Malzahn and Tigers upset about overturned call

Following No. 4 Georgia’s 21-14 victory over No. 13 Auburn, the Tigers’ head coach Gus Malzahn and a few of his players met with the media to discuss their loss in the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.”

…Malzahn was especially proud of his players—how they stormed back in the final quarter after trailing 21-0, to be within striking distance of at least tying Georgia. However, after scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives, following its first 11 possessions resulting in no points, Auburn turned the ball over on downs the final two times it had the ball.

“We really had some chances,” Malzahn said. “But, we had some very inopportune things happen against us that were very tough.”

…Perhaps the most “inopportune thing” occurred with just over three minutes remaining in the game, Auburn trailing, 21-14, facing second-and-seven from Georgia’s 39-yard line.

Quarterback Bo Nix passed to Seth Williams for 17 yards near the Bulldogs’ sideline at the 22-yard line. Williams dragged his foot before going out of bounds, and the play was initially ruled a catch. However, the reception was reviewed, and it was ruled that Williams did not have complete control of the ball while he was still in bounds.

“Everybody saw it was a catch, but [the officials] took it away from me,” said Williams, who finished with 13 receptions for 121 yards. “I’m not going to be mad about it. That wasn’t a crucial part of the game. Still, we had more chances than that. It was a catch. I think it was a catch.”

…The most disappointed and puzzled individual on the Auburn team in regard to the overturned call was Malzahn.

“We had the momentum. The crowd was really into it,” said Malzahn, who is 0-5 against SEC East teams since defeating Georgia at Auburn in 2017. “We got down to the 22-yard line [before the play was overturned]. We thought we had a completion. They overturned it; it looked like an NFL catch to me. That was a tough one—real tough one.”

…After the play was overturned, Nix scrambled for five yards on third down. On fourth-and-two, the freshman quarterback threw behind a wide-open Harold Joiner, who couldn't quite hang on to the errant throw.

“[Georgia has] a really good defense, and they really showed that early,” said Nix, who completed 30 of 50 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. “But once we got in a rhythm in the fourth quarter, we finally started to move the ball. But props to [Georgia]. They have a really good defense—one of the better ones we’ve seen.”

…Although Georgia’s defense seemed to wilt as the final quarter wore on, in the end, it made decisive plays when it had to.

“We got some hurt guys right now in that locker room,” Malzahn said. “Give [Georgia] some credit. They’re a very talented team. We knew that coming in. Not feeling real great right now.”