Auburn WR Ja'Varrius Johnson not dressed for Georgia game
Auburn wide receiver Ja’Varrius Johnson has been spotted in street clothes on the field in Athens, indicating that he will not play against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.
He hasn’t played since the Tigers’ win vs. Cal during Week 2, but has contributed five receptions for 51 yards to Hugh Freeze’s offense this season.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Bulldogs is set for 3:30 p.m. ET live on CBS. The Bulldogs are 14.5-point favorites heading into the matchup, per Vegas Insider.
More on Johnson, Auburn ahead of No. 1 Georgia
Johnson, a senior, is a former four-star recruit out of Alabama. Through two seasons and two games this season, he’s compiled 50 total receptions for 818 yards and five touchdowns. He did not record any stats during his first two seasons on campus.
While Johnson’s absense hasn’t been a massive blow for the Tigers, they haven’t done much better without him. Heading into Week 5, the biggest question mark for Auburn’s offense remains under center.
All three quarterbacks Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford or Holden Geriner, made appearances during Week 4’s 27-10 loss to Texas A&M, but the trio combined for a head-scratching 9-of-23 passing for 56 total yards and no touchdowns.
Ashford was arguably the most productive with eight carries for 25 yards, but Thorne led the way with 44 passing yards compared for Ashford’s single completion that totaled four yards.
That’s the second time this season Thorne finished with under 100 passing yards in a single game. The first came during the 14-10 victory over Cal — which wasn’t pretty — but a victory is a victory. Thorne threw a total of 14 passes that totaled 94 yards to go with two touchdowns and an interception. Then during the following week against Samford, threw and ran for a combined 405 total yards.
Whether Thorne, or any of the Auburn QBs can get going against the Georgia defense remains to be seen — but a victory would change the course of Auburn’s season in a flash. Georgia is a 14.5-point favorite heading into the matchup, per Vegas Insider, despite playing inside Jordan-Hare Stadium — one of the most hostile environments in the SEC.
After getting through Georgia, the Tigers will enjoy a week off — or an extra week to prepare, depending how you look at it, during Week 6 before heading to Baton Rouge for a date with No. 13 LSU on Oct. 14.