Auburn’s first game away from Jordan-Hare Stadium won’t be a walk in the park.

After opening the season with a five-game homestand, Auburn will travel to No. 2 Georgia for the latest installment of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. The Tigers (3-2, 1-1 SEC) and Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0) will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Sanford Stadium in with the game airing on CBS.

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Auburn is looking for its first win in the series since 2017 and its first victory in Athens, Ga., since 2005. The Tigers have lost the last five overall against the Bulldogs and seven in a row between the hedges.

Ahead of Saturday’s annual rivalry game, AL.com reached out to Jordan Hill of Dawsg247 — a former Auburn beat reporter — to preview the matchup and answer five key questions. You can follow Jordan on Twitter (@JordanDavisHill) for more excellent Georgia coverage and insight.

On to the questions!

1. How concerning are Georgia’s recent struggles — if you even want to call them that — the last two weeks against Kent State and Missouri?

Hill: I think some of the concerns are legitimate while also acknowledging that, on the whole, the Bulldogs’ issues the last two weeks boiled down to getting in their own way.

Georgia did an excellent job of holding onto the football in the first three weeks of the season — the Bulldogs did not turn the ball over once in that time — but that narrative changed drastically against Kent State and against Missouri. Georgia had three turnovers in its 17-point win over Kent State and two turnovers against Missouri, all of which came in the first half and put a considerable amount of pressure on the Bulldogs. Georgia lost the turnover battle by two in each of the past two games, which was a big reason why those games played out the way they did.

Other than turnovers, the two primary concerns Georgia faces right now is the overall health of the team and its offensive line play.

The Bulldogs are pretty banged up as they close in on the halfway mark of the regular season, with likely No. 1 wide receiver AD Mitchell missing significant time with an ankle injury, star defensive tackle Jalen Carter out this week with an MCL sprain, and wide receiver Ladd McConkey playing through a toe injury. Georgia has had to really lean on its depth the last few weeks with players either banged up out totally out of commission, and given what lies ahead on the schedule — particularly in November — it’s imperative these playmakers heal up if the Bulldogs want to be a playoff contender.

As for the offensive line, the Bulldogs were really underwhelming the last two weeks. The offensive line play was particularly underwhelming against Missouri in a game that saw the Bulldogs struggle mightily at establishing a ground game and also have issues in pass protection against a blitz-happy Missouri defense. Georgia’s interior offensive line has been the biggest question mark to this point, and it will be something to watch Saturday as Auburn looks to frustrate Stetson Bennett.

2. How does this Georgia defense compare to last year’s daunting unit?

Hill: I don’t think there’s any way to compare this year’s defense to last year’s just given the amount of talent on the 2021 squad. The early returns on this year’s team were very positive, but we’ve seen a few setbacks over the last couple games.

Georgia’s early dominance in wins over Oregon and South Carolina had some legitimately wondering if this year’s team could be better than the 2021 version, but issues against Kent State and Missouri have quickly ended that conversation. This year’s defense has some outstanding inside linebackers in Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon and promising safety play in true freshman Malaki Starks along with veteran Chris Smith, but elsewhere there are questions. Georgia’s defensive line has not done nearly as good of a job stopping the run as it did a year ago — of course, it helps having players like Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt in those situations — and the play of both starting cornerbacks Kelee Ringo and Kamari Lassiter has been underwhelming.

This year’s defense is a solid one, and it got off to an impressive start by throttling the Ducks and the Gamecocks over the first three weeks. Still, I think early projections that this year’s defense was picking up right where it left off back in January were premature, and it’s a much more get-able defense than some previously expected.

3. Is there a specific position group or matchup that you believe Georgia should be most worried about this weekend?

Hill: To me, any chance Auburn has of hanging around in this game hinges on the battle between the Tigers’ offensive line and the Bulldogs’ defensive line.

Auburn center Brandon Council’s words to the media Wednesday did raise some eyebrows, but the Tigers have a much better chance of backing up that talk with Jalen Carter sidelined with an MCL sprain. I wouldn’t categorize the Bulldogs’ play on the defensive line as bad through five games, but it has not done much in terms of consistently pressuring the quarterback. The line was also largely responsible for a 52-yard run by Missouri last week, an uncharacteristic play surrendered by a Georgia defense that typically is dominant in defending the run.

We all understand Auburn quarterback Robby Ashford can cause issues for a defense with his dual-threat ability, and I can see a world where he keeps plays alive and creates plays down the field. It’s up to a defensive line featuring the likes of defensive end Mykel Williams and defensive tackles Nazir Stackhouse and Zion Logue to make Ashford uncomfortable and also prevent Tank Bigsby from getting any sort of momentum on the ground once again.

4. What makes Brock Bowers such a special talent at tight end?

Hill: Brock Bowers brings a rare combination of speed and physicality to the tight end position. He can score in a number of different ways, which was put on display against South Carolina back in Week 3.

Bowers’ first touchdown of the day was a sweep just outside the South Carolina goal line. Then he caught his second touchdown on a fade pass in the left corner of the end zone — Bowers had to out-jump a Gamecocks’ defender who, admittedly, had pretty good coverage on the sophomore. Then came his 78-yard catch in the third quarter, when he caught the ball across the middle of the field, stepped through one would-be tackle, juked out another Gamecock then raced downfield for the score.

A lot of people talked about Bennett being the potential Heisman Trophy candidate on this year’s Georgia squad, but I’ve felt pretty strongly that if anyone on this team is getting an invitation to New York this December, it would be No. 19.

5. How do you see this game playing out, and what’s your final score prediction?

Hill: I’m not of the belief that Georgia covers this point spread, which I’ve seen dancing around 28 points. I think this Bulldogs’ team is fairly beat up right now, and the performances from the past two weeks don’t convince me Georgia is ready to light up the scoreboard on Saturday.

Having said that, I don’t see Auburn being able to keep pace offensively. My prediction is that Robby Ashford makes a handful of plays through the air — set up in large part due to his ability to move around in the pocket — but that turnovers once again doom the Tigers’ chances. My final score prediction is Georgia takes this one 37-10.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.