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No. 14 Georgia Hands No. 24 Auburn 45-7 Defeat
ATHENS,
Ga. - The 14th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs handed the No. 24 Auburn Tigers
a 45-7 defeat in front of 92,746 fans and a nationally televised
audience on Saturday evening. The win extended Georgia's win streak to
eight games and improved its record to 8-2 and 6-1 in the Southeastern
Conference. Auburn drops to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in league play.
Aaron
Murray led the passing attack, completing 14-of-18 passes for 224 yards
and four touchdowns to four different receivers. Carlton Thomas
eclipsed the century make for the first time in his career, running for
127 yards. Isaiah Crowell finished with 132 yards on 24 carries,
marking the first time that Georgia had two tailbacks run for over 100
yards in a game since 2009.
Malcolm Mitchell pulled in three
catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Michael Bennett recorded 50
yards and a touchdown on five catches. Alec Ogletree led the team
defensively with six tackles, including two for a loss. Jarvis Jones
finished with two sacks.
Auburn's Clint Moseley finished with
140 yards on 11-for-22 passing. The lone Auburn touchdown reception
came from Philip Lutzenkirchen, who finished with just two catches for
14 yards. Michael Dyer racked up 48 yards on 13 carries on the ground
to lead the team.
Georgia got off to a quick start, jumping out
to a 7-0 lead on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Tavarres
King. Auburn answered on the next drive as Lutzenkirchen scored on a
pass from wide receiver C.J. Uzomah that tied the game at seven with
6:13 left in the first half.
The Bulldogs regained a seven-point
lead at 14-7 on a six play, 77-yard drive that culminated in a 27-yard
over-the-shoulder touchdown reception by Bennett. Georgia used a
12-yard run by Thomas and a 25-yard reception by Marlon Brown to set up
the touchdown pass, which tied Matthew Stafford's school record of 25
scoring passes in a season.
Murray became the all-time leader in
touchdown passes in a season with 10:36 left in the first half when he
completed a 15-yard pass to Bruce Figgins that made it a 21-7 game
following the point after by Walsh. Bacarri Rambo followed with an
interception return of Moseley that put Georgia up 28-7 with 9:41 left
in the half.
Georgia added its fifth touchdown of the game after
a five-play, 70-yard drive that took 3:00 off the clock. Mitchell came
back to make a catch then raced into the end zone for 25 yards that
made it a 34-7 game. Walsh added the extra point to extend the Georgia
lead 35-7.
On its opening possession in the third quarter, the
Bulldogs marched 73 yards down the field before Brandon Bogotay booted
a 23-yard field goal, the first made field goal in his career, that put
the Bulldogs on top 38-7.
Isaiah Crowell ran for 42 yards during
the final scoring drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown run that
brought the score to 45-7.
Georgia returns to action next
weekend when it welcomes the Kentucky Wildcats to Sanford Stadium for
the SEC finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:21 and the game will be
broadcast on the SEC Network.
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