Georgia Football Has Final Words Before Auburn Game: "Do It Again"

That’s the question coming into the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry - can Georgia do it again

Georgia football QB Gunner Stockton throws against Alabama. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

ATHENS - The message was clear from Georgia football heading into its oldest rivalry - do it again.

The Bulldogs host the Auburn Tigers for the 131st time ever - this time Between the Hedges in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs are considerable favorites to win the game. Auburn had the week off last Saturday, but the No. 1 Bulldogs took out No. 6 Alabama 20-17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Very simple,” UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann told his team. “Win one play at a time. One moment at a time. One drive at a time. One down at a time. And do it again. 6-10 seconds of strain. Every snap is 6-10 seconds of strain. And then do it again. 6-10 seconds of strain.”

That’s the question coming into the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry - can Georgia do it again. The Bulldogs are playing Alabama, Auburn and the Gators in three weeks out of four. It is a massive lineup of games that would have never happened before the SEC added a ninth game to its conference schedule, or before the league moved Georgia-Auburn earlier in the calendar.

Georgia has dominated the series since 2011 - losing only twice. In 2013, Auburn’s improbable victory known as the Prayer at Jordan–Hare come near the conclusion of an epic battle between the two schools. Auburn won the game 43-38. Four years later No. 10 Auburn popped No. 1 Georgia 40–17 in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

But a rematch between the two schools resulted in a 21-point Georgia win in the 2017 SEC Championship Game - sending second-year coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs to the Rose Bowl Game.

Smart played for the Bulldogs in 1996 during the SEC’s first overtime game ever - a four-overtime win for the Dawgs over Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The two schools have made a habit of upsetting the other - although not as often lately.

Georgia’s upsets of Auburn in 1996, 2006 and 2016 as well as Auburn’s shocking win in 1999 severe as a reminder that anything can happen in this rivalry. For the most part of late the series has been dominated by the Dawgs. Georgia is 20-7 against Auburn this century. And the Bulldogs are going for a tenth-straight win over the Tigers - something neither school has ever done in series history.

Saturday’s game will come down to if Georgia can continue to be explosive on offense and exceptional on defense. The Bulldogs only permitted Alabama to score 17 points last weekend - nearly four touchdowns under their season average. Meanwhile, the Dawgs look to get back to their scoring ways against an Auburn defense that ranked 80th in the country. The Tigers limited Baylor, Southern Miss, and Vandy to 16 points and under.

But the Florida Gators exploded on Auburn - scoring 44 points on the road against the Tigers.

This is the Dawgs’ final game before an off week and a stretch run that includes its other two rivalries as well as big matchups with Ole Miss and Missouri. Auburn must still play LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama.