ATHENS — Few know the Georgia-Auburn rivalry better or understand it deeper than Vince Dooley.
“There is so much in common,” said Dooley, an Auburn alumnus and letterman who coached the Bulldogs from 1964-88. “Somebody described it as feuding cousins, and I think that’s probably a good description. It’s a great rivalry.
There are a lot of similarities, a lot of respect from both institutions and it’s a hard-hitting football game. And then there are a lot of Georgia people who play at Auburn, which adds to it.”
There was no team Dooley wanted to beat more. In fact, five of his six SEC championships were clinched on The Plains. The other one (1981) also was sewn up against the Tigers, though this time at Sanford Stadium.
“It’s because of where the game was on the schedule,” Dooley said. “If you were going to win the SEC, you had to get by Auburn.”
Georgia always wrapped up its SEC schedule against Auburn during Dooley’s time. That’s not usually the case any more. This year’s Bulldogs still have Kentucky next week. But once again, they could clinch a championship berth with a victory over the Tigers.
A win by the No. 15 Bulldogs (7-2, 5-1 SEC) over No. 20 Auburn (6-3, 4-2) coupled with a South Carolina loss to Florida on Saturday will give Georgia the SEC Eastern Division championship and its first berth in the conference title game since 2005. Georgia should know the Gamecocks’ outcome by the time it kicks off its nationally televised game at Sanford Stadium (3:30 p.m., CBS). The Gamecocks and Gators meet at noon.
But you won’t hear any of the Bulldogs talking about clinching. Winners of seven consecutive games since an 0-2 start, they’re just focusing on staying on a roll.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” linebacker Christian Robinson said. “All we’ve done is rebound from what we did last year, and right now we’re just one win better. We just need to keep winning.
“We’re not worried about what anybody else is doing. If we do what we’re supposed to do, it won’t matter what anybody else does.”
Playing Auburn should provide motivation enough. Not only are the Tigers a traditional rival and the defending national champions, but last year’s game seemed to take the rivalry to a different level.
Personal-foul flags were flying as Auburn came roaring back from a 21-7 deficit for a 49-31 win. Nose guard Nick Fairley was called for a late hit on quarterback Aaron Murray and dove at Murray’s knees late on another play that sidelined Georgia’s quarterback briefly. Later, TV cameras captured Fairley rubbing his facemask in Murray’s chin that opened a gash. Eventually, the Bulldogs’ offensive linemen retaliated by trying to chop-block Fairley and pile on him. Two Auburn players eventually were ejected for throwing punches.
Many of the players involved — including Fairley — have moved on, but neither side has forgotten what took place.
“I’m still upset,” Georgia tight end Orson Charles told reporters this week. “We are definitely going to look at them as if they are last year’s team.”
“Everyone kind of thought it was a friendly rivalry up until last year when it got a little more heated toward the end,” Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen told the Montgomery Advertiser. “We know that they remember that from last year, and we remember them kind of coming after us toward the end. So I think it’s going to be another physical game.”
Emotions aside, the game will come down to blocking and tackling. As usual, the teams match up well.
With Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton now in the NFL, Auburn has struggled to find a suitable replacement at quarterback. They’ve played three this season and almost always use more than one during games, but of late have settled on sophomore Clint Moseley, a big, drop-back passer. However, the Tigers still prefer to run, using tailbacks Michael Dyer (989 yards rushing) and Onterio McCalebb (448).
The Bulldogs come in ranked No. 7 in the nation in total defense and No. 8 in run defense. Meanwhile, Georgia’s high-octane offense is back to full strength for the first time in weeks. Freshman tailback and leading rusher Isaiah Crowell returns from a one-game disciplinary suspension, and freshman wideout and leading receiver Malcolm Mitchell is back from a four-week hiatus because of a hamstring pull.
For now, only the Tigers stand in the Bulldogs’ way. And as Dooley will attest, they’ve knocked Georgia out of the championship hunt as often as they’ve let the Dogs in.
“I know just listening to people who know Georgia history well, the number of times Georgia didn’t make it because of Auburn and how many times Auburn didn’t make it because of Georgia,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “Our players know what’s at stake.”
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