The Bulldawg Blog: Week 12 Review

Week 12: #10 Georgia @ Auburn, win, 17-13.

General Comments: This one wasn’t pretty and the Dawgs were fortunate to come away with a win. The same problems that have held the Dawgs back all year were present again in this narrow victory over the struggling Tigers. On the positive side, the Dawgs hung in and came up with a big stop when they needed it. On the negative side, they did a lot to keep Auburn in the game and nearly lost. This game shouldn’t have been close but it ended up being about as close as you can get.

The Dawgs came into this game favored by 9 points over an Auburn team that had already lost twice at home this season. The Tigers had lost 4 straight against FBS teams going into this one. The Tigers had gotten an unimpressive 37-20 win over Tennessee-Martin of the FCS the week before, while the Dawgs had been in a battle against Kentucky. It looked like Auburn was a little fresher for this game and they played like a team with nothing to lose. This was not a meaningless win by any means but in the end it seemed more important that we didn’t lose.

First Quarter Comments

Any hopes there were of Georgia putting together a complete game and dominating Auburn were pretty much dashed after the first drive. A number of the problems that have plagued the Dawgs all season showed up again on their first possession of the game. Right from the opening kickoff there were problems. Richard Samuel took the kick at the 6 and didn’t get past the 17 for a return of just 11 yards. But Georgia’s offense got off to a hot start. It looked like the Dawgs were going to score and go on top right away as they flew down the field alternating Knowshown Moreno runs with passes to AJ Green. A 20 yard pass completion from Matt Stafford to Green on 3rd and 5 from the 30 gave the Dawgs a 1st and 10 just outside the 10 yard line. Auburn’s defense hadn’t allowed a first quarter TD this season but the Dawgs but the Dawgs moved inside the 4 on back to back 4 yard gains by Moreno. That brought up 3rd and 3 from the 3 and a half but Georgia only needed 3 yards for another first down. The Dawgs tried a quick pass to AJ Green on 3rd down and it went incomplete to bring up by Walter McFadden to bring up 4th down. It was disappointing to march 80 yards like that and not be able to come away with a touchdown but the right call here was to kick the chip shot field goal and get on the board. Auburn’s offense had been anemic this year so any points the Dawgs could get would be worth it. Plus, the points were guaranteed here, as the field goal attempt was just 20 yards, the same length as an extra point. However, at this point nothing is a sure thing when it comes to Georgia special teams, and unbelievably, Blair Walsh kicked a low line drive and got his kick blocked. It was returned to the 22. So the Dawgs wasted the opening kick and an 80 yard drive and got no points.

The Dawgs stopped Auburn’s first drive after 1 first down and 16 net yards. Georgia almost helped Auburn with a penalty when Asher Allen got called for a personal foul but luckily the officials called one on both teams so it didn’t hurt. Unfortunately, Auburn pinned Georgia at their own 6 with a punt. The Dawgs moved the ball steadily again on their 2nd possession, taking the ball to the Auburn 40. But on 2nd and 4, Samuel lost a yard, and then on 3rd and 5 Mohamed Massaquoi was called for offensive pass interference. That pretty much killed the drive and on 3rd and 20 from their own 44 the Dawgs ran the ball and Moreno could only get to the 48 so they had to punt. But the Dawgs were able to turn the field position as the punt team had great coverage and Auburn had to start at their own 6. The defense forced a 3 and out and Auburn had to punt from the 6. The Dawgs were going to get great field position this time if they could just field the punt, but you can never assume when you’re dealing with UGA special teams. Amazingly, the Dawgs managed to do two things to give the ball back to Auburn on the same punt return. First, the Dawgs were coming after the punt but they didn’t get there in time and John Knox roughed the punter instead. That would have given Auburn a 1st down at their 21. However, Prince Miller muffed the punt at the 49 and Auburn recovered at the 48. So the Tigers just declined the roughing the kicker penalty. Unbelievable. Auburn now had the ball back at their 48 and they decided to go for it all on the first play after the quick change and it paid off. Kodi Burns threw a wobbly pass down the sidelines for Mario Fannin and he made the catch and then ran all the way to the end zone for a 52 yard TD reception to put Auburn on the board first. Auburn bobbled the snap on the extra point and missed it to keep the score 6-0. That would come in handy later but at the moment it only showed how ridiculous it was that the Dawgs were trailing to these guys. Georgia started their next possession at the 31, and on the first play of the drive Green caught a pass for 16 yards on the final play of the 1st quarter.

Second Quarter Comments

Though Dawgs hadn’t scored in the 1st quarter but they had moved the ball well. That stopped as soon as the 2nd quarter began. The Dawgs had a 1st down at the 47 but the next 3 plays amounted to a 2 yard loss and they had to punt. The punt pinned Auburn at their 16 but they would soon threaten to score again. Another idiotic penalty on the Dawgs helped Auburn’s drive get started. Burns scrambled out of bounds for no gain and it should have been 3rd and 10 from the 31, but Rashad Jones hit him out of bounds and got called for a personal foul that gave the Tigers a 1st down at the 46. A few plays later the Dawgs jumped offsides for 5 more yards and then Burns converted a 3rd and 10 into a 1st down with a 12 yard completion. The Tigers had a 2nd and 6 at the 14 but their drive was derailed by a holding penalty. On 3rd and 16 from the 24, Burns scrambled around looking for someone to throw to and the Dawgs knocked the ball loose and recovered at the 36 to keep Auburn from adding to their lead.

The defense gave the Dawgs the ball back still down only 6 but the offense ran 3 plays and lost a yard and had to punt. Mimbs got off a tremendous punt of 58 yards that went all the way to the 7. That was huge and the defense took advantage and got a 3 and out. The Dawgs took over at the 50 following the punt. On 2nd and 6, the Dawgs executed a beautiful screen pass to Moreno, who ran down the sidelines behind Cordy Glenn, and then split 2 Auburn defenders inside the 10 and went into the end zone for a 35 yard completion for a TD to put Georgia up by a point.

The Dawgs now had the lead and they should have been able to shutdown Auburn from here on but on the ensuing kickoff they helped Auburn again. The kick was returned to the 25 but Richard Samuel got called for a late hit, moving the ball all the way to the 40 after the 4th personal foul penalty of the day on Georgia. Auburn quickly moved to Georgia’s 30 with help from personal foul number 5, this one for a face mask. But after reaching the 24, Auburn was stopped for a loss of a yard and no gain on consecutive plays and had to settle for a 42 yard field goal try. Wes Bynum missed and the Dawgs had dodged another bullet. The half ended with the Dawgs leading 7-6. That wasn’t the position Georgia wanted to be in after a half of play. But you weren’t sure whether to be upset that Georgia wasn’t winning by more or feel grateful that they weren’t behind.

Third Quarter Comments

The second half started with yet another personal foul penalty on Georgia during the kick return by Auburn but again the Dawgs were fortunate that the officials called fouls on both teams. The defense forced a 3 and out and the Dawgs got the ball at their own 25 and started moving it again. 3 first downs helped the Dawgs move to the 30 and then Moreno gained 9 yards on 1st down to take the ball to the 21 and bring up a 2nd and 1. Once again the Dawgs were hurt by a mistake, as a false start penalty backed the Dawgs up 5 and turned a 2nd and 1 into a 2nd and 6. Samuel lost a yard on 2nd down and Moreno lost 2 more on 3rd and 7. That made it 4th and 9 from the 29. With strong winds and no confidence in the kicking game, Mark Richt had Georgia go for it and Stafford threw incomplete for Green to turn the ball over on downs. It looked like the Dawgs were going to keep Auburn in the game all day.

The defense came up big again at that point. Asher Allen forced an intentional grounding penalty on the first play of Auburn’s drive to make it 2nd and 25. Georgia’s defense eventually forced the Tigers back to their own 10 where they punted. A good return by Logan Gray gave Georgia the ball in Auburn territory at the 49. The Dawgs went for it on 4th and 1 from the 40 and Stafford picked it up with a sneak. Georgia had a 1st down at the Auburn 13 but again they couldn’t punch the ball in once they got close. An incompletion on 3rd and 7 from the 10 brought Walsh out for another short field goal try, this one from 27 yards. He actually made this one to give Georgia a 10-6 lead late in the quarter. A holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Auburn bad starting field position at their own 10. On 3rd and 4 the Dawgs stopped Auburn a yard shy of the first down to bring up 4th and 1 from the 19. Auburn lined up to go for it and Georgia had to call a timeout with 2 seconds left in the quarter. After the timeout Auburn was still going for it and Burns ran a QB sneak and picked up a yard to give the Tigers a 1st down on the final play of the 3rd quarter.

Fourth Quarter Comments

Georgia only led by 4 at the start of the 4th quarter but that actually seemed like a good lead because it was hard to imagine Auburn scoring a touchdown. On 3rd and 5 from the 25 the Dawgs jumped offsides which would have given them a first down but it didn’t matter because they got 10 yards on a pass completion for a first down at the 35. A 21 yard pass play gave Auburn a 1st down at the Georgia 44. On 3rd and 1, Fannin rushed for the first down and then slid and shook through shoddy Georgia tackling all the way to the end zone for a 35 yard run to put Auburn back on top.

As bad as the Dawgs played at times in this game, Auburn was always there to remind you of why they had only 4 wins vs. FBS teams. After scoring to go ahead 13-10 early in the 4th, Auburn promptly kicked the ball out of bounds to give good field position at the 40. On the first play of the drive, a pass interference penalty on the Tigers gave Georgia a 1st down at the Auburn 45. Then Auburn got called for defensive delay of game and the Dawgs got 5 more yard to the 40. On 3rd and 7, Stafford got the ball to Moreno for 7 yards and a first down at the 18. Two plays later Stafford fired a laser over the middle into the end zone and AJ Green leapt high in the air and caught it over his back shoulder for a 17 yard TD to give Georgia a 17-13 lead with 8:24 remaining.

The Dawgs’ defense had gotten a mulligan and now all they had to do was keep Auburn out of the end zone the rest of the way in order to win. Unfortunately, they would have to overcome another mistake by Walsh and the special teams, as he kicked the ball out of bounds following the TD to give Auburn good field position at their 40. Auburn moved into UGA territory and converted on a 3rd and 10 from the 40 with a 12 yard pass play to get a 1st down at the 28. But the defense stiffened at that point, stopping Ben Tate for no gain on 3rd and 3 to bring up 4th down. The Tigers called timeout and then decided to go for it on 4th and 3 from the 21 and Burns threw deep down the right sideline incomplete to turn the ball over on downs.

The Dawgs took over at the 21 with 4:07 left leading by 4. Auburn had only 2 timeouts remaining. Moreno ran for 11 yards on 2nd and 8 to pick up 1 first down, but then on 2nd and 6 from the 38 disaster almost struck, as Stafford fumbled the snap and luckily fell on it to retain possession. The Dawgs had dodged another bullet but now it was 3rd and 8. After a timeout by Auburn, the Dawgs gave it to Knowshon needing a first down to ice the game, and Moreno nearly got it but he ended up picking up just 5 yards to bring up 4th and 3 from the 41. Auburn used their last timeout with 1:52 left. So the Dawgs defense would have to come up with one more stop. You had to feel good about Georgia’s chances of holding on but it should never have gotten to this point.

A false start backed the Dawgs up to the 36 and then Mimbs punted and Auburn started at their own 20 with 1:44 left. With a below average passer like Burns playing QB, you would think that the Tigers would be just about sunk in this spot, needing to go 80 yards in 1:44 with no timeouts. But actually this was the type of situation where I guy like him could be pretty dangerous because with the defense giving up everything underneath he could use his legs to move the chains. On 3rd and 5 from the 25 Burns took off and picked up 14 yards for a 1st down at the 39. A few plays later on 3rd and 4 from the 45 Burns ran for it and gained 17 yards to give the Tigers a 1st down at the Georgia 38. They spiked the clock to stop it. On 3rd and 10, Asher Allen was called for pass interference to give Auburn a 1st down at the 23. On 2nd down, Auburn picked up 9 yards on a pass and got out of bounds to make it 3rd and 1 at the Georgia 14 with less than 20 seconds to go. Auburn had no timeouts so they needed to go for the end zone and Burns’ pass on 3rd and 1 went incomplete, but the Dawgs were lucky that illegal contact or defensive holding was not called. That would only have moved the ball up 5 yards but it would have given Auburn a 1st down. Instead it was 4th and 1 from the 14 with 7 seconds left and they pretty much had to score on this play or it would be over. Also, if they had been closer it would have brought a scramble by Burns into play. But he had to throw it here and the Dawgs came after him. Luckily Justin Houston got pressure to force Burns to scramble back and get rid of the ball. He lofted a pass towards the right corner of the end zone intended for Tate. Rennie Curran had good coverage but Tate would have had a chance to make a play on it if it had been a better pass. The pass was overthrown and it floated out of bounds and out of the reach of Tate for an incompletion with 1 second left on the clock. The Dawgs took a knee and escaped with a 17-13 win. Who knows what would have happened if Auburn hadn’t messed up that extra point.

Good Numbers

The stats were way closer than they should have been. Georgia outgained Auburn by 48 yards (351-303), passing for 36 more yards (215-179) and rushing for 12 more yards than Auburn (136-124). The Dawgs had 1 more first down than Auburn (20-19). The time of possession was about equal and both teams turned it over once. The Dawgs ran 33 times for 136 yards, averaging 4.1 yards a carry. The Tigers ran 36 times for 124 yards, averaging 3.4 yards a carry. Matt Stafford was just 15 for 24 for 215 yards but he had 2 TD and no INT. Moreno had a big day for the Dawgs, rushing 22 times for 131 yards while averaging 6.0 yards a carry, and also catching 4 passes for 58 yards and a TD. AJ Green caught 5 passes for 81 yards and a TD. Massa caught 5 balls for 61 yards. Brian Mimbs put all 4 of his punts at the 20 or closer in, including 2 inside the 10. Auburn moved into Georgia territory 5 times but the defense allowed them to score on just 1 of those possessions, recovering a fumble, forcing a missed field goal, and stopping the Tigers on 4th down twice.

Bad Numbers

Allowing 303 yards to Auburn was actually not that impressive. The Tigers were able to convert on 7 of 17 third downs, although the Dawgs did hold them to 1 for 3 on 4th down. Georgia was just 3 for 11 on 3rd down and 1 for 2 on 4th down. Walsh made 1 FG of 27 yards but he had a 20 yarder blocked and had one kickoff go out of bounds. The Dawgs committed 9 penalties for 95 yards. They were flagged for 6 personal fouls. Georgia scored on just 3 of 6 trips inside Auburn territory and scored a TD on just 1 of 3 trips inside the red zone.

Final Comment

This was a lot closer than it should have been and Georgia was fortunate to end up winning but at this point that’s enough for me. Auburn has had a very disappointing year but a win over Auburn is still big. This was the 3rd year in a row that the Dawgs beat Auburn, something that hadn’t happened since the Herschel years of 1980 to 1982. With the win the Dawgs finished 6-2 in the SEC and that’s good any year. A 2nd place finish in the East isn’t what Georgia wanted but it ain’t bad. The Dawgs will finish with the 3rd best record in the SEC. The victory got the Dawgs to 9-2 and kept them in position to win 10 games and go to a New Year’s Day bowl. They have a chance to win 11 of 13 games in a season that will ultimately be labeled a disappointment.