Georgia Bulldogs run wild in 34-7 win over Auburn
The Georgia Bulldogs came into Saturday night needing a win over a top-10 team to keep their SEC East hopes alive, and did they ever get one with a 34-7 thrashing of the Auburn Tigers in Athens.
Auburn received first and drove the ball 70 yards in 10 plays to take an early 7-0 lead. The extra point would be the last change to the Auburn side of the scoreboard. Jeremy Pruitt and the Georgia defense flat-out dominated Nick Marshall and the Tiger offense for four quarters. Auburn was held to 222 yards of offense after the first 70 yard drive. Georgia forced 3 turnovers and held the SEC rushing leader, Cameron Artis-Payne, to just 86 yards on 20 carries.
The Georgia defense wasn’t the only dominating force in Athens, as Georgia running backs Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb combined to run wild on the Tiger defense. The dominance started on the opening UGA kickoff return as Gurley appeared to take the return 102 yards, but an iffy holding call canceled out the return. After a few running plays, Hutson Mason took a shot deep and had a wide open Kenneth Towns but the WR dropped the ball and forced UGA into a third and long. After another incomplete pass, UGA executed a fake punt to perfection but it was also called back because of a lineman down-field. That’s a fine call to make except he wasn’t down-field. He was well within the three-yard margin and the fake punt should have stood. At this point, it felt like another game the Bulldogs would be fighting off their own demons (and the refs), but Gurley and Chubb didn’t get that memo.
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Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley were unstoppable. On 48 combined carries, the freshman and junior, respectively, ran for 282 yards and 3 TD’s. Mark Richt and Mike Bobo didn’t even try and hide the play-calling, and it didn’t matter. At one point in the 3rd quarter, the Dogs ran the ball 16 straight times(excluding a punt). At the end of 3, UGA led by a 27-7 margin, and there would be no miracle 4th quarter for the Tigers on this night. Georgia iced the Tigers with a soul-crushing, 11-yard TD by Nick Chubb that made it 34-7 with 4:51 to play.
Hutson Mason appears to be getting more comfortable unleashing the football but when you have the best RB duo in the country to fall back on, that’s easier to do. For Georgia’s sake let’s hope it stays a duo.
Todd Gurley was taken back to the locker room near the end of the 4th as the trainers checked the outside of his left knee. Gurley made an awkward plant on his final carry and winced in pain before he was even hit. On the positive side, he walked off under his own power, but we will update you throughout the week on his status.
Bulldog nation will now be rooting for Missouri to suffer a loss in order to make their path to the Georgia Dome much clearer. Georgia will welcome Charleston Southern to Athens next Saturday for a noon kickoff. Check back later for the latest on Gurley’s injury and all the news you need surrounding the Georgia Bulldogs.