The Auburn–Georgia football rivalry is a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most o ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

game between the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs. The two teams first played each other in 1892, and the rivalry has been renewed annually since 1944 for a total of 126 games as of 2021. Because it is the oldest rivalry still contested between teams in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the w ...

, the series is referred to by both schools as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" (although the first football game played in the Deep South was Wofford vs. Furman in 1889). The series is currently the second-most played rivalry in the

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS), behind Minnesota–Wisconsin ( Paul Bunyan's Axe) and tied with North Carolina–Virginia (

South's Oldest Rivalry The South's Oldest Rivalry is the name given to the North Carolina–Virginia football rivalry. It is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the Nort ...

). The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is eight months older than the South's Oldest Rivalry, with Auburn–Georgia first meeting on February 20, 1892 and North Carolina–Virginia first meeting on October 22, 1892. The Auburn–Georgia series has been played almost continuously from the beginning, with the exception of 1893 (rematch not scheduled), 1897 (Georgia disbanded its team early in the season following the fatal on-field injury of one of its players), 1917 and 1918 (Georgia did not field teams during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fight ...

), and 1943 (Auburn did not field a team due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

). The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry and the South's Oldest Rivalry were tied from 1910–1942 until North Carolina–Virginia surpassed Auburn–Georgia in 1943 (though North Carolina–Virginia continued to trail Southern rivalry Texas–Texas A&M by two games). Conference realignments in the early 2010s ended several prominent rivalries, allowing North Carolina–Virginia (in 2014) and Auburn–Georgia (in 2015) to surpass Kansas–Missouri and Texas–Texas A&M, giving North Carolina–Virginia the undisputed lead as most-played rivalry in the South and tied with Cincinnati–Miami University ( Battle for the Bell) for the second-most played rivalry in the FBS. They would soon be joined by Auburn–Georgia in 2017 after the SEC foes played twice in the same season – once in the regular season and again in the conference championship game. The Cincinnati–Miami University matchup was cancelled in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, leaving Auburn–Georgia and North Carolina–Virginia tied for the second-most played rivalry in FBS.

Series history

The first

game between

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

and the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

was played on February 20, 1892, in

Piedmont Park Piedmont Park is an urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman' ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. The game was the brainchild of Charles Herty of Georgia and George Petrie of Auburn, the founders and first head coaches of their respective university's football teams. The two had met as graduate school classmates at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. The game was also, according to legend, when Auburn's team cheer, " War Eagle", originated, though this claim is disputed. Auburn won the game 10–0. The Tigers and Bulldogs have played each other nearly every year since. There have only been three exceptions since 1898, when

and

interrupted the series. Through the 2018 season, the rivalry is tied for the second most played college football series at 123 games, and is led by Georgia 63–56–8. When the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

split into its Eastern Division and Western Division in 1992, with Auburn placed in the west and Georgia in the east, the game was designated as the teams' annual cross-divisional rivalry game, leaving open the possibility for the two teams to meet in the SEC Championship Game. This happened for the first time in 2017, when Georgia beat Auburn 28–7 to claim their 13th SEC championship. This championship game matchup tied the rivalry with the

between

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

for the 2nd most played rivalry game in FBS football. The rivalry is historically close, with the all-time series tied as recently as the 2014 season. However, since 2006, Georgia has won 15 of the last 18 to take a seven game lead.

Game results

Notable games

1892

The two schools met in the first meeting in what is now the Deep South’s oldest college football rivalry. Auburn won the game 10–0. One Atlanta newspaper called it the “social event of the year.”

1896

Georgia won by a 12–6 score to finish its first undefeated season under

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his in ...

. For Auburn, the game featured Reynolds Tichenor's brilliant punt returns.

1899

All accounts Auburn was leading Georgia by a score of 11-6 when the game was called due to darkness, lighting not being available at that time, resulting in an official 0-0 tie. As noted by sideline reporters for The Atlanta Constitution "The conditions that appeared to make the ruling of Referee Rowbotham a necessity were such as should never have occurred on any gridiron that has the advantage of police protection. As darkness came on it was impossible in the bleachers and grand stand to distinguish the play and with no obstacle in the way the crowd surged into the field mingled with the players and made further progress a matter of impossibility." Fifteen minutes prior to the decision, Auburn coach, John Heisman, and Georgia Coach, Gordon Saussy, made an official request to call the game for the same reason. The decision was backed by Umpire Taylor. "In the decision that made the game a tie the referee was backed up by Umpire Taylor of Birmingham who, although a Just official has always been regarded by many as a friend of Auburn."

1902

Rufus Nalley dies in Atlanta after a short, serious illness. According to some, the last thing that he heard before losing consciousness on November 27, was that Georgia had beaten Auburn earlier that day, news that caused him to smile. It was the first victory for Georgia in the rivalry since the 1896 team for which Nalley played.

1916

Auburn won 3–0 in the

mud A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based or storyboarded. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash ...

on a 40-yard

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball ...

in the fourth quarter by

Moon Ducote Richard Joseph "Moon" "Duke" DuCôté ( ; August 28, 1897 – March 26, 1937) was an American baseball, football, and basketball coach, football and baseball player, football official, and businessman. He first attended Spring Hill College and ...

kicked off of teammate Legare Hairston's leather

helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

, in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

's McClung Stadium. This precipitated the rule which states the ball must be kicked directly off the ground.Loyola Director, Dick Ducote, Dies
''The Milwaukee Journal'', March 26, 1937.

1920

Georgia upset Auburn 7–0 when Auburn was fresh off a 56–6 beatdown of Vanderbilt.

1942

Georgia won the national championship with an 11–1 record, beating

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californi ...

in the 1943 Rose Bowl, Georgia's lone loss came to Auburn, falling 27–13 at Columbus's Memorial Stadium.

1959

On November 14, at

Sanford Stadium Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States (also known as UGA). The 92,746-seat stadium is the tenth-largest stadium in the NCAA. Architecturally, the stadium is ...

in Athens, as time ran short, Georgia player and future Auburn head-coach

Pat Dye Patrick Fain Dye (November 6, 1939 – June 1, 2020) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Carolina University (1974–1979), the University of Wyoming (1980), ...

recovered a fumble by Auburn quarterback Bryant Harvard. Georgia quarterback

Fran Tarkenton Francis Asbury Tarkenton (born February 3, 1940) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at ...

's touchdown pass in the final seconds gave Georgia a 14–13 victory and cost Auburn a Southeastern Conference championship. Georgia went on to claim the 1959 SEC Championship and the 1960 Orange Bowl Championship with a victory over Missouri in Miami.

1983

Again at Sanford Stadium,

celebrated his first SEC championship as Auburn's coach after the Tigers beat Georgia 13–7 on November 12. Georgia coach

Vince Dooley Vincent Joseph Dooley (September 4, 1932 – October 28, 2022) was an American college football coach. He was the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988, as well as the University of Georgia's (UGA) athletic director from 1979 to ...

, a former star Auburn quarterback, was there too on that day in 1959 as an assistant on Shug Jordan's staff.

1986

The Bulldogs visited Auburn as three-touchdown underdogs. Auburn was two wins away from the SEC Championship, with only one blemish on their record, an 18–17 setback at Florida. Georgia, deprived of starting quarterback James Jackson at the last moment due to a family funeral, staged a 20–16 upset victory. When Georgia fans stormed the field of

Jordan–Hare Stadium Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced n central Alabama dialectas ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football team. The stadium ...

and started tearing the turf from midfield and refused to leave, they were doused by sprinkler system and fire hoses. The hoses were quickly turned on the stands, soaking the Georgia marching band and fans listening to its traditional post-game performance. The incident received widespread attention and Auburn officially apologized.

1994

Georgia ended Auburn's 20-game winning streak with a 23–23 tie at Jordan-Hare. The Sunday morning headline in nearby Columbus, Ga read "UGA beats Auburn 23–23".

1996

The two teams played in the first Southeastern Conference football game to go into overtime. First-year head coach Jim Donnan's team was down 28–7 at halftime, before rallying to tie it at 28 on a 30-yard touchdown as time expired from Mike Bobo to Cory Allen, and Georgia went on to win 56–49 in four overtimes. This game was also famous for the incident in which Uga V lunged at Auburn wide receiver Robert Baker after a first-quarter touchdown.

1999

Auburn coach

Tommy Tuberville Thomas Hawley Tuberville ( ; born September 18, 1954) is an American retired college football coach and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2021. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football ...

got his first signature win, as the underdog Tigers led 31–0 at halftime and cruised to a 38–21 victory.

2001

No. 19 Georgia had a chance to force overtime after getting possession back at the Auburn 45-yard line with 1:10 remaining and no timeouts. The Bulldogs drove down to the goal line with 16 seconds left, but rather than spiking the ball to save time off the game clock, they inexplicably called for a handoff up the middle for no gain. Time expired before Georgia was trying to hurry up on offense, and the Bulldogs lost to the #24 Tigers 24–17.

2002

No. 7 Georgia traveled to #22 Auburn with a spot in the SEC Championship game and an outside chance at the national title on the line. Auburn led 14–3 at halftime, thanks to a 53-yard touchdown run from Ronnie Brown. Georgia rallied to make it 21–17 Tigers with 1:25 remaining when they faced a 4th and 15 from the Auburn 19. QB David Greene threw up a prayer, and Michael Johnson caught the pass over Auburn CB Horace Willis to come away with the improbable touchdown. Georgia defeated Auburn 24–21 to secure a spot in their first SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs defeated Arkansas 30–3 to win their first SEC Championship since 1982. The Bulldogs finished the season 13–1 with a victory over

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

in the Sugar Bowl, and a #3 final ranking.

2004

No. 8 Georgia traveled to undefeated and #3 Auburn in 2004. The Tigers were eyeing their first SEC Championship since splitting the title in 1989 (note: Auburn was on probation in 1993 and ineligible for the championship), as well as a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. The Tigers won 24–6 on their way to a 13–0 season, ending with a 16–13 victory over

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

and a No. 2 national ranking.

2006

No. 5 Auburn had hopes of playing for a National Championship after knocking off eventual champion Florida, but due in large part to the performance of free safety, Tra Battle who tied a Georgia record that day with three interceptions, one of which he returned 30 yards for a touchdown. UGA would go on to rout the Tigers 37–15, dashing their title hopes and costing Tommy Tuberville and company a shot at playing for the SEC Championship Game.

2007

The game marked the first time in the modern era that Georgia wore black jerseys. It also marked the first time that Georgia defeated Florida and Auburn in the same season since 198

and the first time that Georgia scored more than 40 points in three straight games since 1942.

2013

No. 7 Auburn hosted No. 25 Georgia in Auburn. Through the first 50 minutes of the game, Auburn had scored on seven of nine possessions with 29 first downs building a 37–17 lead. In contrast, when Georgia began their first possession of the fourth quarter they had only reached the end zone once on their previous six drives. Auburn maintained that 20-point lead until 9:35 left in the game when the momentum suddenly shifted in Georgia's favor. At that moment, Aaron Murray threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior Rantavious Wooten to cut the deficit to 13 points. In fact Murray would lead his team to three touchdowns in the span of 7:46, the final touchdown giving Georgia their first lead of the game with 1:49 remaining. With 36 seconds remaining and faced with 4th and 18 from the Tiger 26-yard line, Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, a former defensive back for the Bulldogs during the 2011 season, threw a Hail Mary pass, which was tipped by Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons into the hands of Auburn sophomore wide receiver Ricardo Louis. What has become known as " The Prayer at Jordan–Hare," the play resulted in a game-winning touchdown for the Tigers with 25 seconds to spare. Auburn went on to win the SEC Championship and later barely lost the BCS National Championship in the final seconds to Florida State. This was the first time an SEC team failed to win the BCS Championship game since the 2005 football season.

2014

The Bulldogs avenged their loss from the year before by handily beating the Tigers 34–7 in Athens. Auburn scored first and took a 7–0 lead, but the Bulldogs came back with 34 unanswered points. Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb, in his freshman season, ran the ball 19 times for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Georgia outgained the Tigers in total yards 412–292 and Auburn committed 3 turnovers in the game. The loss effectively ended the Tigers hopes for a second straight National Championship Game appearance. However, the Bulldogs would lose running back Todd Gurley to a knee injury during the game. It was later revealed that he had torn his ACL, ending his season and college career.

2017

The two teams met twice in a single season for the first time in history. The first matchup occurred on November 11 in Georgia's only regular season loss, where the #1 Bulldogs lost 40–17 at #10 Auburn. A rematch took place in the

2017 SEC Championship Game The 2017 SEC Championship Game was played on December 2, 2017 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and determined the 2017 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the first SEC Conference football championship at ...

in Atlanta, where #6 Georgia got revenge by beating #2 Auburn 28–7 and winning the SEC championship, securing a College Football Playoff spot in the process.

Family rivalry

Beyond the length of the rivalry, the schools' football histories are quite interconnected, with many individuals having played or coached at both schools. Georgia's all-time winningest head coach and long-time athletic director,

, earned both his bachelor's and master's degree at Auburn while playing football and subsequently beginning his coaching career under legendary Auburn head coach Shug Jordan. Jordan himself was an assistant football coach and head basketball coach at Georgia before returning to his alma mater. Former Auburn head coach

was a three-year letterman and All-American offensive lineman at Georgia under head coach Wally Butts. About the rivalry, Dye has said, "It's a unique thing. It's like playing against your brother. I don't think anybody who plays in that game can ever forget it. It just doesn't matter much where it's played or what somebody's record is. It's so intense and tough, but at the same time, it's family." Current Auburn associate head coach and defensive line coach Rodney Garner previously coached at Georgia for fifteen years (1998–2012). Garner and former Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels both played at Auburn under Dye. Former Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway was Auburn's offensive line coach for all of Dye's 12 seasons. Two-time former Auburn defensive coordinator

Will Muschamp William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...

and offensive line coach Hugh Nall are former Georgia players. Tracy Rocker, a

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

inductee and two-time All-American at Auburn as a defensive lineman, was a defensive line coach at Georgia from 2014–2017 after holding the same position at Auburn from 2009–2010.

References

{{Southeastern Conference football rivalry navbox College football rivalries in the United States Auburn Tigers football Georgia Bulldogs football