Dogs gets another shot at a rival

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS -- You can argue about where Auburn ranks on Georgia's roster of rivals, but there's no debating this: The Bulldogs need a victory over a rival, any rival.

Having lost their three most recent games against rivals -- Florida and Tennessee this season and Georgia Tech at the close of last season -- the Dogs enter Saturday night's game against Auburn in Sanford Stadium with a clear mission: Cede no more ground.

Games against rivals have wide-ranging ramifications, from bragging rights to recruiting to fund-raising. Games against rivals transcend records, which is why Saturday's matchup -- 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 -- looms large despite both Georgia and Auburn having .500 SEC records (3-3).

"There is so much riding on this game," Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said. "A lot of reputation is built on each school winning or losing."

For Georgia, winning would give the Bulldogs their sixth victory of the season, make them bowl-eligible and extend their win streak over Auburn to four games, their longest since the 1940s. Losing, on the other hand, would compound the other recent setbacks to rivals.

"When I go to the Bulldog Clubs," Georgia coach Mark Richt said, "they will say, ‘Coach, no matter what happens, you have to get this one.' You would think it's just one or two teams [they're talking about], but it's about five of them that they all feel like you've just got to have."

Georgia-Auburn lacks the bitterness of Georgia-Georgia Tech and Georgia-Florida, and first-year Auburn coach Gene Chizik doesn't incite opposing fans as new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin does. But Georgia-Auburn is the oldest college-football rivalry in the Deep South and one of the most competitive anywhere.

This game will be the 113th meeting in a series that began with an 1892 game in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. And after all these years, only two wins and 49 points separate the programs.

Auburn leads the series 53-51-8, and Georgia leads in cumulative points 1,747-1,698. That comes to an average score of 15.6-15.2, although a higher-scoring shootout is forecast Saturday, given Auburn's up-tempo, no-huddle, high-powered offense and both teams' defensive struggles.

It has been a quirky series, with the road team winning more often than the home team. Auburn is 18-10 in Athens, and the Dogs are 14-9-2 in Auburn. Before moving to the campuses, the game was played for decades at neutral sites.

Revving the rivalry, Auburn has 20 players on its current roster who grew up in Georgia, and many of the UGA players also were recruited by the Tigers. Curran, who is from Snellville, was prepared to accept a scholarship from Auburn if the Bulldogs had not come through with a later offer.

"I was, like, ‘If y'all don't offer me, I'm going to go to Auburn and give y'all hell,' " Curran said with a laugh.

Many Georgia-Auburn games have decided championships -- Auburn grad Vince Dooley clinched five of his six SEC titles as Georgia coach with victories at Auburn -- but this installment matches two teams that have been eliminated from their division races. It's the first time since 1991 that both teams enter the game unranked in the Associated Press poll, although Auburn is No. 25 in the USA Today coaches' poll.

Rivalry trumps ranking, though.

"I'm excited for this one," Georgia fullback Shaun Chapas said, "just like I was for our last rivalry game and just like I will be for the next one."