The No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers by a score of 31-13 in this year’s playing of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
A trouble of the Bulldogs this season had been getting off to a fast start on the scoreboard. After forcing a 6-play punt on the opening drive, Beck and his offense marched down the field for a 75-yard touchdown drive capped off by a touchdown run from running back Trevor Etienne. It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that the Dawgs would find the end zone again. Beck found wide receiver Dominic Lovett for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-3 Georgia at the half.
Out of the break, the Tigers were able to force a stop and score their first touchdown of the game from a 38-yard touchdown rush from running back Jarquez Hunter to get Auburn within four. The Dawgs were able to hold off the Tigers’ comeback bid, scoring two unanswered touchdowns from Etienne and wide receiver Dillon Bell to give the Bulldogs a 28-10 advantage with 12 minutes to play.
The Dawgs’ new running back in Etienne had his best game in the red in black so far, rushing for 88 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. Beck rebounded from his turnover-heavy performance in last week’s loss to the Tide, throwing for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
As for Auburn, their offensive troubles have been in the turnover department, but quarterback Payton Thorne was able to keep away from miscues, throwing for 200 yards and zero touchdowns. Hunter finished the game with 91 yards on the ground with his lone touchdown in the third quarter.
Coming into this game, many fans wondered how Kirby Smart and his team were going to respond to the heartbreaking loss that the Alabama game was. While it certainly was the brutal slugfest that the Auburn-Georgia game is, the Dawgs were able to rebound with a much-needed win over their rival Tigers. The Bulldogs move to 4-1 on the year, and after a crazy weekend in college football that included two top-five teams losing to unranked teams, look for Georgia to sneak back atop the AP Poll.
After the game, a disappointed Smart in terms of Bulldawg Nation’s energy in Sanford Stadium said:
“I’m probably disappointed in our fans for the first time. I thought that there was a lack of really affecting the game, crowd noise-wise, passion and energy.”