The Opening Drive: Auburn vs. No. 10 Georgia

AUBURN, Ala. – Rejuvenated and resolute after an open date, Auburn looks to earn its first SEC victory of the season Saturday when No. 10 Georgia visits in the 130th edition of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

“Another opportunity for us to get better,” senior running back and team captain Damari Alston said. “I don’t feel like we’ve put a complete game together yet, so this is the week we’re going  to do that.”

“I love the fact that there’s so much still in front of us,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “We can’t wait to be back in Jordan-Hare.”

Saturday’s showdown marks Auburn’s program-record 18th consecutive home sellout, dating back to the start of the Freeze era in 2023. 

“Super exciting to our staff and to our kids and our fans,” he said. “I know it will be an incredible environment for us to go test ourselves against another top-quality opponent.” 

Georgia is Auburn’s third straight top-15 opponent.

“Those linebackers are as good as you’re going to see,” Freeze said. “The secondary is very talented. They’re big up front, maybe not as twitchy as some that you’ve seen. But boy, they play their technique extremely well. They’re deep.”

After struggling on third down in SEC road games at Oklahoma and Texas A&M, the Tigers hope to improve by avoiding third-and-long situations. 

“The teams that are successful on third downs are the teams that are winning first down and staying ahead of the chains,” Freeze said. 

The first night game on Pat Dye Field vs. Georgia since 2012. Cam Newton’s jersey retirement ceremony at halftime. A top 10 opponent. Saturday has the potential to be another epic setting at Jordan-Hare.

“They’re playing hard with great passion and energy,” Freeze said of the Tigers. “You stay in the fight together until the bitter end, and I think good things will start happening for this team.”

A rivalry that began in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in 1892 continues Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium when Auburn (3-2, 0-2) hosts No. 10 Georgia (4-1, 2-1) on ABC and the Auburn Sports Network. Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath will handle the television broadcast while Andy Burcham, Jason Campbell and Bret Eddins will describe the action for listeners.

THREE QUESTIONS WITH DL MALIK BLOCTON

Q: Was the open date helpful? 

A: Really helpful. I got some of the bumps and bruises off of me so I’m good.

Q: What challenges does Georgia’s offense present? 

A: It’s about us. We’ve got to be better than what we were. It doesn’t have anything to do with the opponent. We’re just trying to be a better team and a better defense. That’s what we’ve stamped our name on, stopping the run. We don’t allow that. That’s a non-negotiable, we stop the run over here. That’s what we do.

Q: What would it mean to get a rivalry win at home this weekend? 

A: It’ll mean the world. It’s the biggest game because it’s the next game. I want to win every game. Every win we get is a big win to me.

INSIDE THE SERIES: GEORGIA

Saturday’s matchup marks the 130th meeting in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, a rivalry that dates back to 1892, and marks the 81st straight season the two teams have played dating back to 1944.

The two teams did not play in 1943 because Auburn did not field a team due to World War II and did not play in 1917 and 1918 because of WWI and the subsequent influenza outbreak. With those exceptions, Auburn and Georgia have played continuously since 1898.

The Auburn-Georgia series is tied for the second most-played series in college football, behind only Wisconsin-Minnesota (134) and tied with North Carolina-Virginia (129) entering this season.

Auburn is 56-65-8 all-time against Georgia, including 12-19-2 at home.

The Tigers are looking for their first win in the series since a 40-17 win on Nov. 11, 2017, but four of the last six meetings in Jordan-Hare Stadium have been decided by one score. This year’s contest marks the first night game between the two programs at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2012. 

BY THE NUMBERS

4: Starting with the matchup at No. 11 Oklahoma on Sept. 20, Auburn is in the midst of a stretch of four games against teams ranked in the current AP Top 25 (No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 12 Georgia, No. 19 Missouri). It will mark the fourth time in the AP poll era (since 1936) the Tigers have played four straight regular season games against ranked teams and the first time since 1987.

0: Jackson Arnold hasn’t committed a turnover this season, becoming Auburn’s first starting quarterback since at least 1996 to not commit a turnover in any five-game span. Arnold has attempted 288 consecutive passes without an interception dating back to Oklahoma’s game vs Tennessee on Sept. 21, 2024.

24: Auburn is one of 14 FBS teams, including three from the SEC (LSU and Oklahoma), that has not allowed more than 24 points in any game this season. The Tigers are allowing only 16.4 points per game through five games, good for 6th in the SEC and 25th in the nation. 

18: Saturday’s game marks the 18th consecutive sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season, surpassing the previous program record (17) set from 2013-16. All seven home games for 2025 are already sold out, which will push the sellout streak to 22 games by the end of the season.