For three quarters, it appeared Georgia was dominating Auburn, holding the Tigers to under 125 yards of total offense. But the Bulldogs led only 10-6, and for the second week in a row needed a Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to A.J. Green coupled with a defensive stand to get a victory. Stafford passed for 215 yards and two touchdowns as Georgia defeated Auburn 17-13.
Knowshon Moreno achieved another 100-yard day with his 131-yard performance and even caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to put Georgia up 7-0. The receiver tandem of Green (five catches, 81 yards) and Mohamed Massaquoi (six catches, 61 yards) also continued the strong play.
After the Stafford touchdown pass to Green, Auburn marched to the Bulldog 21 where the Bulldogs stopped the Tigers on a fourth-and-2. The Georgia offense could not run out the clock, setting up another potential Auburn game-winning drive. Tiger quarterback Kodi Burns led his offense 66 yards to the Georgia 14, converting third downs with runs of 14 and 17 yards, but the Bulldogs forced two incomplete passes to hold on for the victory. Auburn’s mishandling of an extra point, after a Burns 52-yard touchdown pass to Mario Fannin cut a Georgia lead to 7-6, ended up being costly, as the Tigers needed a touchdown to win the game at the end.
Burns finished with 179 yards passing. Fannin led Auburn with 59 yards rushing including a 35-yard touchdown scamper. Georgia once again flirted with a loss, but once again prevailed. Here are five points to take away from the Bulldogs’ win.
1. The Georgia defensive tackles were a big reason the Georgia defense was able to hold Auburn down for most of the game. Geno Atkins penetrated the Tiger backfield on several occasions, getting tackles for losses and also recovering a fumble. Corvey Irvin, DeAngelo Tyson, Kade Weston and Brandon Wood also factored in numerous plays. End Justin Houston even got pressure up the middle on Burns to force his final incompletion.
2. Not only was Moreno a factor in the running game, but he also made his presence felt as a pass catcher. In addition to his touchdown reception, Moreno caught three other passes and ended the day with four catches for 58 yards. Three of his catches were on third down and Georgia picked up a first down on two of them. While the tight end position continues to be plagued by injuries, Moreno provided a nice underneath target for Stafford.
3. Missed opportunities summed up why the Bulldogs did not have a bigger lead going into the fourth quarter. Georgia took the game’s opening possession and drove 79 yards to the Auburn 4- yard line, but threw an incomplete pass on third-and-3. From there, the Tigers were able to get pressure up the middle on a Blair Walsh field goal attempt and block the kick. Later in the third quarter, the Bulldogs again had the ball inside the Auburn 15, but had to settle for a 27-yard Walsh field goal to put Georgia up 10-7. Coming off of scoring five touchdowns in all five red-zone trips a week ago, the Bulldogs scored one touchdown in three red-zone trips against Auburn.
4. After not playing up to their standards for two consecutive weeks, the Bulldogs’ special teams continued to make mistakes against Auburn. In addition to having the Walsh field goal block, Prince Miller fumbled a punt that erased what would have been great field position and set up Burns’s first touchdown pass to Fannin. Brian Mimbs rebounded with a strong performance, however, averaging 45 yards on four punts with three going inside of Auburn’s 20.
5. Penalties were also an issue. A Reshad Jones personal foul help further one Tiger drive, while a Richard Samuel personal foul on kickoff coverage and a Jeremy Lomax 15-yard face mask penalty aided Auburn’s final drive of the first half. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Auburn’s Wes Byrum missed a 42-yard field goal.
The win gives Georgia its first three-game winning streak against Auburn since 1980-82 and sets the stage for the Bulldogs’ regular season finale against Georgia Tech. Georgia will be looking to extend its record winning streak against the Yellow Jackets to eight, matching Georgia Tech’s longest winning streak in the series. The two teams will get together on Nov. 29, as the Bulldogs are off next Saturday. The bye will give Georgia an extra week to prepare for the Yellow Jackets’ triple option offense. Having played offenses that feature a running quarterback in their last several games should have the Bulldogs in the proper mindset.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
