 20 Auburn Tigers will walk into Sanford Stadium this Saturday looking to pull off the unexpected victory. The Tigers are currently a 13.5 point underdog to the 7-2 (5-1) No. 15 Georgia Bulldogs.

Auburn has faced the growing pains that come with consistently playing underclassmen at virtually every position, but the Tigers have still managed to have a good season by all accounts. The Tigers have overachieved to most and have nothing left to prove. To the Auburn people, winning at Georgia is a must to label this season a success.

The Tigers will bring their youth movement between the hedges to face one of the more proficient passers in the SEC. The Bulldogs are also very good at running the ball with their lead true freshman back Isaiah Crowell.

How the Tigers attack the Bulldogs defensively will go be crucial, but how the Tigers are able to perform against one of the better defenses in the country will matter even more. Georgia can play defense and the 3-4 scheme that they run could lead to some confusion for the young Tigers up front.

Players like Clint Moseley, Corey Lemonier and Cody Parkey will all have shots to make a difference in this game. How a number of Tigers handle this historic road trip will be huge for Auburn’s bowl stance and view of this season’s success. Looking forward to Saturday’s 2:30 CT showdown on CBS, here are eight Tigers that will make an impact.

Clint Moseley: QB

This is an obvious pick for impact player in this game. The Tigers have rotated three different quarterbacks in the offense this season, but the Tigers appear to be completely behind the sophomore Moseley at this point.

Moseley has proven his worth to the team in the past few weeks maintaining composure against LSU and looking like an All-Star performer against Ole Miss. Moseley will face another tough test this week against Georgia.

Moseley will have to be aware of game changing players like Bacarri Rambo and Jarvis Jones as they can change the game in the blink of an eye. Rambo will be hunting in the defensive backfield looking for passes off target while Jones will be bringing pressure from the outside in an attempt to rattle Moseley in the pocket.

Moseley will have a tough day if he rushes his throws and doesn’t maintain his composure in the pocket. Most importantly will be his ability to scramble and make plays in the pocket with his feet. Buying his receivers an extra second will make the difference downfield and aid in the Tigers passing efficiency. 

Emory Blake: WR

Blake was an obvious boost to the Tigers attack when he returned against Ole Miss. He did a great job playing on his injured ankle, but the hope and need is that he has returned to 100 percent health with the off week.

Blake is a tremendous route runner with excellent hands. He can find separation against any defense in the country and is likely to find separation more than once this week in Athens.

If Blake returns to full health and has the day that he is capable of, the Tigers will have a great day through the air causing the Georgia defense to pull their defenders from the box, allowing for more open rushing lanes for the Tigers.

Blake is crucial to Auburn’s ability to move the ball this week against Georgia. 

Philip Lutzenkirchen: TE

Lutzenkirchen has been quite the silent assassin for the Auburn Tigers in his career. Lutzenkirchen has caught 37 passes in his Auburn career, 12 of which have gone for scores. That is a touchdown every three touches. That’s pretty darn efficient.

Lutzenkirchen does much more for the Tigers than just catch touchdown passes. Lutzenkirchen has become a major player in the rushing attack of the Tigers taking on the tough duty of the H-back in the Malzahn offense.

The H-back role is somewhat of a tight end and fullback hybrid that focuses on run blocking while allowing the H-back to slide into the flats and downfield to make catches on occasion.

Lutzenkirchen played a huge role in the victory last year over the Bulldogs catching two crucial touchdown passes. He will undoubtedly be a big player in the game as Moseley is likely to look for Lutzenkirchen early and often throughout the game.

Onterio McCalebb: RB

McCalebb has been relied upon this season to play a hybrid role from the backfield. He has been looked upon to run the sweeps and draws that the Auburn faithful has become accustomed to, but he has also seen his role in the passing game increase drastically this season.

McCalebb has carried the ball 84 times this season, but he has also added 23 receptions to the stat line. The leader for the Tigers is Emory Blake with 24 catches. McCalebb has been very useful out of the backfield on long downs as a pass catcher and will likely be a big role player against Georgia.

The Bulldogs will focus a ton of attention on Michael Dyer, hoping to slow his ability to wear down the defense and limit his carries. Expect McCalebb to come free on the sweep play and out of the backfield as a check down receiver. 

Eltoro Freeman: LB

Eltoro Freeman appeared on Auburn’s campus as one of the most lauded JUCO linebackers in the country. This is his senior season and Freeman has finally made his impact on the field. Freeman has come on strong since the Arkansas game.

Freeman has accumulated 38 total tackles so far this season, the most in his career. Thirty of his tackles have come in the last four games. Freeman has taken over the duties at middle linebacker for the Tigers and has played above any expectations for this season.

Freeman will start against Georgia and bring the ferocious intensity that he has become known for. Look for Freeman to be a big player for the Tigers as he will make huge efforts in eliminating the Georgia rushing attack.

Corey Lemonier: DE

Cory Lemonier was a highly recruited defensive end out of south Florida a year ago. He came to Auburn and earned some playing time as a freshman in 2010 with the expectation of becoming a playmaker in 2011.

He started the season relatively slow as the Tigers defense struggled consistently to find ways off of the field. Lemonier has found his bearings as of late as he has worked his way to second in the conference in sacks and fourth in tackles for loss.

Lemonier will have ample opportunity to make a difference in the game off of the edge rushing Aaron Murray. Auburn’s ability to live in the backfield last season led to a big win for the Tigers so the defensive strategy is likely to be the same.

If Lemonier finds his way to the backfield this week as often as he has in the past few games, the Tigers will be in great position to knock off the No. 15 Bulldogs.

Cody Parkey: K

Parkey is a crucial part of the Tigers game plan this coming Saturday. His ability to kick the ball into the end zone consistently helps the Tigers defense win the field position battle while his field goal efficiency helps put points on the board.

In a game that will likely be close until the final whistle, having a field goal kicker that is reliable is huge. The Tigers have relied on consistent kicking to win big games against Georgia in the past and it is a very good chance that it could occur again this week laying a wealth of responsibility at the feet of Cody Parkey.

Neiko Thorpe: S

Thorpe has been loved and hated over and again in his career at Auburn. He plays consistently inconsistent while leading the Tigers in tackles this season. There have been missed tackles by making rookie mistakes (Thorpe is a senior), but there have also been game changing interceptions.

Thorpe holds the key to the Auburn defensive success against Georgia as he will play a lot of deep zone coverage against Murray. If Thorpe can find the receivers in the deep third and not lose position, Auburn will have a great chance at halting the Georgia passing game.

Thorpe will also play a lot of run support for the Tigers as the Bulldogs will like to churn up yards on the ground and control the clock. Thorpe will be a key for the game, whether it is for his success or failure has yet to be seen.