AUBURN, Ala. – Crowd noise blared through the speakers at Auburn's practice Wednesday. The Tigers are used to loud environments, having played five straight games at Jordan-Hare Stadium to open the season, but it's different when you go on the road.
Next Game:
at Georgia
Oct. 8, 2022
2:30 p.m. CT
TV: CBS
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
Auburn is expecting a hostile environment at Georgia on Saturday for one of college football's oldest and most intense rivalries.
"It's going to be an old-fashioned fist fight," Auburn defensive lineman Colby Wooden said.
"We have a chance to go out there and do something that hasn't been done in a long time, and that's beat Georgia at Georgia," added fellow senior Brandon Council. "I believe the last time was in 2005. That'd be a big thing. Our goal is to go in there like a SWAT Team – in and out, quiet the noise, beat them and get out."
It won't be easy. Georgia is the reigning national champion and ranked No. 2 in the country this year. The Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine in the series. However, just last weekend, Missouri went toe-to-toe with Georgia and nearly pulled off the upset.
This Saturday, Georgia will be ready. But so, too, will Auburn.
"Any time you've got a bully on the block, if you stand up to them, nine times out of 10, they're not going to want to fight back," Wooden said. "It's simple. Line up and play football."
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Sanford Stadium in Athens. The game will be televised on CBS with Tom McCarthy, Rick Neuheisel and Sherree Burruss on the call. You can also listen to Andy Burcham, Stan White and Ronnie Brown who will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com.
Three questions with DL Colby Wooden
Q: It's the first road game of the season. How does the mentality change?
A: The best way to put it is just burn the boats. When the Vikings went to go take over a place, they burned the boat so that way they either conquered the new place or they couldn't go home. Coach (Harsin) has preached that all week. We know we're going into a hostile environment. It's only going to be us there. We'll have a corner, but we know we're the only ones there. Go in there, get the win, come out as soon as possible. Nothing more, nothing less.
Q: With Eku Leota's injury, how does the defensive line make up for his loss?
A: Eku, that's a tremendous loss to us. We lost one of our more dynamic pass rushers. With him being down, Marcus Bragg – it's his time to step up. I'll be playing outside a little bit more. But other than that, we've just got to keep holding to our fundamentals, keep doing what we're doing. Stopping the run because we know that's what they're going to want to do. And get after the quarterback when it's time to go get him.
Q: What stands out about the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry and playing Georgia?
A: For me, because I'm from Georgia, this is the No. 1 rivalry. I'm 0-3 against them, and I hate losing. I want this one. We can circle this one on the schedule. I want this one. The Iron Bowl? Cool. But I need this one because of the significance it holds for me. I've got to be able to say I won at least one. And just going in between the hedges would make it that much sweeter. I'm locked in and ready to go.
Inside the Series: Georgia
Auburn trails the all-time series 56-62-8 and has lost 16 of the last 21 games. However, the Tigers own a winning record in Athens (18-16) and are 17-22-1 against ranked Georgia teams all-time (8-8 in Athens). The Bulldogs are 15-28-1 vs. ranked Auburn teams.
This is only the eighth time the matchup has been played in the month of October. Prior to the 2020 season, the last contest in October was in 1936 (October 24).
The series (126 games) is older than the Georgia-Georgia Tech series (114 games) and the Auburn-Alabama series (86 games). Auburn and Georgia first met in 1892 at Atlanta's Piedmont Park; each first played its in-state rival in 1893. The two teams did not play in 1943 (WWII) and did not play in 1917 and 1918 (WWI and the subsequent influenza outbreak). With those exceptions, Auburn and Georgia have played continuously since 1988.
By the Numbers
85: The Auburn defense limited LSU to just 85 yards through the air last Saturday. It was the first time since the 2019 Ole Miss game that Auburn held an SEC opponent to less than 100 yards passing. The Rebels threw for 99 yards in that contest.
8: Auburn's 99-yard drive in the second quarter against LSU was its first since the two teams met in 2020. The Tigers now have eight 99-yard drives since 1996. Freshman Camden Brown capped Saturday's drive with an 18-yard touchdown grab, the first of his career.
44: No duo in the SEC has more quarterback pressures this season than Auburn's Derick Hall and Colby Wooden at 44. Hall leads the conference with 24 total pressures, and Wooden is tops among SEC interior linemen with 20 pressures.
126: At 126 games, the Auburn-Georgia series is tied for the second-most played current FBS series entering this season behind Minnesota-Wisconsin (131).