University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Looks Ahead to Auburn
November 06, 2011 | Football
Nov. 6, 2011
Georgia-Auburn
Saturday marks the 115th meeting overall and the 68th consecutive meeting between the Tigers and the Bulldogs in the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry." The Bulldogs and Tigers have met every year since 1944, and the first game was played in Atlanta's Piedmont Park in 1892. Auburn holds a slim edge in the series at 54-52-8. It is tied with Oregon-Oregon State for the seventh most played rivalry in the NCAA FBS.
A quick look at the total points scored in this rivalry reveals that only 38 points separate the teams. Georgia has scored 1,809 points while Auburn has tallied 1,771. Last year, No. 2 Auburn rallied back from a 21-7 first quarter deficit to tie it at 21 going to halftime. Then, the Tigers recovered an onside kick to start the second half and held off the Bulldogs who only trailed 35-31 going to the fourth quarter. Auburn claimed the SEC Western Division that day with a 49-31 victory.
Auburn (6-3, 4-2 SEC) had an open date last week. They are averaging 26.1 points a game while allowing 27.7. They are +2 in turnover margin while the Bulldogs are +8. In their last action, the Tigers defeated Ole Miss 41-23 on Oct. 29. Auburn's losses have all come on the road, falling to Clemson (38-24), #10 Arkansas (38-14) and top-ranked LSU (45-10). The Tigers did beat #10 South Carolina in Columbia 16-13.
Winning Streaks
At seven in a row, Georgia has matched its longest winning streak during a season in the Mark Richt era. During this streak, Georgia has outscored the opposition 250-99. The Bulldogs have held their opponents to just eight offensive touchdowns in the last seven games. The 2007 Bulldogs won their final seven games to cap an 11-2 year with Sugar Bowl triumph over Hawaii. Then, Georgia won its first four games of the 2008 season.
The last time Georgia won eight straight games in a season was in 1982 when the Bulldogs went 11-0 under Vince Dooley before falling to Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.
The Bulldogs are looking to win six conference games in a row in a season for the first time since 1982. In the Dooley era, Georgia had a stretch of 23 consecutive SEC victories from 1980-83. Georgia went 6-0 in the league in 1980, 1981 and 1982 and 5-0 before facing Auburn who snapped the streak with a 13-7 decision in Athens. Under Richt, Georgia has had one six-game league winning streak, starting with the final SEC game in 2001 and the first five in 2002.
Sunday Release
With a 63-16 victory over New Mexico State to improve the team's win streak to seven, the Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1 SEC) begin to look toward their contest with the Auburn Tigers (6-3, 4-2 SEC) on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
The match-up between Georgia and Auburn will be televised by CBS with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
With South Carolina's loss to Arkansas, Georgia holds first place in the SEC Eastern Division while ranking No. 14 in the AP Poll and No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.
"I know that the players all understand what is at stake and that we are in a better position now and do control our destiny," Georgia head coach Mark Richt said on Sunday. "We have been fighting like mad for that ever since the moment South Carolina beat us. The thing that has gotten us this far on a weekly basis is just trying to take care of business. That has to be our focus--for every man to do his job starting tomorrow and not waiting until Saturday. Everybody has a job to do. We have to focus on that, and focus on the process. We feel like good things will happen if we do."
Georgia will return running backs Carlton Thomas, Isaiah Crowell and Ken Malcome for Auburn after the three were suspended for one game. In their absence, redshirt sophomore Brandon Harton stepped up to gain 98 yards and a touchdown in his first career start.
"We liked what he did," Richt said. "There was no doubt about that. With Richard (Samuel) out, I'm not going to say with a certainty he would be at worst the number three back, but he is battling for that spot. We are just going to have to play it out this week in practice real hard to see who we think are best suited to play."
Freshman wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is also expected to return. Mitchell has not played since leaving the Tennessee game with an injury.
Auburn comes to Athens after taking its bye week following a 41-23 victory versus Ole Miss. For the Tigers, Michael Dyer has had a standout season, as he leads the team rushing with 989 yards this season.
"I'm very impressed with him," Richt said. "He's very strong. His lower body strength is different than most guys. A lot of guys hit him low, and they are going down. He is so strong he breaks tackles out of the powerful legs that he has. He is one of the best backs if not the best back in the league right now. I think a year ago as a freshman people thought he was benefitting form Cam (Newton) in the backfield, and that's where the focal point was. He has been the focal point this year, and he has been producing in a big way."
