No. 1 Georgia gets Auburn on Saturday in Athens with history hanging over the afternoon and a series mark within reach.
The Bulldogs can claim a 10th straight win over the Tigers, which would stand alone as the longest run for either school in the rivalry. Georgia’s current nine-game run matches the program’s streak from 1923-31, the last time either side put together that many in a row.
Kirby Smart knows exactly what this matchup usually becomes.
"It's an awesome rivalry," said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, whose lone loss to the Tigers came in November 2017. "I have so much respect for them. ...
They have a lot of talent. They have good football players.
It's any given Saturday in this conference, as we see every week. It'll be an extremely physical game (against a team) coming off an off week."
Georgia enters at 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference after one of the season’s biggest statements, a 20-17 win at No. 6 Alabama. The Bulldogs will be heavy favorites again - Auburn is an underdog of more than 20 points - but Smart isn’t treating it like a mismatch.
"We watched the tape of (the Alabama game). It was really physical.This one's going to be really physical too," Smart said.
"I promise you that the page for us is focused on this Auburn team. They're well rested and have a good football team coming in here."
Georgia’s offense has been steadied by veteran quarterback Gunner Stockton, who has 1,298 passing yards and 14 touchdowns. The Bulldogs have also gotten a lift on the ground from Dwight Phillips Jr., who has filled in for injured starter Nate Frazier and leads the team with 280 rushing yards. Phillips had a career-high 120 yards against Alabama.
Auburn arrives at 3-2 and 1-2, trying to snap an eight-game losing streak against ranked opponents and chase its first win in Athens since 2005. First-year coach Alex Golesh has a tough assignment in his first SEC run, and he knows what his team is walking into.
"As we prep for Georgia, the number one team in the country, and you watch it, all three phases certainly look that way," Golesh said. "Offensively, (Stockton) is a really, really good player, makes a lot of things go, doesn't make a ton of mistakes. ... We've got to play physical, as you do every week in this league, you can't turn the football over, you have to maximize possessions."
The Tigers are leaning on quarterback Byrum Brown, who has accounted for 1,055 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, with seven through the air and four on the ground. Auburn remains a team still taking shape under Golesh, and he framed the challenge in blunt terms.
"The mentality of the team is that we have so much to prove," Golesh said. "When we are at our best, we can play at the highest level of football. When we're not, we're just good enough to get embarrassed."
Auburn’s history against No. 1 teams is limited to five all-time wins, with the most recent coming in a 26-14 upset of Alabama in 2017.
In Other News...
Georgia Enters Auburn Stretch With One Offensive Question Looming
Georgias stretch run now comes with the kind of schedule wrinkle that can shape a season, with Alabama followed by Auburn in back-to-back games instead of the more forgiving setup Auburn has enjoyed in recent years. The Tigers are already dealing with a defensive absence in linebacker Xavier Atkins, while Georgia has kept building momentum off the field as well, recently flipping three-star cornerback Nash Johnson from Auburn to the Bulldogs.
On the field, though, the bigger immediate question is in Georgias backfield, where Chauncey Bowens status for the next game is still uncertain. The Bulldogs have had other running backs step up if needed, but this is the kind of late-week uncertainty that can change how Georgia approaches a matchup, especially with Auburn trying to manage its own defensive pressure without Atkins. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Toughest Remaining Test Might Not Be Who Fans Expected
Coming off a road win over Alabama, Georgia has given itself plenty of breathing room, but the rest of the regular season still has some interesting wrinkles. Six games remain, and while three of them look manageable on paper, the more telling stretch may come from the trio of Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri, a run that looked one way a few weeks ago and now feels a little different.
Florida and Ole Miss have both shown enough inconsistency to make those matchups feel less imposing than they once did, which leaves Missouri as the team drawing more attention. The Tigers are sitting at 5-1 and have already stacked up notable wins over Texas A&M and Florida, giving Georgia a late-season test that may carry more weight than the rivalry games fans first circled. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Freshmen Are Suddenly Becoming A Real Factor In Big Games
Kirby Smart was quick early in the season to cool any talk about Georgias true-freshman class making an immediate impact, but that picture has changed as the schedule has grown tougher. In recent games, several first-year players have become part of the conversation, with Craig Dandridge, Valdin Sone, Zykie Helton and Blake Stewart all carving out meaningful roles as the Bulldogs have leaned on fresh legs and fast development.
Smarts broader point is one that fits modern college football: freshmen are no longer just depth pieces to stash for later. For Georgia, the real separator has been less about where those players were ranked coming out of high school and more about how they have handled the training, the mindset and the speed of the moment when big games start demanding real answers. [Read more 🡒]