Playing Auburn is like playing your brother.
We've known each other for all our lives and grew up fighting with
each other. When one had a chance to do something good, the other
would come in and ruin everything, and that went both ways. While I
truly loathe Auburn, I do respect them for being the other participant
in this historical rivalry for so many years. It really is like
playing your own brother. I've heard several Auburn fans over the
years claim to have the exact same respect for Georgia, even though
they hate our guts just as much as we hate theirs. They respect us for
being one of the only "big" schools to consistently play them in
Auburn over the years without making a huge fuss over it and they also
recognize the history involved when our two teams meet on the football
field. It’s the South’s oldest rivalry…and you can bet there’s always
something riding on this game.
Not only is Georgia-Auburn a great, important rivalry, but it is one
of the closest rivalries anywhere in any sport. When two teams can
play 110 times and only be separated by a grand total of twenty points
scored in the series, it certainly takes the cake as far as being one
of the closest rivalries...as I mentioned, in any sport at any level.
Many things have been at stake when Georgia and Auburn have played
each other over the years. Some games have been more important than
others. In so many games, this particular rivalry has decided SEC
Championships, winning seasons, winning streak stoppers and even
sometimes it has even had national championship implications. There
may be seven older rivalries than Georgia-Auburn, but there is no
rivalry out there in college football played as many times with so
much being on the line. The Georgia-Auburn rivalry is what started our
lifeblood known as college football in Dixie, and it is strong as
ever, even here in 2007. As has been the case so many times before,
there will be a lot on the line come Saturday night.
For Auburn, this game is very important. They are still hanging around
in the SEC West division race, trying to keep pace with LSU and hoping
that they can get some help in an effort to make it back to the SEC
Championship game. They have had a couple of setbacks this season.
Early in the season, Auburn was written off by many. Losses to
Mississippi State and South Florida stung the Auburn fan base and
cause much of the nation to forget about the Tigers. However, like
all good programs, Auburn has adapted and other players have stepped
up. They have not quit and as the season has progressed, Auburn has
quietly regained its position among the best teams in the nation. As
always at Auburn, their defense is playing tough and not surrendering
easy points to the opponent. The Tigers have given up the fewest
points of any team in the SEC. Auburn still holds out hope for a
division title and a chance to get back to Atlanta for the first time
since 2004 when they won the conference championship with a win over
Tennessee. They not only have that to play for, but they once again
have a chance to ruin the championship dreams of their old, brotherly
rival Georgia. No team has ruined more dream seasons for Georgia than
Auburn. It is an integral part of this rivalry...and it does indeed
weigh heavily on the minds of Georgia fans everywhere. Auburn has
played the spoiler role more often than many Dawg fans care to think
about. Beyond that, Auburn has the impressive record against Georgia
in Sanford Stadium. Auburn is 8-2 in the last 10 games against Georgia
played in Athens. In recent history, the road team in this series has
definitely been victorious more often than not. So, Auburn comes into
this game with Georgia with a lot on the line. Their own championship
hopes are on the line as well as bragging rights for the next 365
days…and, we may as well mention that Auburn has a bit of a revenge
factor working in its favor this year after Georgia went into
Jordan-Hare Stadium last year and knocked the Tigers from the top
five. There is a lot on the line for Auburn on Saturday.
Georgia plays to stay alive in an SEC Eastern division race on
Saturday. It goes without saying that this game is, like a few before
it, one of the biggest games Georgia has been a part of since the
"Glory Days" of the early 80's. Georgia won the division title in 2002
for the first time since the SEC split in 1992. That win came against
these Auburn Tigers. In 2002, Georgia finally broke through the
barrier and once again established itself as a champion. The
following year, Georgia won the division with a win over the Auburn
Tigers. In 2004, the Dawgs faced a very good, undefeated Auburn team
and despite the fact the Georgia wasn’t in control of its own destiny
as far as the SEC race went, the loss to Auburn in 2004 eliminated
them from contention all together. In 2005, Georgia met Auburn with a
chance to clinch the SEC Eastern division title and just missed out as
Auburn won a thrilling 31-30 contest in Athens. This year, a new
challenge is before Georgia. Georgia scored a rare win over the
Florida Gators a couple of weeks back (yes, folks, Georgia and Florida
have split the last four games played between them) and with a win
over Auburn, it would mark the first time Georgia has defeated both
Auburn and Florida in the same season since 1982. Not only that, but
Georgia faces a near “must win” type of game with Auburn if they are
to win the division and get a shot at the eventual SEC West champ.
Two disappointing losses to South Carolina and Tennessee have put
Georgia in a position where it has to have some help…but the Dawgs
must also keep winning. A win over Auburn won't win the division for
Georgia, but it will certainly help in getting them back to the SEC
championship game; the game that is a nationally televised event. The
game that will determine the best team in this storied conference. The
game that could see Georgia win three conference titles in a span of
six years. It's in our own backyard, but for many years, it has
seemed like the Georgia Dome was a million miles away. The Dawgs
welcomed back that championship feeling in 2002. They returned in
2003, but came up short against LSU. They took out revenge on LSU in
2005…and the way things are shaping up in the SEC West right now,
there’s a good chance LSU will be in attendance in Atlanta again this
season. Georgia had, by all accounts, a poor season in 2006 despite
finishing with a 9-3 record. You can bet that the Dawgs are itching
to get back to the title game and take a shot at whoever the SEC West
sends to Atlanta.
Most of the time since 2002, the road to the Georgia Dome has gone
through Athens for the teams in the SEC East. However, even the team
that calls Athens "home" finds an obstacle on that road...and once
again, like so many times before, that obstacle is Auburn. In 1982,
Larry Munson begged and pleaded the Georgia Bulldogs to "Hunker down
one more time" and was drenched with a bourbon and Coke thrown by an
Auburn fan in the booth next to Georgia radio booth:
“Georgia leading 19-14, needing a play of some kind, a break of some
kind. Hunker Down you guys! Dawgs are in a 6... actually only 4
standing, they're in a 6-4. They pitch it to Bo Jackson, one man
knocked him off balance, and we came up and got him…Ball back on the
21, and it's 2nd down now and 17, with 2:05 to go, Auburn trying to
break our hearts. 19-14 and the Dawgs lead. Again you guys, Hunker
Down! Auburn up to the line... Carver got him from behind! Back on the
30! ... Oh man! 2 big plays, 84 seconds ... 3rd down and 21. Auburn
back on the 30. Watch this now. I hate to keep saying it, but Hunker
Down! You didn't hear me you guys. Hunker Down! ... Pass complete to
the 21... Timeout Auburn. Timeout 49 seconds left ... 4th and 17, I
know I'm asking alot you guys, but Hunker it down one more time! ...
Pass into the endzone... and the Dawgs broke it up! They broke it up!
They broke it up! … The Dawgs with 42 seconds... I won't ask you to
do that again you guys…32 seconds, Lastinger up to the line...
Lastinger falls back on the 16 ... Georgia students and fans standing
and roaring 23, 22, 21 clock running, running… Oh, look at the sugar
falling out of the sky! Look at the sugar falling out of the sky! Here
comes a Georgia fan running out across the field. And now everybody
roars…3…2…1…and they're carrying Vince Dooley off the field. Dawgs
have won it. Somebody threw something on us. Dawgs have won it 19-14.
The defense hunkered this thing...we saved ourselves…we saved
ourselves…there won’t be many of us in Opelika tonight, but I’ll tell
you one thing, we’re going do something to Opelika. Dawgs a winner,
19-14.”
After the Dawgs had clinched that victory over Auburn 19-14 to win the
SEC and send them to the Sugar Bowl, Munson told the Dawgs that he
wouldn't ask them to do it again...but 23 long years have passed and
we find ourselves facing the same opponent with a championship
possibility on the line. We need one more thing and it's the exact
same thing we needed way back in 1982. Even though Larry said he
wouldn't ask them to do it again, we all need the Dawgs to "Hunker it
down one more time!" against the Auburn Tigers.
As has happened so often throughout the history of these two proud,
storied and elder southern colleges, one team stands in the way of the
other's hopes and dreams and goals. As a matter of fact, we stand in
each other's way.
Auburn needs to beat Georgia. Georgia needs to beat Auburn.
Somehow, that's the only way it should be in the south’s oldest rivalry.
GO DAWGS!
BEAT AUBURN!