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The explanation of what happened on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium is really pretty simple. Auburn wasn’t physical enough to win. Auburn didn’t execute well enough to win. Auburn wasn’t good enough to win. Georgia won 27-6, but that begins to tell the story of a lost Auburn night in Athens.
From the start, Georgia’s tormented Auburn’s offense. The offensive line couldn’t block Georgia’s defensive line consistently. Receivers struggled to get open. Quarterback Bo Nix was running for his life all night and missed two opportunities by overthrowing deep balls. Meanwhile, Auburn’s defense was consistently gashed in the running game. Former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett was the best quarterback on the field.
Auburn players believed they were good enough. They planned on winning. Instead, Auburn has now lost seven straight at Sanford Stadium and 13 out of 16 to Georgia. Saturday’s game wasn’t the most lopsided of those, but it might have been the most disappointing.
It’s one thing to lose. It’s quite another to be physically dominated, to be held out of the end zone. And that’s what happened.
After going three-and-out on its first possession, Georgia took over the line of scrimmage. And there wasn’t a thing Auburn could do about it. Georgia ran at will and wouldn’t let Auburn run. That is a prescription for losing.
It clearly didn’t help that cornerback Jaylin Simpson didn’t make the trip and safety Smoke Monday was ejected for targeting on the fourth play of the game. But it would be folly to believe they could have made a significant difference.
Give Auburn players credit. They didn’t give up. They kept playing hard, and the offense actually looked functional in the second half, which included only a field goal for each team.
There were even some good things. Freshman running back Tank Bigsby flashed 5-star credentials. He was very good. We actually got to see 300-pound tight J.J. Pegues in the wildcat, and he picked up two first downs.
But, overall, it was a dreadful night for Auburn football, more dreadful even than the final score indicated. In the 125th renewal of the Deep South’ oldest rivalry, Georgia players had all kinds of fun. Auburn players didn’t have any fun.
Does it mean the season is lost? Of course it doesn’t. Georgia went through a similar humbling experience in losing 40-17 at Auburn in 2017 and avenged that loss with a 28-7 win in the SEC Championship Game. But on the first Saturday in October, Auburn looked like anything but a championship contender. If these Tigers don’t get better in a lot of areas, this season could spin out of control.
The numbers told the story.
Georgia had 442 yards of offense, including 202 on the ground. Auburn had 216 yards, a paltry 39 yards rushing. Auburn has not scored more than one touchdown in a game at Sanford Stadium in five consecutive games.
And there are no easy games ahead. Arkansas, which visits Jordan-Hare Stadium next week, was supposed to be a mismatch. Well, Arkansas beat Mississippi State, last week’s big story, 21-14 on the road Saturday night. Alabama, Florida and Georgia, at least for now, are clearly the strongest teams in the league. Who knows what will happen with the other 11 teams, if anyone will step forward to challenge those three over the long haul.
What we know for now is that Georgia is better than Auburn. Significantly better.
From the start, Georgia’s tormented Auburn’s offense. The offensive line couldn’t block Georgia’s defensive line consistently. Receivers struggled to get open. Quarterback Bo Nix was running for his life all night and missed two opportunities by overthrowing deep balls. Meanwhile, Auburn’s defense was consistently gashed in the running game. Former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett was the best quarterback on the field.
Auburn players believed they were good enough. They planned on winning. Instead, Auburn has now lost seven straight at Sanford Stadium and 13 out of 16 to Georgia. Saturday’s game wasn’t the most lopsided of those, but it might have been the most disappointing.
It’s one thing to lose. It’s quite another to be physically dominated, to be held out of the end zone. And that’s what happened.
After going three-and-out on its first possession, Georgia took over the line of scrimmage. And there wasn’t a thing Auburn could do about it. Georgia ran at will and wouldn’t let Auburn run. That is a prescription for losing.
It clearly didn’t help that cornerback Jaylin Simpson didn’t make the trip and safety Smoke Monday was ejected for targeting on the fourth play of the game. But it would be folly to believe they could have made a significant difference.
Give Auburn players credit. They didn’t give up. They kept playing hard, and the offense actually looked functional in the second half, which included only a field goal for each team.
There were even some good things. Freshman running back Tank Bigsby flashed 5-star credentials. He was very good. We actually got to see 300-pound tight J.J. Pegues in the wildcat, and he picked up two first downs.
But, overall, it was a dreadful night for Auburn football, more dreadful even than the final score indicated. In the 125th renewal of the Deep South’ oldest rivalry, Georgia players had all kinds of fun. Auburn players didn’t have any fun.
Does it mean the season is lost? Of course it doesn’t. Georgia went through a similar humbling experience in losing 40-17 at Auburn in 2017 and avenged that loss with a 28-7 win in the SEC Championship Game. But on the first Saturday in October, Auburn looked like anything but a championship contender. If these Tigers don’t get better in a lot of areas, this season could spin out of control.
The numbers told the story.
Georgia had 442 yards of offense, including 202 on the ground. Auburn had 216 yards, a paltry 39 yards rushing. Auburn has not scored more than one touchdown in a game at Sanford Stadium in five consecutive games.
And there are no easy games ahead. Arkansas, which visits Jordan-Hare Stadium next week, was supposed to be a mismatch. Well, Arkansas beat Mississippi State, last week’s big story, 21-14 on the road Saturday night. Alabama, Florida and Georgia, at least for now, are clearly the strongest teams in the league. Who knows what will happen with the other 11 teams, if anyone will step forward to challenge those three over the long haul.
What we know for now is that Georgia is better than Auburn. Significantly better.
