AUBURN, Ala. _ Perhaps Georgia was due for a game like this one. Maybe we should have seen this coming. We certainly hadn't seen it before Saturday, when the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs fell to Auburn, 40-17, before a raucous crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It's cliche to say everything that could have gone wrong did, but it rang true Saturday. One of the least penalized teams in the SEC, Georgia exceeded its season average for penalty yards (53.4) in the first half and was flagged for four personal fouls, and most of them were killers. Able to run on everybody, the Bulldogs couldn't run a lick on Auburn. They muffed punts and missed field goals. Quarterback Jake Fromm missed open receivers, his receivers dropped passes, and Fromm was sacked _ a bunch.
Add it all up and Georgia (9-1, 6-1 SEC) went from not trailing in a game since Week 2 to getting blown out Week 11.
The only good news is it doesn't necessarily spell gloom for the Bulldogs' season. They're still holding a ticket to the SEC Championship Game. If they can win out against Kentucky and Georgia Tech, then beat whomever they meet in the SEC title game _ it could be Alabama or Auburn _ then the Bulldogs are still in the College Football Playoff.
But Georgia looked like anything but a championship team Saturday. Give No. 10-ranked Auburn (8-2, 6-1) credit for much of that. The Bulldogs were held to a season-low rushing total (46 yards) and likewise couldn't keep Fromm upright long enough to complete many passes.
Still, Georgia did a lot to hurt itself. Trailing 9-7 in the second quarter, the Bulldogs forced a three-and-out and were poised to take over on a short field. Instead, D'Andre Walker was flagged for a personal foul for leaping in his attempt to block the punt. Three plays later, Auburn scored on a 43-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton.
Leading 7-6 midway through the second quarter, a late hit out of bounds by Malkom Parrish set up Auburn's go-ahead field goal. The Bulldogs hadn't trailed since the Notre Dame game on Sept. 9 before that. Having given up six points all season in the third quarter, they allowed 14 on Saturday.
It was that kind of night for Georgia. Most disappointing was the Bulldogs' disposition and body language late in the game. The fight and energy that has been apparent all season was missing after Georgia got down three scores in the third quarter. The Bulldogs wouldn't threaten again.
Auburn's Gus Malzahn, a long and tortured victim of Georgia's recent dominance in the series, didn't win over any UGA fans. He called a throw-back screen pass for Kerryon Johnson who turned it into 55-yard touchdown with 6:13 left in the game and the outcome long decided.
Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham finished 16 for 23 for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson rushed for 167 yards on 32 carries, and hauled in two receptions for 66 yards.
The Georgia running game was bottled up. Nick Chubb ran for 27 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Sony Michel rushed nine times for 21 yards.
