Georgia football's greatest all-time wins over Auburn
It’s safe to say that Georgia and Auburn are well acquainted. It’s called The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry for a reason.
The two programs will square off on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) for the 127th time. There have been some incredible moments. The matchup has allowed College Football legends and Heisman Trophy winners to share the field together.
We’ve seen the Bulldogs and Tigers clash in instant classic games. We’ve seen epic blowouts and games won in the final seconds. The history is rich.
Georgia holds a six-game lead in the all-time series and with that in mind, DawgsHQ is taking a look at the Bulldogs six greatest wins over its long-time foe.
Georgia at Auburn in 1996
This was the SEC’s first ever overtime game and Georgia trailed by two scores in the fourth quarter. Mike Bobo found Corey Allen for a 30-yard touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter to send it into overtime. The Bulldogs and Tigers needed four overtimes to decide it. The Georgia defense got a fourth-down stop to secure the 56-49 win, almost making what happened earlier in the game an afterthought. Auburn wideout Robert Baker scored a touchdown in regulation and approached Georgia mascot Uga V after doing so. The canine lunged at him, narrowly missing getting a bite in.
Georgia at Auburn in 2006
The Tigers entered this game firmly in the National Championship picture but Georgia safety Tra Battle had other ideas. He intercepted three Brandon Cox passes and returned one for a score. Those big plays from Battle helped the unranked Bulldogs take down the No. 5-ranked Tigers by a score of 37-15. Auburn had beaten Florida earlier in the season and UGA’s victory allowed the Gators to go on and win the 2006 National Championship.
Auburn at UGA in 1959
The SEC Championship was on the line in this matchup. The late Pat Dye, who went on to become a legendary head coach at Auburn, played a part in UGA’s victory. A defensive lineman for Georgia at the time, Dye recovered a fourth-quarter fumble and Frank Tarkenton did the rest. The Bulldog quarterback tossed the game winning touchdown in the final moments, securing the SEC Championship and an Orange Bowl birth.
Georgia at Auburn in 1982
We had to put this one in there because it’s the only time that Georgia tailback Herschel Walker and Auburn tailback Bo Jackson shared the same field in college. Walker had a huge day, rushing for 177 yards and scoring UGA’s only two touchdowns of the contest. The Bulldogs won 19-14 and it prompted one of Larry Munson’s greatest calls when he said, “Look at the sugar falling out of the sky,” because Georgia was headed to the Sugar Bowl.
UGA at Auburn in 2002
Georgia was trying to make it to the SEC Championship game for the first time since it came in to existence in 1992. Bulldog fans didn’t have much to feel good about early on. With Georgia depleted at the wide receiver position, Auburn jumped out to an early lead. Sean Jones kept Georgia in it with a pair of first-half interceptions and Michael Johnson stepped up big at receiver. He caught 13 passes for 141 yards, including the game-winning score on 4th and 15 from the 19-yard line in the final minutes. The Bulldogs won 24-21 and went on to win the SEC Championship for the first time in 20 years.
Georgia vs. Auburn in the 2017 SEC Championship game
The two teams had met just a couple of weeks prior on The Plains. Auburn embarrassed Georgia on a national stage in that regular-season clash by a score of 40-17. That game left many thinking that the Bulldogs had no shot in a rematch. It looked as if those folks would be correct early on. Auburn scored a touchdown on its first possession and Georgia punted the first two times it had the ball. The Tigers used their third drive to go on a march but Davin Bellamy’s strip sack of Jarrett Stidham changed the game. Georgia took over at its own 14-yard line and tied the game seven plays later. That was the start of a 28-0 run to end the game as the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
