Georgia battles back to grab 20-10 road win over Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — Georgia caught some breaks and battled back from a 10-point deficit to get it’s ninth straight win over Auburn on Saturday by a score of 20-10. The Bulldogs were man-handled in the first half but took control in the final two periods to grab their fifth win of the season.

Gunner Stockton completed 24 of 37 passes for 217 yards and reached the end zone once with his legs. Zachariah Branch caught nine passes for 57 yards in the victory.

Auburn got the ball first and used its opening possession to assert some first-half dominance over the visiting Bulldogs. The Tigers used 14 plays to travel 75 yards with Jackson Arnold punching it in from two yards out. The PAT staked AU to a 7-0 lead. After not converting a third down in SEC play through two games, Auburn went four of four on its opening drive.

Georgia moved the sticks a couple of times when it got the ball, but the drive stalled and Auburn went back on the move with another lengthy drive that ate up the rest of the fourth quarter. Facing a 2nd and 2 from the UGA six-yard line, the Tigers went backward on the next play and gained nothing on third down. They settled for a short field goal to take a 10-0 lead.

Even with Georgia gaining some momentum with the red zone stop, the offense sputtered. It went three and outs with its next two drives and Auburn got itself in prime position to make it a 17-0 lead at the end of the half.

With the ball inside the Georgia yard line on third down, Arnold ran a quarterback sneak. The ball came out before he crossed the goal line and the Bulldogs recovered. The play was reviewed and upheld, and UGA got a little something going thanks to Josh McCray, Colbie Young, and multiple Tiger penalties.

Gaining possession with 99 seconds on the clock, Georgia used 11 plays to travel 88 yards with Peyton Woodring capping off the march with a 29-yard field goal to get the Bulldogs on the board. The first half ended with Auburn leading 10-3. At that point, UGA had just 78 yards of total offense to Auburn’s 237.

The Bulldogs got the ball to start the second half and turned it over on downs near midfield, but Auburn returned the favor after moving the sticks on a Daylen Everette holding call. Georgia used that possession to reach the end zone for the first time on the day. Stockton found Noah Thomas for a 30-yard gain down to the Auburn two-yard line and Chauncey Bowens punched it on the next play. Woodring’s PAT tied the game.

The Georgia kicker would come up big on the next possession as a drive stalled at the Auburn 34-yard line. Woodring drilled a 52-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 13-0.

Another three-and-out and a poor punt gave the ball back to Georgia with excellent field position, but the Bulldogs shot themselves in the foot with an illegal blindside block that erased a 27-yard hookup between Stockton and Young. Woodring came on to try a 45-yard field goal but he missed wide right, keeping the score at 13-10.

When Auburn got it back, it missed an open look that would have been a sure-fire explosive play and potentially a touchdown, but Arnold over threw Eric Singleton. The Tigers went three and out, giving the ball back for Georgia to insert the dagger.

Starting at their own 22-yard line, the Bulldogs used 16 plays to travel 78 yards, converting a fourth down to keep the drive going. Stockton punctuated the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run on 3rd and 3. The march took eight minutes and 23 seconds off the clock and Woodring’s PAT extended Georgia’s lead to 20-10.

Auburn’s next possession moved the sticks for the first time in the fourth quarter, but it ended with Christen Miller taking down Arnold behind the line of scrimmage to secure the win.

Next up for Georgia is a top-10 showdown inside Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs will host Ole Miss with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.