AU-UGA: Georgia too much 'D' for Auburn

Action from Saturday’s game between Georgia and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (AU Media Relations)

By TIM GAYLE

AUBURN -- Saturday’s game between Auburn and Georgia was a good measuring stick for both teams.

Auburn first-year coach Bryan Harsin hasn’t faced a defensive team quite like Georgia. Georgia, for all its lofty status as the team to beat nationally and in the Southeastern Conference, hasn’t gone on the road and won in a hostile environment this season.

Georgia earned high praise for its poise in shutting down the Auburn offense and coming away with a decisive 34-10 victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The Bulldogs are certain to move up to No. 1 in the new polls after top-ranked Alabama lost on Saturday night.

“What a tough environment to play in,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “A lot of our players … have never played in a road environment. Two of our DNA traits are composure and toughness and I thought, ‘never has anything been more evident today (than) composure and toughness.’ I’m proud of the way the guys competed and golly, just a lot of toughness showed through that game.”

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett played like a Heisman Trophy candidate, completing 14 of 21 passes for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but had a running game and a strong defense as allies. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix was his team’s best asset, completing 21 of 38 passes for 217 yards, but Tank Bigsby managed to gain just 28 of his team’s 46 rushing yards and the Auburn defense couldn’t get off the field in the second half. 

“We want to put ourselves in a position to go out there and be successful and try to play the best football we’ve played during the season,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “That didn’t happen today. Georgia had a lot to do with that. Georgia’s a very good team. I think they’ve proven throughout the season why they’re in the position they’re in. Very good football team, the type of team that we want to be.”

Strangely enough, when Auburn played like Auburn, the offense didn’t have much success. The play-action passes rarely worked after the opening drive and the rushing attack couldn’t move the Georgia defense enough to be effective. Auburn seemed to be at its best in a two-minute attack that drove the ball deep into the red zone at the end of the first half and scored the season’s first touchdown against the Georgia defensive starters in the second half. 

Auburn’s first drive led to an Anders Carlson field goal -- the first time Georgia has trailed this season -- and the second ended in an interception after a Nix pass bounced off of the hands of Shaun Shivers.

From that point on, the Tigers seemed to lose their way as the next four Auburn possessions picked up one first down, 21 total yards (in 14 plays) and ended with four punts. The final one led to the shadow of the Georgia goal, but Harsin passed on a certain field goal and Nix’s fourth-down pass for Ze’Vian Capers was broken up by Latavious Brini in the back of the end zone, allowing Georgia to take a 17-3 lead into the locker room. 

The first Auburn drive of the second half ended on downs as well when Harsin elected to go for the first down on fourth and eight from the Georgia 40. After an incomplete pass turned the ball over on downs, the Bulldogs scored on the next play to kill any thoughts of an Auburn rally.

Bigsby would later score the first touchdown against the Georgia defensive starters this season, but it was too little, too late. The Bulldogs now have given up just 33 points on the year, the lowest six-game total in school history since 1935 when they allowed 24.

Georgia improved to 3-0 this season against ranked teams and the Bulldogs have won their last three conference games by a combined score of 133-10. 

The Bulldogs also won for the 10th time in the last 12 meetings between the two schools and 17 of the last 21. Smart improved to 6-1 against the Tigers. 

 Auburn travels to Fayetteville to play Arkansas next week, while Georgia returns home to play Kentucky in a battle for the SEC East Division lead.