For the 127th time, Georgia will be squaring off against Auburn. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry started back to 1892 when Auburn defeated Georgia 10-0 in Atlanta. It was Georgia’s second-ever game and Auburn’s first. Strangely enough, the game was played on February 20 and is Georgia’s only February game. Since then, the game has been played every year since 1898, except for certain war years: 1917, 1918, and 1943.

Georgia holds a 62-56-8 lead in the series, which has been played in Atlanta, Macon, Montgomery, Savannah, Columbus, Auburn, and Athens. The Bulldogs have won the last five meetings overall. It is the first five-game series win streak by the Dawgs since winning five in a row from 1944 to 1948. Georgia has only one streak longer against Auburn: The Dawgs won nine straight from 1923 to 1931. Overall, the 62 wins over Auburn is the second most over any opponent in team history.

While Georgia has the series lead, it's Auburn that has won the most decades, But the Dawgs have certainly turned that around by winning 16 of the last 21 overall.

Kirby Smart was just 2-2 against Auburn as a player. He did have an interception against the Tigers in 1998. It was the 12th of his 13 career interceptions, and it came against Gabe Gross. Gross, a former first round draft pick in baseball played seven seasons in the majors for four different teams.

Smart has fared differently against Auburn as a head coach. He is 6-1 against them, and for the most part, the games have not been close.

Georgia has held Auburn to an average of 56 yards rushing per game over its last three meetings (1.9 yards per rush).

Georgia is seventh in the SEC, averaging 178.6 yards per game on the ground. Last season, the Bulldogs averaged 190.9 ypg. The Dawgs struggled last week against Missouri, but came on strong at the end. Here is how the Bulldogs fared against Mizzou quarter-by-quarter.

In terms of quarters, here is the update on how each of the main four running backs are doing this season.

Georgia is tied for eighth in the nation with six different players scoring a rushing touchdown this season. Three have been running backs while a Bulldog quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end have scored on the ground as well.

Kenny McIntosh has scored two on the ground this season. He also has 915 career rush yards and needs 85 more to reach the 1,000 mark.

McIntosh has made a name for himself receiving the ball. He currently leads the Bulldogs with 22 receptions. He had 22 receptions last season. The 22 this season is by the far the most by a Georgia running back through its first five games over the past 30 seasons.

Georgia is currently tied for first in the FBS with 20 different players who have at least one reception this season. Michigan and Tulane also have 20.

The Bulldogs are also tied for second in the nation with three players with at least 20 receptions (McIntosh, Brock Bowers, and Ladd McConkey). Strangely enough, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M don’t have any players with 20 or more receptions this season.

Bowers leads all tight ends in the nation with 342 yards receiving this season (last season, he was third with 882). Fellow teammate Darnell Washington is not far behind with 184 yards.

In terms of total scrimmage yards, Bowers is far away the best tight end and it is not that close.

Bowers also needs one more receiving touchdown to be tied for eighth on Georgia’s all-time list.

Stetson Bennett did not have his best game last week. He completed a season-low 54.5 percent of his passes (24-for-44), but was 7-for-9 passing in the fourth quarter. He also did not throw a touchdown for the second consecutive game, nor did he have a rushing touchdown for the first time this season. He did throw for 312 yards. It was the third time this season that he has thrown for 300 or more yards. He had two games of 300 or more yards entering this season. Bennett’s total of 1,536 yards passing is 11th in the nation. That total is the second highest by a Georgia player through five games.

Bennett’s record as a starting quarterback for the Dawgs is 19-3. His first career start came in 2020 against the No. 7 Auburn Tigers. He was 17-for-28 in that game throwing for 240 yards and a touchdown in a 27-6 victory.

Defensively, Georgia allowed 22 points last week. It was the second straight game allowing that many. The last time the Dawgs allowed 20 or more points in back-to-back games was in 2020, when they allowed that many to both Florida and Mississippi State. Georgia allowed 20 or more points just once last season. They are still fourth this season in the nation and first in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 10.8 points a game.

The Bulldogs also struggled in the red zone. The Dawgs scored on all five of their red zone appearances, but scored a touchdown in just two of them. Jack Podlesny came through again as he connected on four field goals altogether which tied a career-high. He leads all kickers this season with 58 points and is second in field goals made with 12. In terms of career field goals, his 47 is now ninth all-time in Georgia history.