Georgia connections make it interesting

AUBURN - Seemingly every year at this time, someone inevitably refers to the annual Auburn-Georgia game as "their Iron Bowl" for Auburn players from Georgia.

While that devalues both the actual Iron Bowl and the Deep South's oldest rivalry - which really needs no comparison - it has some truth.

Talk to Georgia natives Mario Fannin and Darvin Adams. It's obvious how much they want to end Auburn's recent struggles against the Bulldogs.

Fannin, who wasn't recruited as a tailback by Georgia, said he plays with a chip on his shoulder during this game. Adams had contempt for the Bulldogs even as they tried to recruit him.

"One thing that stands out is we have a lot of people on our roster from the state of Georgia," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "So just within your team I think there are built-in rivalries already, because at times half of our roster is from the state. There are similarities if you just look at coaches that have been at Georgia that went to Auburn or Auburn that went to Georgia.

"I think it's built in that way."

In all, Auburn has 20 players from Georgia on its roster. Four starters - Fannin, Adams, cornerback Neiko Thorpe and guard Byron Isom - hail from the Peach State. Fannin is the team's second-leading receiver and is also a backup tailback for the Tigers. Adams leads the team in receptions, yards and leads the SEC in receiving touchdowns.

Thorpe has started all 10 games this year and Isom has started eight.

The Bulldogs, conversely, have just two players from Alabama.

The more intriguing Georgia connections are on the coaching staff. Both defensive line coach Rodney Garner and offensive line coach Stacy Searels played for the Tigers at the same time as current Auburn assistant Tracy Rocker.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs interviewed Garner during Auburn's head-coaching search before ultimately choosing Chizik.

Once Chizik got to Auburn, he unveiled part of his recruiting plan. Most of it focused on the fertile recruiting soil in both Alabama and Georgia. From that standpoint, Chizik knows several current prospects will pay close attention on Saturday's game. Auburn has targeted several players from Georgia and will likely compete head-to-head with the Bulldogs for at least a few.

"For recruiting, I think it's really important," Chizik said. "All the Georgia recruits that we're recruiting right now I'm sure are going to have their eyes on this game. I don't know that it necessarily determines who gets them, but I think the importance of the game is there and we realize that."

Saturday's game is an opportunity for Auburn to show off its potent offense to the players choosing between the two schools.

Defensive prospects will likely also see a pair of defenses that could use some support at a few positions. Both Auburn and Georgia have struggled on that side of the ball in 2009.

If Auburn is to pull off the mild upset this weekend, its Georgia natives will likely need to be heavily involved because they're so important to the offense.

They would certainly love to notch their first wins against the Bulldogs.