Despite coming back from a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs fell short to the seventh-ranked Auburn Tigers 43-38. Former cornerback Nick Marshall hit wide receiver Ricardo Louis on 4th-and-18 with a late-game hail mary that was good enough for a 73-yard touchdown to hold on to the lead with 25 seconds left. This game marked for sixth time in 117 meetings between these two respected programs that both teams eclipsed 30+ points in a game. It was also the sixth game in 2013 that was decided by six points or less.
Senior quarterback Aaron Murray and the Dawgs were just 20 yards short of the end zone with three seconds left, ultimately falling short of the victory. Murray also set another SEC passing record when he hit Rantavious Wooten with his 896th completion for 5-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. The Tampa native finished 33-for-49, which are career highs, for 415 yards and two scores through the air, as well as two rushing touchdowns.
In the first half, the Bulldogs trailed by 17 and gave up 246 yards on the ground. In nine games this season, the Dawgs have only trailed twice at the half–the other contest being against the Missouri Tigers. In his first action against his former team (Georgia), Marshall rushed for 70 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown in the first two quarters, finishing with 19 carries for 89 yards and two scores.
The Georgia running game was relatively non-existent in the first half. Sophomore tailback Todd Gurley carried the ball seven times for 34 yards, but did set a career high in receptions with six catches for 36 yards. Gurley finished the game with 79 yards on 15 carries, scoring two touchdowns on the ground, not to mention 10 receptions for 77 yards. Gurley was the first Dawg to catch 10 balls since Mohammed Massaquoi (11) in 2008.
One of the lone bright spots in the first two quarters for the Bulldogs was a blocked field goal by freshman OLB Leonard Floyd. It was the second blocked field goal in as many weeks; Fellow OLB Jordan Jenkins recorded that blocked kick.
Auburn isn’t known as a passing threat. In three previous games, Nick Marshall combined for 16 pass attempts. However, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and company certainly flipped the script against the Bulldogs–Marshall amassing 229 yards going 15/26.
The Dawgs opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that cut the lead to 10. The Auburn offense responded quickly with a touchdown drive of its own, extending the lead back to 17 (34-17) in the third quarter.
Georgia returns home to Athens to face the Kentucky Wildcats in the first night game of the season between the hedges.
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