The Auburn Tigers Fed the Georgia Bulldogs a Slice of Humble Pie

“The Dawgs beat the Dawgs”. -Kirby Smart

Initial Thoughts

College football is in full swing, and the past two weeks have been filled with highs and lows for Georgia fans. Let’s take a look at the Bulldogs’ first loss of the season and see what went right, what went wrong and where the Dawgs go from here.

Offense

Despite Gunner Stockton going out after the first play resulted in his body being enhanced with extra gravity, Ryan Puglisi stepped into the starting role and threw for 55 yards in three plays, setting the Dawgs up for their first score by Dwight Phillips Jr.

Ryan Puglisi: 3 completions, 55 yards
Dwight Phillips Jr.: 15-yard rushing TD

After a quick three-and-out by Auburn’s offense, the Dawgs quickly drove back down the field and scored another touchdown, making the difference 14–0 in the first quarter of the game. This felt like it was going to be an absolute disaster for the Auburn Tigers. Unfortunately, momentum took a shift and Auburn clawed their way back. The Bulldogs experienced multiple turnovers, including two interceptions from Gunner Stockton, as well as a fumble from Stockton on the game-winning drive attempt. There were also multiple instances where the Bulldogs were uncharacteristically forced to punt. Georgia outgained Auburn in total yards, but lacking the ability to make plays on offense, combined with a lack of discipline and injuries to starters, combined for a disaster for the Bulldogs and what should’ve been a home-field hammering of the Auburn Tigers.

Total yards: Georgia 440, Auburn 366
Turnovers: Georgia 3, Auburn 0

There was one questionable call that I didn’t understand from the offense. Before halftime, the kicking team ran out onto the field to attempt a 54-yard field goal, and quarterback Gunner Stockton was on the sideline. Because Gunner was on the sideline, he ran out onto the field to be the holder with just a few seconds left on the game clock. And instead of Kirby Smart taking a timeout so that the offense could set themselves up for the field goal, they rushed the play, and it was ultimately blocked by the opposing defense. The Bulldogs went into their home locker room at halftime already in a form of defeat.

Halftime: Auburn 17, Georgia 14

Gunner Stockton was injured when he was hit on the first play of the game. Kirby Smart said he was cleared after being checked for a concussion, but he was also seen by trainers for a hit to his throwing shoulder. He still rallied and made a lot of big plays that were needed, but he definitely seemed off during and after the game. At the end of the day, yes, Gunner Stockton fumbled on the final drive when he ran into one of his linemen, but just before that he led a 90+ yard drive downfield for the tying score. He needs to work on ball security, but at the end of the day, this Georgia Bulldogs team is light years ahead of the Auburn team they faced, and still managed to allow them to gain momentum and take advantage of unfortunate situations.

Gunner Stockton: 272 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 1 lost fumble
Tying drive: 13 plays, 94 yards, capped by a 4-yard TD pass to London Humphreys

Defense

The defense was definitely missing KJ Bolden in the secondary, but it seemed like Auburn had all day to throw underneath. When Brown wasn’t throwing the ball to escape a 3rd down, he was formidable with his feet and became the first player to record at least 150 passing yards and 100 rushing yards against a №1-ranked team since Kyler Murray did it against Alabama in 2018. At the end of the day, the defense did what they could, but too many turnovers on offense kept the defense on the field too long.

Rushing yards: Auburn 192, Georgia 113
Byrum Brown: 15 of 26, 150 yards, 1 TD passing; 26 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD rushing

Bottom Line

Georgia has had time to heal and rest while on their bye week this previous week, but they are heading to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. This Florida game is a huge correction for this Georgia team, and I expect the rat poison to do its job. While Florida’s run game has been formidable during the year, I expect the Georgia Bulldogs to punish the Florida Gators in a home-field advantage situation where they need to blow off steam from the loss suffered two weeks ago. Fans in no way should be thinking about Ole Miss yet, because a tough Florida team lies ahead. I’m excited to see what young players continue to step up in order for this Georgia team to get one step closer to a national championship.

Florida’s last game: 27–24 upset of №7 Texas

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is this Saturday and I expect the Bulldogs to come out ready for war.