AUBURN | It's not as if Eku Leota didn't play in some great environments during his two seasons at Northwestern. But, good God almighty in the holy names of Pat Dye and Vince Dooley, Saturday's edition of The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is going to introduce him to a raucous atmosphere that he's unlikely seen before.

"This better be the loudest game at Auburn so far," Leota said. "This atmosphere down here is much different than what I'm used to. I love it. It means a lot more."

Did Greg Sankey tell him to say that last sentence? But I digress. Jordan-Hare Stadium expects to be rocking as the No. 18/19 Tigers host No. 2 Georgia in a game that many don't give Auburn a shot. But, of course, that notion only matters before the ball kicks off, and for Leota and his teammates, it gives them a boost coming into the matchup. In fact, the team doesn't want to show Georgia what they are capable of, but to all those critics who might think the Tigers' ranking is a bit high.

"It's very motivating, for sure," Leota said. "Just, you know, like the way we know people think we shouldn't be ranked or whatnot. It helps to motivate us to bring it out every week."

Leota is part of a defensive line that put pressure on LSU quarterback Max Johnson and now has the substantial task of putting a dent into a Georgia offensive line that has bullied people around all season. It's up to Leota, Colby Wooden, Derick Hall and company to stop the run and then get into the face of either Stetson Bennett or J.T. Daniels on passing downs.

That's much easier said than done. But, it's part of the challenge in playing in arguably the nation's deepest conference and a big reason Leota chose to come to Auburn.

"I know the SEC, the schedule here, the competition here," he said. "I felt like I would have a better opportunity here to really show what I'm about … It's a blessing to be here."

Welcome to the Auburn-Georgia series, Eku. You are going to love it.