Both No. 5 Georgia and visiting Auburn find themselves in uncharted territory ahead of their Southeastern Conference matchup in Athens, Ga., on Saturday afternoon.
Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) is coming off its first regular-season loss since Nov. 7, 2020, as the Bulldogs fell 41-34 to then-No. 4 Alabama last weekend.
After rallying from a 28-0 deficit, Georgia lost on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Alabama’s Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left, snapping the Bulldogs’ school-record 42 game regular-season winning streak and SEC-record 28-game conference unbeaten string.
Although the poor start to the game left a sour taste for Georgia and coach Kirby Smart, there’s no time to wallow in self-pity ahead of Saturday’s 2024 edition of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”
“I’m certainly proud of the resiliency we showed (to come back), but as proud as I am of that, I’m just as disappointed of the start,” Smart said. “But we’ve got to get ready for Auburn, who’s a really, really good football team. … Obviously the record may not indicate it, but the record doesn’t speak for what that team is.”
Georgia hopes to see more consistency from quarterback Carson Beck, who battled back from a forgettable start against Alabama. Beck passed for 439 yards and three touchdowns but threw three interceptions and lost a fumble on the first drive of the fourth quarter.
“That first half, we played terrible,” Beck said. “I don’t think we need to watch the film to go see that we didn’t play our best. That starts with me. I’ve got to be better.”
As for Auburn, the Tigers (2-3, 0-2) are off to their worst start through five games since 2012, when they began 1-4 and finished 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the SEC.
Most recently, Auburn lost 27-21 to then-No. 21 Oklahoma despite holding an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead and outgaining the Sooners 482-291.
Auburn has had a glaring turnover problem this season: Payton Thorne and Hank Brown have combined to throw nine interceptions.
The recurring issue reared its head last weekend as Thorne threw a pick-six to Oklahoma’s Kip Lewis, who gave the Sooners the eventual game-winning score with 4:06 left.
“Saturday hurt,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “It hurt our kids, our staff, and I’m sure it hurt our incredible fans, who have been marvelous over our five straight home games to open the season. … Our fans have done their part, which makes not being 5-0 very hard to swallow. We’re judged on results, and it’s my responsibility to bring results to this program that restore its glory.”
A bright spot for Freeze and the Tigers has been the defense, which has allowed an average of just 18.8 points per contest. The unit will be put to the test Saturday against a Bulldogs offense coming off a 519-yard output against the Crimson Tide.
“There are many positives to build from,” Freeze said. “We’ve done some really, really good things that I hope can carry over as we get ready for a top-ranked team in Georgia. We certainly can’t let the hurt and sting of losing a game that you felt like you should have won last too long.”
–Field Level Media
