SEC shorts explain how October is a better month than November to host the Auburn-Georgia rivalry game (1:26)
ATHENS, Georgia – The Mailman delivered for Georgia in their first college start, teaming up with a dominant defense to lead the Bulldogs to a revealing victory in the opening Top 10 game of the college football season
Stetson Bennett threw for 240 yards and a touchdown, solidifying his grip on the quarterback as a No 4 Georgia passed the No 7 Auburn 27-6 on Saturday night
The Bulldogs (2-0) buried Auburn (1-1) with a 24-0 first-half blitz, securing a pair of one-yard touchdown runs from Zamir White to extend their dominance over the oldest rivalry in the deep south
« It’s so easy to play football, » he said, « when the defense plays as well as they did, when you run the ball as well as we did. , and the guys on the outside playing games like them, «
Even with a catchy nickname, which he chose during his high school days after wearing a US Postal Service Cap in an attempt to get noticed, Bennett was never considered a starting candidate for the Bulldogs.
He first walked to Georgia, left for junior college in hopes of increasing his chances of playing elsewhere, and only returned to the Bulldogs last season when they desperately needed a experienced replacement behind Jake Fromm
Over the summer Bennett was way down the depth chart Jamie Newman and JT Daniels were transfers that had started at other schools D’Wan Mathis, a Redshirt rookie, was seen as a talented prospect
Even when Newman opted out of the season, Bennett had to take photos with the third team
« He came to me and asked me where he was and why he wasn’t getting snaps anymore, » said trainer Kirby Smart « But he didn’t cry about it, he didn’t leave or transfer, he didn’t call his parents He just kept working and working and working When he got an opportunity, he took advantage of it «
After Mathis struggled in the season opener in Arkansas and Daniels was still not cleared to play after major knee surgery, Bennett threw a pair of touchdown passes that sparked the victory 37-10 Bulldogs
The opportunity might have been a long time coming, but Bennett certainly took advantage of it in front of a socially distant crowd of 20,524 at Sanford Stadium
« My goal has always been to start here, » said the fourth-year junior « That’s why I came here in the first place »
Bennett made no major mistakes with 17 of 28 effective passes, including a 21-yard touchdown against George Pickens
Auburn was limited to two field goals The offense just never got behind Bo Nix, who completed just 21 of 40 passes for 177 yards The running game did not at all assisted, held to 39 yards and a 1Average 8 yards per carry
Nix’s streak of 251 consecutive non-intercepting passes was snapped with a third quarter pick by Mark Webb, ending college football’s second longest active streak behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence
« They played about as well as they could play, and we played the worst we could play, and it showed on the pitch, » Nix said. « We just got beaten «
The teams had traditionally played in November, but a revamped Southeast Conference schedule during this pandemic-stricken season moved the game to Week 2 It was their first meeting since the very first series match in February 1892
Regardless of the time of year, Georgia kept the upper hand with a fourth straight win over Auburn The Bulldogs have won 13 of the last 16 games
Auburn: Coach Gus Malzahn is sure to face further criticism after his offense turns into another miserable performance against the Bulldogs The Tigers have scored a total of 37 points in the last four games of the series
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“They won the line of scrimmage,” said Malzahn “We were really whipped in all three phases. We passed each other”
Georgia: Smart was set to play multiple quarterbacks against Auburn, but that wasn’t necessary with Bennett’s performance
The Mailman is quickly becoming one of college football’s wellness stories in 2020, though Smart won’t hesitate to turn to Mathis or Daniels if the offense gets bogged down
“Stetson needs to get better We need to improve,” said Smart “But he’s not one of those kids who thinks he’s arrived I’m sure he’ll be back here to work to get better. next week «
Auburn’s Smoke Monday threw in for a hit over Jackson in the first quarter Georgian star Richard LeCounte got the boot in the second period for a helmet-to-helmet collision with Auburn wide receiver Shedrick Jackson
After running for 41 yards on five carries, Georgian running back James Cook left the game in the second quarter with an injured right shoulder Smart played down the injury, saying Cook could have returned to the game if needed
Auburn welcomes Arkansas (1-1) to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday The Razorbacks will come out of an upset 21-14 of No 16 Mississippi State
LSU’s lead extended to 34-7 as Myles Brennan executes chip flicker and completes a pass to J against Kirklin to score a 29-yard touchdown
After losing Week 1 to MS State, the No 20 Tigers regain confidence with a much needed 41-7 rout against Vanderbilt
No 21 Tennessee extends SEC’s longest active winning streak to eight games after big win over Mizzou 35-12 and 105 yards rushing from Eric Gray
Rebel quarterback Matt Corral throws for 320 yards and four touchdowns en route to a thrilling 42-41 win over Kentucky in overtime
Miami enters the top 10 without playing a snap on Saturday, as Crimson Tide’s dominance over Texas A&M puts them past the Tigers
After Lane Kiffin says Matt Corral deserves a game ball for his game in Kentucky win, Corral reveals intention to pass it on to his offensive line
Georgia vs Auburn
World News – United States – Auburn vs Georgia – Game Recap – October 3, 2020 – ESPN
