Auburn’s upset of No. 1 Georgia looked like a statement two weeks ago. Now, after what’s happened since, it looks a lot more like a one-off.
The Tigers followed that win in Athens by getting blown out at home by LSU, then took another hit on Saturday in a 45-15 loss to Ole Miss. Put those two games next to the Georgia result, and the picture changes fast.
Maybe Georgia wasn’t as vulnerable as it seemed in the moment. Or maybe Auburn just burned through every bit of good fortune it had when it pulled off that upset.
There was real substance to Auburn’s game plan against Georgia. The Tigers leaned hard on their quarterback in the run game, and that approach helped him pile up 115 rushing yards while chewing up clock.
But Georgia also helped make the loss possible with a sloppy offensive performance, and Gunner Stockton was right in the middle of it. He threw two unforced interceptions and then added a third turnover by fumbling with the game on the line.
Georgia had a chance to finish the job with one more first down. Instead, Stockton’s fumble ended that chance and left Auburn with the win.
That result is in the books, and Georgia can’t change it now. But the loss may end up carrying more weight than it did at the time.
The reason is simple: it cost Georgia breathing room. If the Bulldogs had beaten Auburn, they’d be in a much safer spot as they try to get back to the SEC Championship game and the College Football Playoff. They could afford two more losses and still make the playoff, and one loss would guarantee them a place in the SEC title game.
That’s no longer the reality. If Georgia loses to Florida on Saturday, the margin for error disappears.
At that point, the Bulldogs would need to win out to reach the SEC Championship game and the playoff. That’s the hole Auburn helped create, and Georgia can only move forward now and try to take care of everything left on its schedule.
In Other News...
Georgia Gets A Huge Rivalry Boost For Florida Showdown
Talyn Taylor is set to give Georgia another weapon for one of the seasons most familiar pressure points, and the timing could not be better. The wide receiver will be available against Florida for the first time after missing last years rivalry game because of injury, adding a fresh layer to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight for the Bulldogs.
This years meeting also comes with a different backdrop, with the game shifting to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and both teams ranked for the first time in the series since 2002. ABC will carry the broadcast, with streaming options available as well, but for Georgia the bigger storyline is simple: a key playmaker finally gets his first crack at a rivalry stage he had to watch from the sideline a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Now Has A Bigger Concern Than Beating Florida
Georgias win over Florida came with a fresh concern on the defensive side, as cornerback Ellis Robinson IV went down in the third quarter and did not return. Before leaving, he had already made his presence felt with an interception and tackles, a reminder of how important he has become in the secondary as Georgia tries to keep its momentum rolling through the stretch run.
Kirby Smart said Robinsons knee tightened up, and there was no confirmed structural damage at the time of the report, but the bigger issue now is his status going forward. For a defense that leans on depth and versatility in the back end, the uncertainty around Robinsons availability is the kind of development that can linger well beyond a rivalry game. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Singleton Just Gave Georgia Fans One More Reason To Remember Him
Eric Singleton has spent plenty of time on the wrong side of Georgia, and not just once. The wide receiver has taken four losses to the Bulldogs while suiting up for three different rivals, first at Georgia Tech, then Auburn and Florida, which makes him a familiar name around Athens even before any offseason chatter about his future.
Now Singleton has added a fresh layer to that history with a remark about Georgia that drew enough attention to be pulled from Floridas official press conference transcript. The comment has only fueled the conversation around what comes next for him, especially with speculation swirling about whether he could get another year of eligibility and what that might mean if he enters the transfer market again. [Read more 🡒]