ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — One week after showing off its impressive depth in a tight win at Alabama, No. 1 Georgia is expected to have starting running back Nate Frazier return for Saturday’s visit from Auburn.
Frazier was in uniform for last week’s 20-17 win at Alabama but was held out after experiencing more problems with a rib injury. Georgia also was missing Frazier’s top backup, Chauncey Bowens, with a calf injury last week. Bowens again is listed as out for the Auburn game.
Meanwhile, Georgia (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) survived against Alabama despite also being without receivers Isiah Canion and Thomas Blackshear due to injuries.
The Bulldogs leaned heavily on undersized running back Dwight “Peanut” Phillips Jr. against Alabama. Phillips (5-10, 185) ran for 120 yards and Bo Walker added 69 yards as Georgia flashed its depth by rushing for 206 yards.
Phillips likely will play a key role against Auburn (3-2, 1-2).
Georgia ranks fourth in the SEC and 29th in the nation with its average of 211.8 rushing yards per game despite not being able to rely on Frazier and Bowens. Coach Kirby Smart has stressed since the start of the season that running the ball and stopping the run would remain an emphasis.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh praised Georgia’s “deep running back room. Physical up front. ... That’s a really complete offense, and they do really good work knowing who they are.”
Smart says he has been impressed by Phillips’ “vision, his unique toughness for his size, and his speed. He has great vision, a great one-cut, and he’s got great toughness. His speed is elite.”
Frazier was emotional on the sideline during pregame warmups when it became clear he would not play but he provided support for Phillips.
“After the game Nate was very proud of me,” Phillips said, adding that his fill-in role was “really just the next man up. My teammates and coaches had confidence in me and I took advantage of the opportunity.”
Playing for ‘state championship’
Former Georgia coach Mark Richt visited Smart’s weekly news conference on Monday to promote his annual bowling event on Oct. 22 to raise funds for Parkinson’s and Crohn’s research. Richt has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and his granddaughter Jadyn was diagnosed with Crohn’s as an infant in 2015.
When he approached the podium to talk about the fundraiser, which can be found at richtsdawgbowl.com, Richt noted the Bulldogs are “playing for the state championship this week — the state of Alabama.”
Top 25 grind for Tigers
Following a 24-14 loss at then-No. 17 Tennessee on Oct. 3, Auburn had an off week before continuing its stretch of four consecutive tests against Top 25 teams from the SEC.
The Tigers will play No. 22 Louisiana State on Oct. 24 and No. 9 Mississippi on Oct. 31.
“Yeah I think it gives you a gauge of where you are against obviously one of the better teams in the country if not the best team in the country,” Golesh said of the Georgia game. “You will leave it and you’ll know how you stack up.”
Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry
The Auburn-Georgia series is known as the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. This will be the 131st game in the series which began in 1892. Georgia leads the series 66-56-8, including nine straight wins, which matches its longest in the rivalry. The streak began with Georgia’s win in the 2017 SEC championship game.
The only rivalry in the nation featuring FBS schools with a longer history is Minnesota-Wisconsin — 135 games since 1890.
Georgia is 10-1 against Auburn under Smart, including 5-0 in Athens.
Auburn holding out star linebacker
Golesh announced on Monday that Auburn will be without standout linebacker Xavier Atkins, the team’s second-leading tackler.
Golesh declined to reveal why Atkins won’t play and said the linebacker’s status will be updated next week.
“He won’t be with us this week for the game on Saturday,” Golesh said. “Won’t be available, and then we’ll revisit early next week when we meet again here.”
Atkins has 37 tackles, including 7 1/2 for loss.
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Charles Odum, The Associated Press