Twitter reacts as Georgia football beat Auburn and punched its ticket to the third straight SEC Championship Game.
For the third year in a row, the Georgia Bulldogs are headed to the SEC Championship.
On Saturday night, No. 4 Georgia defeated No. 12 Auburn 21-14 in a game that came down to the wire, even though Georgia dominated the first three quarters.
But in the end, the Dawgs did enough to hold off the pesky Tigers in a deafening Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A few quick stats before we show you our favorite Twitter reactions:
Cool moment. Kirby Smart just sprinted almost all of the way down the field to catch up to Auburn QB Bo Nix just to shake his hand and say “good game.”
A UGA photographer was knocked out during the Georgia football vs Auburn game
A Georgia Bulldogs photographer was knocked out during the first half today against Auburn. On a short pass play, UGA running back Brian Herrien caught the ball and was pushed out of bounds where he was unable to dodge the photographer who was kneeling and trying to take pictures.
The lady, identified by Jamie Erdahl of CBS as Chamberlain Smith, is an intern with the Georgia athletic department.
She was able to open her eyes as she was being carted off the field.
“She was taken to East Alabama Medical Center just up the road in Opelika, Alabama,” CBS sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl said prior to the second-half kickoff. “As you saw she was awake. She had a bruise on that right eye as she was taken immediately to the hospital. One of her colleagues went with her. She is an intern for the Georgia athletic department working with sports communications.
Kirby Smart told CBS that Jake Fromm and Herrien said a prayer for the young lady at halftime.
Georgia scored a touchdown on the next play to make the score 14-0.
Hopefully we’ll get a good update on her condition. Injuries are bigger than football and nobody likes to see them, but unfortunately they’re part of the game.
Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift hit an insanely dirty spin move and picked up the first down vs Auburn.
Georgia football running back D’Andre Swift is best known for his killer cuts that have broken the ankles of numerous helpless lineman and linebackers.
But today vs Auburn and the Tigers’ incredible defensive line, Swift broke out a new move.
Check out this spin move that Swift put on the Auburn defensive lineman. He then turned on the jets and picked up a first down.
Georgia football strikes first with a Jake Fromm to Dom Blaylock touchdown.
Georgia football strikes first!
On its second drive of the day, starting at its own 39, Georgia went 61 yards in three plays. Jake Fromm would end the drive with a beautiful 49 yard touchdown pass to true freshman Dominick Blaylock.
When Florida Gators HC Dan Mullen was asked about Georgia football’s game vs Auburn, he made it clear who he was cheering for.
Following Florida’s win over Missouri on Saturday, the Gators will have their eyes glued to CBS to watch Georgia take on Auburn.
If Georgia wins, it secures a spot in the SEC Championship. A loss and Georgia will have to beat Texas A&M to make it in.
Florida’s game today was its final SEC matchup of the season. So if Georgia happens to lose to the Tigers and Aggies, the Gators are headed to Atlanta.
When Mullen was asked by CBS for his thoughts on the Georgia vs Auburn game, he made it clear who he was cheering for.
“War Eagle,” Mullen said.
Watch it here.
"WAR EAGLE!" – Florida head coach Dan Mullen…yeah, that's a new one.
The Gators will be looking for some help from Auburn to stay alive in the SEC East. pic.twitter.com/tUZ6KzEQtJ
SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum picked the winner of Georgia football’s game vs Auburn.
The SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum picked his winner of the Georgia vs Auburn game on Saturday.
“I like the Dawgs,” he said. “I think the Dawgs have been a sneaky good team this year, other than that loss to South Carolina. I think Auburn will lose a close game at home.”
Georgia has won the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry in the last two meetings. However, the last time the Bulldogs traveled to Auburn, Georgia was outplayed, out-coached and just did not look prepared for the atmosphere on the Plains.
The ESPN College GameDay crew also gave their predictions.
Here are some Georgia football score and stat predictions for the UGA vs Auburn game.
No. 4 Georgia and No. 12 Auburn square off on The Plains at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS from the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
For Georgia, everything rides on this game. A win secures the Bulldogs a spot in the SEC Championship and gets them one step closer to making a trip to the College Football Playoff.
For Auburn, the Tigers pretty much dictate how the rest of the college football season plays out. Both Georgia and Alabama need to beat Auburn if either want to head to the playoff, meanwhile Oregon, which lost to Auburn early in the season, is hoping that the Tigers can win at least one of two games vs UGA and Bama. If Auburn can win, Oregon’s lone loss becomes a lot more forgivable and gives the Ducks a better argument to the committee at season’s end.
This should be your classic SEC matchup. A good ole fashion bloodbath featuring two of college football’s most physical teams.
Here’s what I see happening today:
Here are a few predictions previewing today’s game.
Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now atBetMGM.
Score: Georgia, 17-10
Stats…
QB Jake Fromm:
18/25, 227 yards, 1 TD
RB D’Andre Swift:
18 carries, 91 yards, 1 TDs
RB Brian Herrien:
8 carries, 52 yards
WR Lawrence Cager:
5 catches, 88 yards
WR George Pickens:
6 catches, 71 yards
DB J.R. Reed:
5 solo tackles, 1 INT
OLB Azeez Ojulari
2 sacks
LB Monty Rice:
9 solo tackles
LB Tae Crowder:
8 solo tackles
K Rodrigo Blankenship:
1/1 field goals, 2/2 PATs
Georgia offensive line:
One sack allowed.
On Georgia’s first drive of the game:
The place will be deafening and Georgia will surprise us all with a deep shot. Next thing we know, Georgia is just past midfield. The drive will stall after two runs and an incomplete pass. Jake Camarda pins Auburn inside its own 15 yard line.
On Auburn’s first drive of the game:
Nowhere to go. Auburn had a bye week to prepare for Georgia’s defense, but you can’t prepare for speed and physicality. Georgia allows one first down and then forces a punt.
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The ESPN College GameDay crew picked the winner of the Georgia football vs Auburn game on Saturday.
At the end of ESPN’s College GameDay, the crew, as it always does, picked their winner for the biggest games the day has to offer.
Set up in Waco, Texas for the Oklahoma vs Baylor game, accompanied by guest pickers Chip and Joanna Gaines of the HGTV show Fixer Upper, the team made their picks for Georgia football’s 3:30 p.m. game vs Auburn.
Here are the picks
Desmond Howard: Georgia
Chip and Joanna Gaines: Joanna picked Auburn because her sister lived there, then said “is that a good pick?”
Here are five reasons why Georgia football could lose the UGA vs Auburn matchup Saturday.
The Georgia Bulldogs head West to the plains of Auburn Saturday for a cross-division clash in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
What’s at stake?
Oh, ya know, just a Top 15 win over an SEC rival, a chance to clinch the East and an opportunity to keep playoff hopes alive.
The Dawgs got caught off guard at Auburn in 2017, entering the game ranked No. 1 in the nation. Will Georgia be able to get revenge for that loss in its first trip back since?
Stakes will be high at kickoff on Saturday, but which team will come out on top? We’re going with the Dawgs, and we gave you 5 reasons why Georgia will win the game earlier this week. But let’s not take the Tigers lightly. They are a team that is more than capable of taking down Georgia.
Here are 5 reasons Auburn could grab the victory and put an end to Georgia’s season.
UGA Wire interviews pair of Auburn students on Saturday’s upcoming game with Georgia
Georgia will renew a storied rivalry Saturday against Auburn on the Plains.
Before the Bulldogs and Tigers kick off, we wanted to give you a different perspective on the game. You’ve heard what the Georgia and Auburn media have to say and you probably know how your fellow Dawg fans feel heading into this contest.
Down on ‘the Plains’ we have Miles Espy who is a graduate student at Auburn University and a longtime Tiger athletics season ticket holder, while Frank Parker is an undergraduate student who also attends a number of athletic events at the Barn.
After a successful segment on the hardwood with these two last February, we decided to bring them back. Below, you will find all the information you need from two surprisingly confident Auburn fans heading into Saturday.
Let’s get to it.
We’ve heard a lot about Auburn’s daunting defensive front, including the almost irreplaceable Derrick Brown. Aside from the defense, what can we expect to be Auburn’s biggest strength on Saturday, specifically on offense?
Parker: “I think the biggest strength of Auburn offensively will be the depth at running back. The true freshman DJ Williams has proven himself to be a #1 back with his ability to run between the tackles and catch passes out of the backfield and when you pair that with Whitlow’s return from injury and the always sneaky Shaun Shivers we have a very talented and deep backfield that will give the Dawgs fits.”
Espy: “Auburn’s defense gets a lot of the credit as they should, but Auburn’s offense does have some things going for it. I would say a player to look out for when Auburn is on offense is Anthony Schwartz. A question Georgia fans need to ask themselves is ‘what does Gus Malzahn like to do on offense in big games?’ He loves to run a lot of gadget plays and trick plays. Anthony Schwartz has been on the receiving end of a lot of these classic Gus Malzahn trick plays. He runs on Auburn’s track team, is training for the summer Olympics in 2020, and has run the 100-meter dash in 10.07 seconds. Look for the Tigers to get him the ball in creative ways on Saturday.”
The Tigers have beaten Georgia and Alabama six times this decade, but only one of those wins came on the road (2010 Alabama). Following up on that, what is it that makes Auburn’s home field advantage so special? Not counting the 2010 championship season, almost every major Auburn win this decade has come at home or a neutral-site venue. How does Auburn make a stadium so similar in size to Georgia’s that much tougher to play at?
Parker: “Auburn’s home field advantage is unlike any other in the country. You can tell that the players really feed off the fans and when the student section is rocking and the fans are into it I don’t think any team can come in there and confidently say that they are going to beat this Auburn team.”
Espy: “I’ve attended several Auburn home games throughout the year, and I’ve seen Auburn play at Sanford Stadium four times, including our thrilling 31-30 victory in 2005. The biggest difference is the student sections. Sanford Stadium gets plenty loud, and their students love football just like Auburn students. However, Sanford Stadium has their students scattered throughout the stadium, whereas Jordan-Hare Stadium keeps all the students in one defined area. I believe this, as well as having the largest jumbo-tron in college football, makes Auburn a more intimidating place than Georgia.”
This Auburn team opened the season with a come-from-behind win over a very good Oregon team. After that, the Tigers dropped their two biggest games of the season to date, though they were on the road. The offense has its struggles, but the defense has proven it can keep them in big-time matchups for the majority of the game. With an extra week to prepare for the Bulldogs and a little home-cooking, will we see a difference in the Auburn offense on Saturday? Can Auburn figure out how to put 6’s on the board rather than 3’s?
Parker: “I think we will see Auburn get back to basics this week. Gus is determined to run the ball against this vaunted Dawgs defense and if Bo Nix can minimize mistakes and not have any turnovers Auburn has a great chance to win this game. The bye week certainly helps, considering Gus Malzahn is 8-0 after bye weeks since he has been at Auburn and he is outscoring opponents 282-180 after bye weeks. That extra week really helps round out the game plan.”
Espy: “I think so. I’m not saying Auburn will look like LSU on offense, but I think they look better than they did against Florida and LSU. Something you have to remember is while Bo Nix is an incredibly talented QB and has future Heisman potential, he is only a true freshman. I think the crowd noise at The Swamp and Death Valley gave him problems. He has played much better when the crowd is on his side. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in his last two home games, which were against SEC defenses. This should help Auburn get more touchdowns instead of field goals.”
Every year Kirby Smart has been at Georgia, the Bulldogs have dropped their annual SEC West road game in the middle of the season. With an embarrassing loss to South Carolina in October, playoff hopes are on life alert unless Georgia wins out. Do you think Auburn can catch Georgia off-guard like in 2017 or will the Dawgs be ready this time, after that terrible defeat to a head coach who works for Georgia?
Parker: “Kirby will definitely have his team ready for Saturday. They can’t afford to drop another game if they want their playoff hopes to remain alive. However, this Auburn team is hungry and would love to play spoiler for its rival. It’s gonna come down to which offense can get it going against these very tough defenses.”
Espy: “Georgia wasn’t caught off guard in 2017, and they definitely will not be caught off guard this year. Auburn is a hostile environment to play in and Auburn had a very good team in 2017 and has a very good team this year. As a matter of fact, I guarantee you UGA has had this game circled on their calendars. Players like Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift remember getting embarrassed at Jordan-Hare two years ago, and they’d love nothing more than to get a win in their return visit.”
Of course we know who you want to win the game, but answering as neutral as possible, what is your score prediction for Saturday? Will the Dawgs clinch the East and head to Atlanta with playoff hopes still alive or will Auburn play the role of spoiler in Jordan-Hare?
Parker: “My score prediction for this weekend predicts an Auburn victory by a score of 17-13. I think it will be a hard fought, physical game where each of the defenses control the game. However, I believe the extra week off will give Auburn the edge so that they can come out on top.”
Espy: “I definitely see a low scoring game. Auburn’s offense has been slow against big time defenses, and Georgia’s offense has been a disappointment this year. Georgia will win the SEC East, but it will not be clinched this weekend! In a battle of two similar teams when it comes to talent, I’ll take the team with home field advantage. Auburn wins 20-10.”
If you could only pick 1 of your 37 mascots to be the official face of Auburn Athletics, which would it be? It’s kind of confusing with all of this Wartigerplainsmen stuff, ya know?
Parker: “I’m not going to entertain this question.”
Espy: “This is such a wonderful question and so beautifully asked. A simple google search would inform you that Auburn’s official mascot is Aubie the tiger. Aubie is a 9-time mascot national champion compared to Hairy Dawg, who has 0.”
(Seems a bit harsh Miles…)
Let’s say Georgia and Alabama beat Auburn, who ends up finishing 0-4 against the SEC elites. Is Gus’ job safe?
Parker: “If Auburn drops both games against UGA and Alabama, I still think Gus’s job is safe. With the highly ranked recruiting class coming in and a young quarterback who has the potential to be a star I don’t see the university letting go of Gus just yet.”
Espy: “I don’t see this happening, but if it does, certainly not. I’ll hate it if Gus is let go. Gus is a very good and underappreciated coach. He’s been more successful against Nick Saban than any other coach in the SEC. However, when your biggest rival has potentially the greatest coach in the history of college football, you’re constantly going to be compared to him.”
How do you expect each of these teams to finish the season? (Guess final record entering bowl season and their bowl or playoff destination.) Ex: Auburn goes 8-4 and makes the Outback Bowl.
Parker: “I think Auburn ends 9-3 and plays in the Outback bowl against Michigan. I think UGA ends 10-2 and winds up in the Orange bowl vs Wake Forest or the Cotton Bowl vs Memphis.”
Espy: “I see both teams ending with the same record in 10-2. Unfortunately, this will not be enough for Auburn to get in the college football playoffs, and I see the Tigers ending up ranked in the 5th spot. I think Georgia is not far behind in the final rankings in around the 7th. This will be good enough for both teams to go to quality New Years Six bowls and beat a team from a lesser conference. Auburn and Georgia finish 11-2.”
That’s all folks! Make sure to check back with UGA Wire throughout the weekend as we bring you extended coverage of Georgia-Auburn.
