The Georgia Bulldogs' loss has been described in a few ways over the last couple of days. Some are calling it shocking, some are calling it embarrassing and some are calling it “just another game.” At least that is what head coach Kirby Smart said in the post game press conference just minutes after the Dawgs fell to the Auburn Tigers 27-24 at home.
“So I give them (Auburn) credit, but at the end of the day, we pick it up,” Smart said. “Everything we want to do is in front of us. I know it's a big deal to everybody else, but to me, it's another game, and we have to turn around and get ready to go play again because it is a war in this league week in and week out. Everybody can beat everybody.”
Georgia was nearly a three-touchdown favorite in this game. Auburn had not won in Athens since 2005. Auburn had not beaten Georgia since 2017. Auburn had only beaten Georgia once while Smart had been the head coach for the Dawgs. It was the first time in over 90 games that the No. 1-ranked team lost to an unranked opponent at home.
So, the real question is if Georgia will lose like that again? Can they lose like that again?
There are a couple of major factors that went into this loss. Some are less concerning than others and some are contextual.
The first is that Georgia’s starting quarterback had never played that poorly before in his collegiate career. Gunner Stockton had his first game where he threw two interceptions and his first where he turned the ball over three times. The last turnover, the fumble on Georgia’s last offensive drive, ended up being one of the final straws as it led to Auburn’s game-winning field goal.
Georgia lost the turnover battle 0-3. Winning a game while doing that is extremely rare. If Georgia were to have a turnover game like that again, it could certainly lose. In fact, any team can lose to any team if they commit three turnovers and the other team keeps it completely clean.
The other biggest factor in this game was the fact that Auburn outrushed Georgia 192-113 yards. That is the most yards on the ground that Georgia has allowed this season. It was an elite run defense heading into the game, only allowing about 75 yards per contest.
The caveat is that Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown did most of the damage. He toted the rock 26 times for 115 yards and a score. He is by far the leading rusher for the Tigers and runs more than any quarterback Georgia will see all year.
The Dawgs have struggled with dual-threat quarterbacks that run the ball a ton while being coached by Smart. There will be more dual-threats down the line, including Trinidad Chambliss, but none in an offense as unique as Auburn’s where it goes up-tempo and uses so many designed quarterback runs.
Overall, it was a pretty bizarre loss, but was it a one-off? Georgia was pretty clearly the best team in the country heading into the weekend, and it was winning the turnover battle.
Stockton has never played that bad before, and Georgia had been winning the ground game. The Dawgs showed their vulnerability, but this could end up being chalked up as a weird one.
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