ATHENS — One would have to forgive Georgia’s current players if they said they didn’t know much about the Bulldogs’ ancient rivalry with Auburn. If they were being honest, a few might even wonder if it actually was a rivalry.
During their football-playing lifetimes, they’ve known of nothing other than Georgia’s dominance in the series known as the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” The Bulldogs enter the 129th playing of the annual game Saturday having won the past seven by an average margin of 18.4 points.
But those who have been around a little longer, like fans, coaches and players of the past, know Auburn-Georgia to be something far different than that. They know the rivalry to be fierce and intense, heartbreaking at times, exhilarating at others and insanely close throughout.
Georgia leads the series 64-56-8, but only 117 points separate the two sides – or 0.914 per game.
Just in case some of the current Bulldogs weren’t aware of such things, coach Kirby Smart and his staff made sure they were educated this week. As has been the case over the 132-year span that these two Southern institutions have played football, the Georgia staff is littered with coaches who have participated on one side or another of this rivalry. So, one-by-one over the course of the week, Smart has had those individuals address the team and let the players know what the rivalry has meant to them.
That, of course, includes Smart. He played defensive back for the Bulldogs over five seasons from 1994-98. Georgia was 2-2-1 during that span.
“We have a lot of coaches that have played in this game and coached in this game,” Smart said. “We’ve got two Auburn alums, we’ve got a bunch of Georgia alumni, and the historic nature of this game is very personal. We had guys talk about that, you know, just explaining what the game means. And I think the players recognized that.”
Smart said he felt like the message got through, especially after watching his team endure one of the more physical practices of the year Tuesday. Indications there might’ve been an injury or two sustained in that one.
“They understand,” Smart said the players now grasping the gravity of Saturday’s situation.
Guarding against letdowns might be one of Smart’s greatest attributes as Georgia’s coach. That’s evident from the 42-game, regular-season win streak that was snapped by Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) dropped only three spots to No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll after the 41-34 loss and immediately were posted in Las Vegas as 23.5-point favorites to win Saturday.
That’s why Smart wanted to make sure Georgia players were aware of the heartbreak that has been traded on both sides of this rivalry. He had plenty of voices to enlist just for that purpose.
Mike Bobo, UGA’s offensive coordinator, coached at Auburn before returning to his alma mater three seasons ago. Bobo threw the touchdown pass with one second remaining that sent the 1996 game on the Plains into overtime. It took four periods, but Georgia finally won 56-49.
Defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson was on the Tigers team that had its hearts broken by the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2002. He also was on the Auburn squad that ripped out Georgia’s heart between the hedges three years later.
And so it goes. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels also played at Auburn in the late 1980s. Football administrators Jonas Jennings and Bryant Gantt participated in this rivalry as Georgia football players.
The message seems to have gotten through.
“No doubt,” said Georgia’s sophomore linebacker CJ Allen. “I think it just means more considering the history of the game and the coaches that played against Auburn or played for Auburn and are here. Also, all the guys who played in this game before me. We know what kind of game it is and what we’re supposed to do.
Said junior running back Cash Jones: “It’s definitely a huge thing. I can’t remember exactly what was the first year – 1892, I think, not sure – but it’s still just another game. We just have to be focused and do our best to win the game.”
It’s upon closer inspection of this Auburn team where that proposition becomes even more trepidatious. The Tigers’ 2-3 record (0-2 SEC) can be deceiving when it comes to their ability to play football. The Tigers’ poor start is the tale of turnovers, plain and simple. They’ve committed 15 while gaining only four, which has created a turnover margin of minus-11, among the worst in college football.
But otherwise they’re flying down the field. Auburn leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in yards per completion (16.38). The Tigers have great wideouts, and Smart thinks the best running back in the league in Jarquez Hunter, a 2,600-plus-yards career rusher. Auburn’s defense is not as stout as it has been before, but it’s still allowing only 121 yards rushing per game and specializes in getting after the quarterback.
Then there’s that weird fluke about this series. Auburn owns a winning record at Sanford Stadium (18-17), while Georgia also has a winning mark on the Plains.
In summary, anything can happen in this rivalry and usually does. Both sides know it.
“There’s so much history between these two teams,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “… It just has such a rich history, the South’s Oldest rivalry, and there’s so much pride at both schools, with the fans bases and supporters and administrations and students and alumni. I’m quite certain they’re around each other a lot because we’re so close. There’s passion in this game for sure.”
For sure. And if those 18- to 22-year-old Bulldogs didn’t know it before this week, they know it now.
“They don’t watch football, a lot of them. They play it, but they don’t watch it,” Smart said of his players. “You ask them, ‘who’s your favorite NFL team?’ (They’ll say) ‘I don’t know.’ They’ve got more things to do, I guess. They’ve got more attention options. They’re going to be on their phone looking at social media and doing whatever. They’re not going to watch. It’s just not what they do anymore.
“So, I think it’s important to make sure they understand.”
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