The rivalry between Auburn and Georgia is known as “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” for a reason.
The Tigers and Bulldogs have squared off on the gridiron for as long as the game of football has existed in America, meeting a whopping 117 times since 1892. Somehow, more than a century later, they’ve maintained a near-even record against one another in a rivalry that has withstood the test of time.
In honor of “Throwback Thursday” and this weekend’s showdown between Auburn and Georgia in Athens, let’s take a look at some of the fantastic matchups these two teams have produced throughout the years:
All-time record: Auburn leads 55-54-8
Current streak: Auburn, won 1
Longest win streaks: Auburn 6 (1953-1958), Georgia 9 (1923-1931)
BIG MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE DEEP SOUTH’S OLDEST RIVALRY
2013: Simply put, last year’s game between these two teams was an instant classic. Auburn entered the game with a 9-1 record and the No. 7 spot in the most recent BCS rankings; Georgia was 6-3 and ranked 25th by the BCS. The Tigers were pursuing an SEC championship, while Georgia aimed to salvage its season in quarterback Aaron Murray’s final year of eligibility.
The Tigers led by 20 with 12 minutes left to play, but Murray led Georgia on three straight touchdown drives to regain the lead with fewer than two minutes left on the clock. Auburn had one last chance to drive for a game-winning score, but upon facing fourth and 18 in its own territory its chances seemed bleak.
Then this happened:
Nick Marshall’s miraculous Hail Mary to Ricardo Louis will go down as one of the greatest plays in school history, and it was the first of two incredible, season-saving finishes for the Tigers in 2013.
It’s safe to say last year’s ending will have plenty of influence on Saturday’s game between the Hedges.
2002: The tables were turned in the 2002 edition of the rivalry, as No. 7 Georgia needed to take down No. 24 Auburn to clinch its first ever SEC East title. The Tigers led 14-3 at halftime and maintained a 21-17 lead with fewer than two minutes remaining in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
David Greene led Georgia down the field in pursuit of a game-winning touchdown, but the offense stalled inside the Auburn red zone. The Bulldogs faced a critical fourth and 15 from the Auburn 19 yard line, and it appeared as though the three-loss Tigers would spoil their rival’s historic season.
However, Greene had other ideas. Here’s what happened on the fourth down play (you’ll want to jump ahead to the 2:15:30 mark of the video):
Greene found Michael Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown to give Georgia the lead on one of the great plays in Bulldogs history. Jason Campbell and the Auburn offense could not answer in the final moments, giving Georgia the division-clinching victory.
2000: The Tigers and Bulldogs entered the 21st century with one of their greatest showdowns in the history of their illustrious rivalry.
No. 13 Georgia led No. 23 Auburn 13-3 at halftime in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Auburn scored on its first three possessions of the the second half to take a 23-13 lead. Then Georgia scored 10 unanswered points to tie the game at 23-all and force overtime on the Plains.
The Bulldogs kicked a field goal to take a 26-23 lead following the first half of the first overtime, but Auburn drove down to the goal line and scored the game-winning touchdown on quarterback Ben Leard’s sneak over the line.
The win helped propel Auburn to an SEC West title, although the Tigers lost to Steve Spurrier’s Florida Gators in the 2000 SEC championship game.
1996: It seems fitting a rivalry as closely contested as Auburn-Georgia would produce the first overtime game in SEC history. College football instituted its overtime rules prior to the 1996 season, and they seemed tailor-made for the ’96 showdown between the Bulldogs and Tigers in Jordan-Hare.
No. 20 Auburn led an overmatched Georgia team 28-7 at halftime, but Georgia surged back and tied the game at 28-all on a miraculous 30-yard touchdown pass from Mike Bobo to Corey Allen as time expired in regulation (Bobo now serves as UGA’s offensive coordinator). The improbable touchdown forced overtime on the Plains, elevating the intensity of the rivalry to a whole new level.
Here’s a look at the touchdown from Bobo to Allen:
The teams traded touchdowns back and forth for three overtime period, remaining deadlocked at 49-all entering the fourth extra session. Georgia scored yet another touchdown on its overtime possession, then stuffed Auburn’s Dameyune Craig on fourth and 1 to cement a 56-49 victory.
The game is known as “The Miracle on the Plains” and remains one of the most unlikely wins in Georgia history. The Bulldogs finished the season with a modest 5-6 record, while Auburn fell out of the rankings by season’s end due in large part to its crushing loss to Georgia.
1982: Auburn gave Herschel Walker and No. 1 Georgia a scare late in the 1982 season, as the Tigers took a fourth quarter lead to threaten the Bulldogs’ chances at a conference title.
The Tigers’ Lionel James scored on an 87-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put Auburn ahead 14-13, but Walker, the eventual Heisman Trophy winner that year, led Georgia back down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown late in the final period to secure a 19-14 victory.
The Bulldogs went on to finish the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record, but they lost to Joe Paterno and No. 2 Penn State in the Sugar Bowl to miss out on a national championship. Auburn finished the season 9-3 overall and ranked No. 14 in the final Associated Press Poll.
1959: Auburn appeared to have a victory over Georgia all wrapped up when the two teams met in November of 1959, but an improbable late-game fumble by Auburn quarterback Bryant Harvard proved to be one of the most costly plays in Tigers history.
Then-Georgia defender and eventual Auburn head coach Pat Dye recovered the fumble in the final minutes to give Georgia, which trailed 13-7 at the time, one last shot at victory. Bulldogs quarterback Fran Tarkenton drove the offense down the field and found receiver Bill Heron for a game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining, giving Georgia a 14-13 victory in Athens.
The Bulldogs went on to win the SEC championship with a 7-0 conference record, thanks in large part to a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Tigers.
1942: Prior to last season’s Hail Mary, which began the Tigers’ charge to an SEC title and a berth in the national championship game, Auburn’s greatest victory in the history of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry came in 1942.
Georgia entered the game with an undefeated record and the No. 1 ranking in America, yet lost 27-13 to unranked Auburn. The Tigers relied heavily on tailback Ray Gafford’s 119-yard performance while limiting Georgia tailback and eventual Heisman winner Frank Sinkwich to just 31 yards on the ground.
Georgia finished the year with an 11-1 record, earning the SEC championship before topping UCLA in the Rose Bowl to add a national championship to the trophy case. Nevertheless, the loss to Auburn represented Georgia’s only failure of the season, something fans of both teams recall to this day.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
