UGA Football Grinds Down Auburn Tigers
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart’s No. 5 UGA Football beat the Auburn Tigers during the 129th edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry in Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Trevor Etienne rushed for two touchdowns Saturday, Carson Beck threw for two scores, and the No. 5-ranked Georgia football team earned its eighth straight win over Auburn. In a homecoming matchup at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs led from start to finish and ground out a 31-13 win.
The Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) came into Saturday’s game on Dooley Field fresh off last week’s loss, 41-34, at now-No. 1 Alabama. It was Georgia’s first regular-season loss since November 2020 — so how would the Bulldogs respond? This wasn’t a light-up-the-scoreboard game, but Georgia made a lot of key plays when they were needed and improved to 14-3 after a loss under coach Kirby Smart.
A week after Georgia and Alabama combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense, the Bulldogs and Tigers (2-4, 0-3) played a much less fast-paced game. Georgia finished with 381 yards, while the Tigers gained 337. Georgia now leads the all-time series with Auburn 65-56-8.
Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 240 yards and the two touchdowns, while Etienne did it all, rushing 16 times for 88 yards and the two TDs and catching six passes for 36. Defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins had a pair of sacks to help pace the strong showing from the defense.
Georgia’s defense opened the game by forcing Auburn to punt on its opening possession. The Bulldog offense then went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Trevor Etienne two-yard rush up the middle for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 6:24 remaining in the first quarter. Etienne had three rushes and two receptions on the drive, including a nine-yarder on a screen pass down to the 1-yard line.
The Tigers drove deep into Georgia territory on their next possession and had a first down at the 12. On third-and-6 at the 8, defensive end Mykel Williams tackles Thorne for a 1-yard loss. Auburn’s Towns McGough kicked a 27-yard field goal with 56 seconds left in the quarter to cut the Georgia lead to 7-3.
The second quarter was mostly a collection of drives for both teams that resulted in punts — until the Bulldogs got the ball back with 1:02 on the clock. On first down at the Auburn 49, Beck hit Dominic Lovett for eight yards, followed by a one-yard completion to Etienne. On the next play, Etienne got loose on the right side for a 23-yard gain to the Tiger 17. Two plays later, Beck found Lovett on the left hash for an 11-yard touchdown, and a 14-3 lead, with 17 seconds to play in the half.
Auburn managed to complete a couple of passes to get into field-goal range, and McGough’s 54-yard attempt as time expired was blocked by safety Dan Jackson. The senior broke through the left side of the Tiger line and got a hand on the ball. At the half, Georgia had 193 yards of offense to Auburn’s 147.
The Tigers forced the Bulldogs into a three-and-out to start the third quarter and then drove for a touchdown. After Thorne made a couple of key plays with his legs on the drive, running back Jarquez Hunter got free around the right side, broke a tackle, and went 38 yards for the score, cutting the UGA lead to 14-10 with 9:45 left in the third.
Georgia relied heavily on its ground game on its next possession, running the ball on nine of 12 plays and scoring a touchdown on Etienne’s one-yard plunge. The back’s second TD of the game pushed the Bulldogs’ lead to 21-10 with 3:50 to play in the third. At that point, Etienne had touched the ball on 18 of Georgia’s 48 plays in the game.
Auburn got aggressive on its next possession and went for it on fourth-and-1 at its 44-yard line. A Thorne run play was blown up from the start, with linebacker Jalon Walker denying the edge and linebacker Raylen Wilson getting the tackle for a loss of four at the 40. Georgia took advantage of the great field position and later scored on a three-yard pass from Beck to Bell, making it a 28-10 game with 12:34 remaining.
The Tigers cut the lead to 28-13 with 7:38 remaining on McGough’s 26-yard field goal. Auburn had a first-and-goal at the 10 but the Bulldog defense kept them out of the end zone to help seal the victory. Kicker Peyton Woodring added a bit of insurance with a 47-yard field goal with 1:50 to play, pushing the lead to 31-13.
The Bulldogs are back at Sanford Stadium next Saturday when they host Mississippi State. Georgia has won 20 of 26 all-time games against the Bulldogs from Starkville, including the last four and 13 of the last 14.