It’s probably fair to say that Auburn has seen enough of Georgia running back D’Andre Swift.
One year after helping the Bulldogs upend the Tigers in last year’s SEC title game, Swift did another number on No. 24 Auburn Saturday night, sparking No. 5 Georgia to a 27-10 win.
"Just by the grace of God, I've been able to do what I've done," Swift said after the game. "I definitely feel like I'm getting better."
The Tigers won't argue with that. Last season, a 64-yard touchdown run by Swift helped punctuate the Bulldogs’ 28-7 win with a 64-yard touchdown run. Saturday he did it again, ripping off a 78-yard scoring jaunt early in the fourth quarter. It broke open what was still a manageable game for the Tigers (6-4, 3-4).
Swift finished the game with 17 carries for a career-high 186 yards, the third straight game in which the Philadelphia native surpassed 100 yards.
"If we feed him, he does well," head coach Kirby Smart said. "He's got a great offensive line in front of him, he's explosive, and he makes guys miss on the second level. The wideouts deserves credit for some big-time blocking downfield, too."
The win enabled No. 5 Georgia to improve to 9-1 overall, 7-1 in the SEC. The Bulldogs, who will play No. 1 Alabama on Dec. 1 in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, still control their own destiny for a return trip to the College Football Playoffs.
Swift wasn’t the only Bulldog making some offensive noise. Fellow back Elijah Holyfield had 15 rushes for 93 yards, as Georgia went over 300 yards on the ground for the second straight week.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jake Fromm enjoyed another solid game, completing 13 of 20 passes for 193 yard and two touchdowns, while Rodrigo Blankenship converted a pair of field goals.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held the Tigers to 274 yards, just 102 coming on the ground. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham had a so-so evening, completing 23 of 33 passes for 160 yards and zero touchdowns.
"Georgia is a complete team. They out-played us in all phases," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was a disappointing loss. I thought we'd play better, and we didn't."
It took Georgia’s offense a while to get on track.
The Bulldogs trailed for most of the first half until Fromm hit Tyler Simmons with a 14-yard pass with 2:38 left in the second quarter for a 13-10 lead.
Georgia’s defense made sure the offense got one more chance, forcing a quick three-and-out which allowed the Bulldogs to add one more score, this one coming on a 38-yard pass from Fromm to Terry Godwin on a fourth-and-4 call.
This came after Auburn bounced back from an early 3-0 deficit, driving 75 yards on its next possession, capped by a 9-yard halfback pass from JaTarvious Whitlow to John Samuel Shenker.
Blankenship’s second field goal, a 20-yarder early in the second quarter, narrowed the lead to 7-6 before Auburn kicker Anders Carlson connected from 26 yards out to extend the margin to 10-6.
"We didn't know how well they'd be able to run the ball, and we thought we couldn't give up big plays," Smart said. "We played that way. We were a little confused early, and I think when you play these guys, traditionally, you survive the first script, and the first three or four drives with Gus. You make adjustments and you go play. We didn't play really well early, and it was sloppy. But our offense did possess the ball in the first half for what seemed like an eternity. We played better the second half defensively."
