Game Eleven: Almost Home

November 11^th

Vs. Auburn University (Auburn, AL)

Man. Where do I begin. How about this. I think this will be our other loss this year. Let me just lay that out there. And the last time we lost three in a row to Auburn was ’99-’01. So get these stats:

Overall record against Auburn: 48-53-8

Total aggregate score: 1648-1650

Record @ home: 9-19

Record @ Auburn: 12-9-2

Record @ neutral sites: 27-26-6

Most amazing to me is that the UGA/Auburn rivalry is the oldest one in the deep south (they’ve been playing since 1892) and after all those years, TWO POINTS separate the total scores. Also, the visiting team has had the edge for a while.

Having said all that, Auburn is just really strong this year. Brandon Cox has developed into a really solid QB, though he’s gone largely unnoticed. Their defense is extremely fast and they have a running back, Kenny Irons (from Georgia, no less), who is a workhorse. I could go on and on about their talent. And hey, it’s not that the Dawgs don’t have talent either, but almost all of Auburn’s positions have definite answers. The Dawgs have questions at QB, receivers, and the secondary. We MAY have answers at those positions. We MAY not. So, while I don’t look for the humiliation that many are predicting, I think the rivalry keeps it close. The depth at the positions keeps it close. Coaching keeps it close (though I can’t STAND Tommy Stupidville, er, Tuberville). But the Tigers’ starting line up on both sides of the ball is worth at least an extra ten points. They are not struggling at any phase of the game right now. We are. The only way the Dawgs pull this one out is by playing the game of their lives. And by the time this game rolls around, the Tigers will be able to smell the national championship trophy. Seeing as how they got screwed two years ago, they are going to be on a mission.