Georgia gets shot at No. 2 Auburn, signature win

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By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

With its five wins this season over opponents who are a combined 13-33 (and none better than 5-5), Georgia's football team lacks a signature victory.

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Dave Martin, AP The Bulldogs next face No. 2 Auburn and QB Cameron Newton, formerly a standout at metro Atlanta's Westlake High.

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It gets a shot at one Saturday.

The Bulldogs will play a nationally televised game at unbeaten Auburn, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Oregon in all of the weekly evaluations released Sunday –- the Associated Press, coaches' and Harris Interactive polls, and the BCS standings. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is 3:30 p.m. CBS will broadcast the game.

With Alabama's loss to LSU, Auburn (10-0, 6-0 SEC) can clinch the SEC West title and a berth in the conference championship game by beating Georgia. A win also would keep the Tigers' hopes of playing for the national title intact.

Georgia (5-5, 3-4 SEC) would become bowl-eligible with an upset victory. The Bulldogs haven't beaten a ranked opponent since last season's win over No. 7 Georgia Tech.

"We want to play where we'll be proud of our effort, and we want the Bulldog Nation to be proud of the way we play," Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday. "We just want to respect the game of football, to the point that every day we practice and every time we play, we play in such a way that we can feel good about it when we go on the field that next Monday, or whatever day it is. That's what we're looking for. That's what I'm looking for, anyway."

Georgia has beaten Auburn each of the past four seasons, but that was pre-Cam Newton. The Tigers open this week as an 8.5-point favorite over the Dogs.

Behind Newton, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound quarterback from Atlanta who leads the SEC in rushing yards and passing efficiency, Auburn has evolved into the nation's sixth-highest scoring team, averaging 42 points per game.

"We're going to have to play really well," Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said, "and we're going to have to fly around."

Richt, a student of quarterbacks, was asked to name a player comparable to Newton.

"Probably a guy like Vince Young, in that he's a big man who can run and throw extremely well and also is playing on a team and in a system that would allow him to be ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the country," Richt said, referring to the former Texas quarterback now with the Tennessee Titans. "I don't think there's any doubt Vince Young elevated Texas, and I think the same is going on with Newton."

Auburn doesn't rank so highly on the other side of the ball: No. 52 in total defense (356 yards allowed per game) and No. 55 in scoring defense (24 points allowed per game). For Georgia to have a shot at a signature win, its best hope might be a shootout.

The Bulldogs aren't scoring at Auburn's pace, but they have scored 30-plus points in five consecutive games for the first time in school history.

"This ought to be a great matchup this week," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said Sunday. "Georgia is playing really, really good football right now, both offensively and defensively."

Chizik said Georgia's new 3-4 defense is playing faster and better than at the start of the season, and the Bulldogs' offense began to click with the return of wide receiver A.J. Green from suspension.