ATHENS, Ga. - This Saturday's football game between No. 13 Auburn and No. 5 Georgia became appointment television back in January.
That's when Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson made their decisions to return for their senior seasons on Auburn's defensive front. Brown had been pegged as an NFL first-round selection, but his return solidified a scintillating showdown between the defensive wall of the Tigers and Georgia's offensive line that was pegged last season among the top three nationally and returned its primary components.
"It's going to be a great competition between a great O-line and a great D-line," Georgia sophomore Cade Mays, who has started at right guard and right tackle and was needed at center in Saturday night's win over Missouri, said Monday. "I think a lot of people have had this on their calendar, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.
"They've got a great group of guys who are talented and very physical, and they're veterans. They've played a lot of ball."
Georgia's offensive line averages 6-foot-5 and 328.6 pounds, making it the biggest unit in program history. The Bulldogs have allowed just five sacks for 29 yards through nine games, the fewest such totals yielded by any team nationally outside of Air Force.
In the 24-17 victory over Florida earlier this month, the Bulldogs did not allow a sack against a Gators defense that leads the league in that category.
Auburn has racked up at least five tackles for loss in all nine games this season and is averaging seven tackles for loss in SEC play. The Tigers have even been disruptive during their two losses at Florida and at LSU, sacking Kyle Trask and Joe Burrow a combined seven times.
The 6-5, 318-pound Brown has compiled 151 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 13 sacks throughout his stellar career and has been Southeastern Conference defensive player of the week or defensive lineman of the week three times this season.
"Derrick is an extremely good athlete," Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. "When you put athleticism in a body that is that size - I mean, he was a great basketball player. You can see him when he gets it that he has ball skills. He gets interceptions. He gets fumbles. He's around the ball, and he's explosive.
"When you've got that kind of twitch and you're as big as he is, it's hard to block, and he's been a very disruptive player in this league for a long time."
Brown's senior totals consist of 37 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries that he returned 53 yards.
Mays, who has played all five positions this season, matched up some with Brown during Georgia's 27-10 victory over the Tigers last November in Sanford Stadium. He expects to see him again Saturday, adding that a second time around should be beneficial.
"No matter who is lined up across from me, I just try to focus on my technique and assignment and try to get that done," Mays said. "It definitely helps knowing their tendencies and what they like to go to. Derrick is a huge guy in the middle who is athletic and physical and has great technique.
"He's not something you see every day."
Brown's dominating play has often overshadowed the rest of Auburn's menacing front that contains Big Kat Bryant, Nick Coe, Tyrone Truesdell and Marlon Davidson, a 6-3, 278-pound defensive end. Davidson has 34 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks this season, earning SEC weekly honors three times as well.
Georgia's offensive line headed by the massive tackle tandem of Andrew Thomas (6-5, 320) and Isaiah Wilson (6-7, 340) passed a test recently in Jacksonville, but Saturday's exam could be even tougher.
"The matchups are different every week, but the schemes are not extravagant or a lot different," Smart said of Saturday's premier clash within the game. "Every offense has a different way to present a play, but they block the play the same way. They've got really physical players up front. They strike blockers well.
"They play really hard, and they rotate a lot of guys who play in there, and they've proven that by how they've played against some really good offenses."
Odds and ends
Georgia is 16-12-2 against Auburn in Auburn but 43-44-6 against the Tigers everywhere else they've played. Next week's home game against Texas A&M will be televised by CBS at 3:30 p.m. Smart expected receiver Lawrence Cager (shoulder) and center Trey Hill (ankle) to participate in Monday's closed practice.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.