ATHENS - All the news and notes from Georgia football’s tough 27-24 loss to the Auburn Tigers...
*Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry: With today’s 27-24 upset by Auburn, top-ranked Georgia drops to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC. The Bulldogs are now 123-22 overall under Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs saw their nine-game winning streak in the series over AU end today. It was the Tigers first win over Georgia since 2017. Smart is 10-2 against the Tigers and 5-1 in Athens.
*Today was Georgia’s first loss to an unranked team at home since 2019 to South Carolina in double overtime (20-17). The Bulldogs are now 41-5 all-time when ranked No. 1 including 33-3 under Smart.
*Offensive Review: In a 27-24 defeat, Georgia compiled 440 yards of total offense (113-rush, 327-passing) on 65 plays.
*Down 24-17 with 8:14 left, Georgia put together a season-long 94-yard game-tying TD drive on 13 plays. It featured a 3rd-and-10 conversion at the six, connecting with Talyn Taylor on an 18-yard pass to move the chains and eventually capped by a 4-yard TD pass to London Humphreys.
Georgia trailed 24-14 entering the 4th quarter and then trimmed it to 24-17 with 14:15 left and tied the game at 24 with 2:58 remaining
Down 24-14 with 6:17 left in the 3rd quarter, Georgia closed the gap to seven with a 42-yard field goal after a 49-yard drive that lasted 7:02.
In the 1st half, Georgia trailed 17-14, gaining 256 yards on only 27 plays.
*Fifth-year QB Gunner Stockton (22-for-34, 272 yards, 2 TDs, career-high 2 INTs). In the 1st half, he finished 8-for-13 for 141 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. He came out after the first play due to a medical stoppage on a five-yard rush when he landed on his head. Junior Ryan Puglisi entered for the next three plays that featured a 41-yard completion to Craig Dandridge Jr., on a 3rd-an-1. He went 3-for-3 for 55 yards before Stockton returned and finished the scoring drive.
*The 75-yard opening scoring drive on five plays was capped by a 15-yard TD run by Dwight Phillips Jr.
*The second TD drive covered 89 yards on seven plays in 3:25 and ended with a 24-yard TD catch to senior TE Lawson Luckie.
*Georgia had a 14-7 lead after the 1st quarter. This season, Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents 87-14 in the 1st quarter.
*After scoring TDs on its first two possession, the Bulldogs were forced to punt on their next two, gaining just 39 yards on seven plays, and their fifth drive covered 39 yards before ending with a blocked field goal.
*Down 17-14 with 1:20 left in the half, Georgia’s final drive ended with an INT after a 23-yard completion to Dandridge.
*The 2nd quarter marked the first time this year that the Bulldogs failed to score in a quarter, and then AU blanked Georgia in the 3rd quarter too. Overall, Georgia has scored in 25 of 27 quarters this season.
*Defensive Highlights: AU tallied 366 yards of offense (192-rush, 174-pass) on 74 plays in a 27-24 upset of #1 Georgia.
*WIth the game tied at 24 and 2:58 remaining to play, Georgia’s defense stopped AU to give the Bulldogs the ball at the UGA 39 with 1:12 left.
*Up 17-14, AU got the ball to start the 2nd half and marched 76 yards in nine plays for a TD and a 24-14 advantage with 11:28 left in the 3rd.
*At halftime, the Tigers had a 17-14 lead, gaining 231 yards on 45 plays, erasing an early 14-0 deficit.
*Down 14-0 in the 1st quarter, AU went for a 4th-and-3 at the UGA 31 and converted with a shuffle pass and later on the drive scored on a halfback pass by Keshaun Singleton to Christian Neptune to make it 14-7. It marked only the second TD allowed in the 1st quarter this season.
*AU tied the game with 6:32 left in the 1st half, driving 64 yards on 11 plays with a nifty 9-yard catch by Chas Nimrod.
*The leading tacklers for Georgia were Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole with 10 each, and it was a career-high for Cole.
*Senior Josh Horton notched a sack, his second of the year while Anthony Lonon Jr., had his second career sack. Quintavius Johnson collected a sack late in the 4th quarter for his second of the year and fourth of his career. Elijah Griffin had his first sack of the year.
*The Tigers took a 17-14 lead on a 49-yard field goal with 1:20 left in the 1st half and carried it to halftime. It marked the second straight week that the Bulldogs trailed at halftime. Last week at #6 Alabama led14-10 at the half.
Receiving Leaders: Ten different Bulldogs caught a pass today. Craig Dandridge Jr had a team-high four catches for 88 yards. His first two catches covered 12 and 41 yards on 3rd downs. Senior Lawson Luckie snagged a 24-yard TD catch to make it 14-0 with 6:49 left in the 1st quarter. London Humphreys (2-for-22, 1 TD) had a four-yard TD catch.
Rushing Numbers: Georgia had 113 rushing yards on 28 attempts for a 4.0 average. Sophomore TB Dwight Phillips Jr. led the team with 68n yards on 10 carries and one TD. Junior Nate Frazier saw limited action with 19 yards on nine carries.
*Special Teams Summary: Senior PK Peyton Woodring scored six points, making three PATs, hit a 42-yard FG and had a 54-yard FG attempt blocked (first of his career) plus he took care of the kickoffs. Woodring is now 7-for-9 in FG attempts this year, and in his career, he is 66-for-76.
*Today marked the first time since the 2020 Kentucky game in Lexington that the Bulldogs had a field goal blocked. That one was a 53-yard attempt by Jack Podlesny. Georgia would go on to win 14-3.
*Woodring extended his SEC record for Consecutive PATs made in a career now with 211. His 409 career points ranks tied for third in UGA history.
*Junior punter Drew Miller posted a 36.3 average on three punts with a long of 43 yards and placed two inside the 20.
*Points Off Turnovers: Georgia did not force any turnover. For the year, the Bulldogs came in +6 and now are +3, scoring 62 points off 11 turnovers. Opponents have 22 points off eight Bulldog miscues. Today, AU had two interceptions that led to no points. In fact, AU was forced to a three-and-out for just two yards combined after the turnovers. The final Bulldog turnover, a fumble late in the 4th led to the game-winning FG.
*Captains, Starters, Availability, : Georgia’s captains were Elijah Griffin, Jordan Hall, Drew Bobo and Dwight Phillips Jr.
*AU won the coin toss and elected to defer the football until the 2nd half.
*Junior Ja’Marley Riddle made his first start for Georgia after having 19 at ECU. He was starting for FS KJ Bolden who was out to injury. Bolden saw his streak of 20 straight starts end. Tyriq Green (S/KOR) missed his fifth straight contest. Along with junior RB Chauncey Bowens being out for the second game, wideout Isiah Canion missed his fourth game while Thomas Blackshear, missed his second.
*Up Next: Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) is off next week and then will face Florida in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 31 at 3:30 pm.
