Georgia-Auburn game ‘flip side’ of two years ago (with video)
For a reminder of how quickly fortunes can turn in college football, consider what has happened to the Georgia and Auburn programs since they last met at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Entering the Nov. 13, 2010 game, Auburn was 10-0, en route to a 14-0 season and the national championship. Georgia was 5-5, headed toward a 6-7 finish that left coach Mark Richt on the hot seat.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray says Auburn will be "playing to ruin our season." (AJC photo/Brant Sanderlin)
Flash-forward to Saturday night, when the teams will meet again at Auburn.
The Tigers will show up with a 2-7 (0-6 SEC) record that has coach Gene Chizik’s job in jeopardy, while the Bulldogs will bring an 8-1 (6-1 SEC) record and dreams of reaching the national title game.
“Two years ago, Auburn didn’t lose a single game, and now they’ve only won two. It shows you that college football is crazy,” said Georgia cornerback Sanders Commings, who quickly added: “And also they had a guy named Cam Newton (in 2010).”
The Tigers will have a guy named Jonathan Wallace at quarterback Saturday. He’s a freshman, Auburn’s third starting quarterback of the season.
If Georgia wins the game, the Bulldogs will clinch the SEC East title and a berth in the SEC Championship game, just as Auburn clinched the SEC West with a 49-31 win over Georgia in 2010.
“We’ve been on the flip side of this,” Chizik said this week.
This time, the Tigers can only play the role of spoiler. An upset would keep rival Georgia out of the league title game.
“They’re going to come out pumped,” UGA quarterback Aaron Murray said. “They’re playing for their respect. They’re playing to ruin our season.”
After Newton’s single spectacular season as Auburn’s quarterback, the Tigers slipped to 8-5 (4-4 SEC) last season, including a 45-7 loss to Georgia in Sanford Stadium. This season, the Tigers have beaten only Louisiana-Monroe (in overtime) and New Mexico State — a far cry from the 2010 season in which they beat everybody.
A mind-boggling reversal? Not really, Richt contends.
“I think the big thing is just our league itself,” said Richt, a 12-year veteran of the SEC. “There is truly a very, very fine line between winning and losing. … Sometimes you get a break here or there and grab momentum, and it serves you well for the rest of the year. And sometimes you don’t ever find it.
“Even the year we went 6-7, how much different of a team did we have than some of the teams that might have gone 10-2? Probably not a whole lot different. (It was a case of) not making a play here, or making a bad decision there as a coach, or the other team just making a play that day.
“It’s not really all that mind-boggling to me because it’s just really a tough league.”
While Auburn has gone 10-12 since its 14-0 season, Georgia has gone 18-5 since its 6-7 season. And since losing its first two games last season, the Bulldogs have gone 18-3, including 18-1 in regular-season games.
“I think it shows we’ve worked our tails off, really,” Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King said. “Everybody is on board and is passionate about what we’re doing here. The tide has truly changed.”
“It is kind of a roller coaster; sometimes you do go up and down,” Richt said. “You just don’t know how close you might be to having a really good football team if you’re just patient for one more year. I think a lot of teams go backwards because they make changes when maybe they are on the verge of something good happening. … I would imagine it’s hard to figure out as a decision maker if a team is close or not.”
Auburn, which ranks last in the SEC in rushing defense and has intercepted only one pass this season, has stayed close in many of its games, at least for a while.
The Tigers led Clemson 19-16 in the fourth quarter of their season opener at the Georgia Dome, but lost 26-19. They were within three points of Arkansas and four points of Ole Miss entering the fourth quarter, but lost by 17 and 21. They lost by two points to LSU and by four to Vanderbilt.
But then there was a 63-21 loss to Texas A&M in which Auburn trailed 42-7 at halftime and allowed 671 yards.
Chizik was asked recently if he could have imagined a season like this just two years after lifting the national-championship trophy.
“I don’t think you ever imagine that,” he said. “What you have to understand in the coaching world is that you can have a season like we had two years ago, and then you can have seasons that aren’t anywhere near that as well. The main thing is, when you hit some of the valleys you’re going to hit, (to) maintain steadfast in what you’re trying to accomplish and working every day in a direction to improve.”
– Tim Tucker
(Chip Towers contributed to this article.)
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90 comments Add your comment
ARdawg
November 9th, 2012
9:14 am
Mike Franklin
I’ve read many of your posts. Often a voice of reason and a DGD but, c’mon guy. There are some of the most rabid fans and DGDs that hate Richt. I am not one of those btw. The two are not mutually inclusive.
I am the biggest Georgia fan I know. I don’t think I would celebrate if he was terminated nor would I feel bad. “He’s a great guy but” and all of that but, he’s paid to put the best team on the field, win ball games. Anything else IMHO is secondary. Yes a great guy I wouldn’t mind having for a friend but, it’s not his personality as it is his acumen that the university pays 3+ mil per year for. Knowwhaddameen?
joe jenkins
November 9th, 2012
9:22 am
The scary thing is willie and bvg know our offense……I hope this game doesn’t come down to a FG…because marshall can’t make fg’s and he can’t make extra points…..I hope the defense is ready to play their best…even better than the fla game….because i think the offense will struggle!! malcom micthell needs to take a kickoff to the house…he is due for one……I hope i’m wrong but i see aub upseting us 28-24
DAWGRX
November 9th, 2012
9:22 am
I’d like to see Gurley and marshall have a really good day. Auburn is ranked dead last in rushing defense, so Gurley should go over 1,000 yards for the season tomorrow. I just wish Marshall didn’t have such a hard time getting past the line of scrimmage. Once he gets in space, he’s scary fast, but he gets tripped up a lot. Maybe the line just blocks better for Gurley for some reason. Gurley just seems to run with a little more power and balance. Both are good, though. Defense needs to just slam the door tomorrow. I’d love to hold Auburn to under 250 yards for the game. GO DAWGS!
DAWGRX
November 9th, 2012
9:26 am
Joe…..how in the name of all that is insane could you possibly predict a UGA loss to a team that has only two wins against two lower level D1 schools. That’s like saying Bama will lose to Western Carolina…..
JK
November 9th, 2012
9:31 am
Clarissa, you must be a freshman practicing your first month of English 101. Good luck but leave it for the first essay instead of displaying it here for all to see.
Alphare
November 9th, 2012
9:33 am
1. What’s going on with Brian Van Gorder? the guy is totally burned out after the falcon years? Falcons are doing better without him for sure.
2. Chizik is probably not a HC material. Auburn has been recruiting well. Where have those talents gong?
RiffRaff
November 9th, 2012
9:37 am
This game will be a blowout. No way a the ‘barn’ makes a game of it. WIN THE EAST DAWGS!!
ARdawg
November 9th, 2012
9:43 am
BVG and WM? Really? If you’re worried about their previous knowledge of the UGA defense that should be the least of your worries. I would be very surprise if this game was even remotely close for half of a quarter. True they don’t have a thing to lose nor do they have a thing to play for. The only reason this game doesn’t get ugly is because the mop up crew gets in early
bigcalidawg
November 9th, 2012
10:01 am
I’m more concerned about overcooking my barbecue than the DAWGS……against THAT team.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 9th, 2012
10:17 am
REMEMBER the number Nick Fairley did on Aaron Murray in the 2010 game and don’t ever forget it. Murray’s just extra tough or he could have been seriously injured. Also REMEMBER that several of the hits Murray took from Fairley were late hits with no flag thrown. I say run the score up as high as we can everytime we play Auburn now and forever. GO DAWGS !
Strat Cat Dawg
November 9th, 2012
10:18 am
What an irony: Despite having an African-American player’s handle, “thenumber34″ is a racist and hardly a “real American.” Leave the stupidity at the door and stick to sports.
Joey
November 9th, 2012
10:19 am
Y’all know Auburn will give us, at the very least, the effort they gave vs LSU, which was almost good enough to win that game.
I’d love to see us blow them out, but I’m not expecting it.
GimmeAbreak
November 9th, 2012
10:23 am
Great comments today… except the one from some dumb-ass, bless your little heart Clarissa.
You hit it right on the head, Doodaddy. unFairley is getting his ass kicked around in the NFL so let it go now Dawg fans. And Chit-stick (or is it Cheatzic?) will get his the day after the SEC championship game.
Honestly this series (GA-Auburn) has been and will continue to be a great rivalry. Over the years the “throw out the records” and “anything can happen” cliches are more often right than wrong.
GO DAWGS and let’s go to the Atlanta on 12/1.
Joey
November 9th, 2012
10:23 am
How do you know he is a racist?
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 9th, 2012
10:31 am
I can’t consider anybody a true UGA Bulldog fan that squeaks out ” forget Fairley “. NEVER !
MANofREASON
November 9th, 2012
10:40 am
@Joey, don’t you know that the word “racist” is thrown around all day every day. That card was maxed out years ago. Whenever someone uses that word, I just ignore any further comments from that peson because it just means that they really have nothing important to reason with. Not to mention that the IQ of the conversation has just dropped 50 points…… Now back to football…..
joe jenkins
November 9th, 2012
10:44 am
@Dawgrx…..Just because of our terrible road play this….Richt has to get back to having our team better prepared to play road games….great teams will put the hammer down on 2-7 teams….I just dont think we are great yet….thats what great teams do…they win on the road!!! I know the defense has improved the last two games…but they still miss to many tackles in space!! If we lose to auburn…I think richt should resign…because this would be worse than the colorado loss….auburn could only beat about acc teams…maryland and virgina…….gurley should break the school record of 283……but he wont because we ave yet again a poor o-line….i’m afraid we all will be watching murray run for his life this sat…geez i miss brown and bennett already
DAWGRX
November 9th, 2012
10:44 am
RunninWithTheDawgs, give it up, dude. That game is so yesterday and gone with the wind. That stuff happens all the time. It was done, hashed, then rehashed…..it’s just about tomorrow’s game and has nothing to do with 2 years ago. Fairly was a beast, but he got overzealous and got punked for it. Besides, I’m sure last years romp by the dogs was pretty much all the payback they needed. They don’t even think about it this year. It’s just UGA vs. Auburn for a trip to the dome!
Mike Shula
November 9th, 2012
10:46 am
you have to get close to the qb to lay a cheap shot on him so there is nothing to worry about for UGA fans this year.
ARdawg
November 9th, 2012
10:53 am
It’s a great rivalry and will be for years to come but, every so often even the greatest rivalries have off years. This one will have two in a row. Dawgs roll, scoring at will. LSU and AU played early. That is not a comparison game. If LSU had any offense at that time the score would have been 60-10
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 9th, 2012
11:01 am
DAWGRX — I’ll never give it up. Fairly was totally out of line in that game and I think about it every time the name Auburn is mentioned. I was also at the 1986 game when they turned the sprinkler system on after the game in freezing cold weather and I’m still furious about that. I’m taking my rain coat tomorrow. I guess it’s okay if people want to forgive and forget these kinds of things, but I know a LOT of people who don’t and I’m one of them. GO DAWGS !
Steve M. in Marietta (UGA alum)
November 9th, 2012
11:28 am
For all of my fellow uga fans: Stop whining!! Auburn didn’t start anything dirty in 2010. Both teams had some questionable plays but it was our bulldogs who started the fracas with a questionable hit on Burns very early. Fairley hit Murray in the back, he was penalized and chewed out on the sideline. Our O-Line was constantly illegally chop-blocking Fairley inside and if I were him I’d start hitting people really hard also. It was Rambo’s cheap shot, not Fairley, that started the late-game brawl. I was at the game in Aubarn and the boos after our injury were actually merited- our guy (dont remember who) was running off the field when our coaches signaled for him to go to the turf to stop the clock, they weren’t booing the injury, just the questionable sportsmanship. This rivalry for years was like cousins. Our collective jealousy and misplaced/inaccurate complaints are more like wishful thinking or making excuses. These two programs are eerily similar and the jokes we make about them apply to us as well. And honestly, the whole Cam story was his fathers conversation with Miss State boosters. The FBI and NCAA cleared the Barn from anything changing hands and couldn’t place any wrong-doing. Our blatant disregard of facts, and consequently whining and trying to start rumors, is embarrassing. Let it go and focus on our season, not another teams. I’m tired of our fans (not alums, who are typically more knowledgeable than the morons who post on these message boards) bringing down our fan-base’s image solely due to jealousy. If we put our energy into our team instead of worrying about others, we can get back to glory, like the rest of the SEC is enjoying. Let’s stop holding a misplaced grudge against our opponent and get this rivalry back to where it was for 100 years. Our hate is reserved for people wearing Jorts, not our cousins across the state line in Auburn.
For all of the people who I know will try to poke holes in this logic, you are ruining our fan-bases integrity and your own credibility. Our complaints and excuses are becoming the laughing stock of the conference. Go back and watch the game in 2010 with an unbiased mindset and you’ll see how silly our complaints really are.. After all, we can’t call a program dirty until we can keep our annual arrests in single digits. Be a Fan of UGA, not an imbecile who will say/make up anything to make our program seem better. If putting down another in order to bring yourself up is your way of coping with a miserable life then continue posting your anonymous BS on message boards. Man up and put your name, at the very least so we know who the idiots are and the knowledgeable fans can disregard those moronic comments.. Soapbox moment over.. Go Dawgs!!
tell me again
November 9th, 2012
11:51 am
The Dawgs are going to put 50 plus on the kittens and then tune in next week for the zombie apocalypse when ‘Bama gets a hold of ‘em. Once Saban puts about 70 on ‘em Chizek will be toast. Bye bye Cheatzik. Karma’s a beeatch.
I BLEED SWA"G"
November 9th, 2012
12:06 pm
Bottom Line – Cam Newton rented or not won that title alone….. Chizik is an Ego maniac and really sucks as a coach. BVG scared me going there until he hired WM…… which = exactly where they are at as a program!!! now BVG will have a half way good excuse for moving on again after a short stint…. they all will get run out of town.
Which brings me to the reason why CMR turned the program around when he was “on the hot seat”
Once again CMR – it’s not just making a play here or there it’s getting the right coaches to coach these highly talented recruits to be where they should be collectively. Seems to me it turned around as soon as you got rid of WM….. Lets be real here for a moment, I’m not saying CMB is the worst OC in the country but this would be 2 DC’s under Richt with top 10 defenses…. I think we all wonder what could be if we had something equally as bright as the OC… example: Peas sure made the crappy UF team look a lot better than last season. I bet that Louisiana Monroe OC isn’t that bad either hanging with SEC teams ETC…. Moral is, We don’t see anyone beating down the door to hire CMB as a Head Coach…. obviously if multiple DC’s can be top notch with talent it makes you wonder with the likes of the Stafford’s, Moreno’s, AJ Green’s, O. Charles, Mitchell’s, TK’s, Gurshall’s Massaqui’s, Brown’s etc… why hasn’t CMB had a top 10 Offense???? We have had a slew of good QB’s, WR’s, TE’s, and RB’s in his tenure and I think with the success you see with the talent on Defense it has to make you wonder when’s the year the offense in unstoppable no matter who they play??? every game!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 9th, 2012
12:36 pm
Mike M. — I guess you were at the game in ‘86 also when they hosed all the UGA fans down in freezing weather just for being out on the field after the game was over. Why don’t you go into a long drawn out explanation about how that was our fault.
hornblowermg
November 9th, 2012
12:43 pm
the refs and chizik let fairly play dirty the entire game, and everyone knows it. he didn’t hit as hard as he did hit dirty. auburn should pay, and if there is any more justice, chizik should be too close to the sideline when one of our players make them pay.
hornblowermg
November 9th, 2012
12:56 pm
clarissa, gt’’s homeycoming queed.
old dog
November 9th, 2012
1:33 pm
It is time for the o-line to step up without having to be “woken-up” (see Ole Miss article.) Auburn has a terrible run-defense and we should mow them down IF OUR LINE WILL GET NASTY AND PUNISH THEM! It is time for our line to show that the bad press about them (which has in most cases, unfortunately, been true) is fixin’ to change. Here is your chance guys…..don’t blow it!!!
The Commissioner
November 9th, 2012
1:36 pm
This just in…Clarissa – is a “man”…Sorry guys. You have to be careful with those online stalkers. It appears he’s shopping.
RJ
November 9th, 2012
1:38 pm
We need more bloggers like TigerRick and Paul Paul. Name calling is childish and shows a lack of character. These are two rivals and things can get heated but at the end of the day it is just a football game. I am a loyal Dog fan and they need to win this game convincingly but usually records go out the window when rivals play one another.
Go Dawgs
Shirley
November 9th, 2012
1:43 pm
I like it that CGC has lost that arrogant, cocky behavior. CMR has more integrity and class than Gene Chizik has in his little toe.
Yella Britches
November 9th, 2012
2:00 pm
UGA running back Caleb King charged with DUI……
Big Surprise!! another THUGGA athlete in the clink. Classy program!!!!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 9th, 2012
2:01 pm
I was at the 2010 game and I have it recorded on dvd. You can check it out and be the judge right here>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGB1xguTXLg
dan
November 9th, 2012
2:37 pm
I think we’re over thinking this one guys. There is a reason Auburn is winless in conference play, they are horrible. Their QB’s stink, their defense is talentless, and the coaching is subpar. This game won’t be close unless the Dawgs want it to be, and even then we’d have to bring our F game to lose this one. This is a team that got smoked by Ole Miss, Arkansas and Vandy for Christ sakes. They’re just bad!
P*ss Stained Britches
November 9th, 2012
5:17 pm
Blah Blah Blah
Triple Option
Program On The Rise
Temporary Setback Season
THUGGA
CPJ For Life
Douchebag Out
Tiger79
November 9th, 2012
5:54 pm
Fairley played dirty, Auburn played dirty, Martinez made bad call in 2005 that lost game for us on 4th and 15, Murray didn’t go 100 for 100, it was too hot, it was too cold, and on and on it goes- georgia has NEVER, EVER, been bested by a superior opponent in its entire history, never been outplayed or outmanned, it was always coaching, the players just didn’t do their jobs, etc, etc, etc. I have put up with idiotic fans from other SEC schools for many years, and heaven knows AU has its fair share as every school does, but NO other school in the nation has anywhere near the quantity and quality of WHINERS that uga has always had- more whiners than 2 million episodes of New Jersey Housewives. Even after a uga win it never ceases to amaze me how many fans whine and call for Richt’s head because the margin of victory did not exceed 84 points. Please, get real! Oh, yeah, good luck against bama!
Hooty Goot
November 9th, 2012
7:41 pm
Tiger 79 — You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your 5:54 post. I won’t disagree at all. I’d really like to see AU get it back on track. They’ve almost always been a national powerhouse in football and it’s really sad to see them in the shape they’re in now.
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