Georgia has beaten Auburn the last three years. The first coming in 2006 when a 4-loss Georgia team came into Jordan-Hare and beat the 1-loss, 5th ranked Tigers in pretty embarrassing fashion.
Speaking of fashion, the next year Auburn went to Georgia and gave up 21 unanswered points in the 2nd half. The game was closer than the final score indicated, but it was pretty embarrassing as well. You will remember that this was the first Georgia blackout and the Dancing with the Stars version of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
Last year, Georgia came in with two junior stars in Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. Auburn was playing for bowl eligibility. With the way the two team’s seasons were going, it should have been a UGA blowout. Auburn hung with Georgia the entire game with a two-touchdown performance from Mario Fannin, and had a pass into the end zone to win the game on the last play. As we all know, it didn’t happen. Auburn had lost its third straight to the Bulldogs.
The last time Auburn beat Georgia this happened:
Mobile readers view it here.
Going in to the 2009 version of this series, Auburn seems to be on the rise, and Georgia seems to be running towards replacing a head coach. The ‘Dawgs have looked very bad on defense and without A.J. Greene the offense would be abysmal. However, we all knew that Georgia was going to play one of the toughest schedules in the country going into the season. Shouldn’t four losses almost be expected against such a difficult slate? Well, maybe, but Georgia is ranked 10th in the SEC in both total offense and scoring defense. Bad stats override a tough schedule any day.
Long point short, Georgia has played a tough schedule, but that doesn’t mean anything if you don’t beat any team with a pulse. LA-Monroe could play the #1 toughest schedule in the history of football, but that wouldn’t make them a good football team.
Auburn seems to have ended their mid-season skid with a very good win over Ole Miss and the glorified practice game last week against Furman. The team was pretty beat up after playing ten straight games, and last week’s half game for the starters was just what they needed.
Georgia is a 4-point favorite according to the odds makers, but take away three points for being the home team, and the Dawgs should win by one. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was the margin of victory, but all things considered, I’m not sure where this pick comes from.
Auburn is tired of losing to Georgia. They had a good shot at winning each of the last three, and they know that. This is their game to win. Georgia expects bad things to happen and the Tigers will be glad to make them happen. Simply put, Auburn needs, wants, and deserves this game, and if things go as they should, it will be the theirs for the taking.
