If Georgia still had hopes of overcoming No. 10 Auburn in the fourth quarter, Kerryon Johnson ended them with 6:13 left to play.
Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham dropped back to pass, looking right, then turned left and hit a wide-open Johnson, who ran with a convoy 55 yards for the touchdown. That score made it 40-10 Auburn, and made it clear these Tigers won’t just play for an SEC West title.
If they keep winning, they’re playing in the College Football Playoff.
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At the very least, Auburn deserves to be in that conversation. How could you deny that after watching the Tigers maul the Bulldogs in every phase of the game in a 40-17 win on Saturday?
On offense, Stidham completed 16 of 23 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson looked like the best running back on the field — and the SEC — by rushing for 167 yards on 32 carries and catching two passes for 66 yards and a score.
Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb passed Bo Jackson on the SEC’s all-time leading rushers list with 14 yards in the first quarter. He proceeded to get 13 yards the rest of the game. Georgia went 70 yards on its game-opening touchdown drive. Auburn only gave up 160 more, bottling up Chubb and Sony Michel and harassing quarterback Jake Fromm with four sacks and a lot more quarterback pressure.
Even on special teams, the Tigers made the most of Georgia mistakes (a muffed punt from Mecole Hardman led to an Auburn touchdown).
It didn’t stop with Auburn’s starters, either. Freshman quarterback Malik Williams hit fellow freshman Marquis McClain for a 37-yard gain with just two minutes remaining in the game. Even after the game was well in hand, Auburn kept their foot planted firmly on Georgia’s throat. It left no doubt as to who was the better team.
And remember, this all came against the No. 1-ranked team in the country.
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“I’m very happy with our team,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. “We’re playing really good football right now. What did we hold them to? Forty-six yards in the fourth quarter? Happy with our defense, we rushed for 237 (yards). I couldn’t be happier.”
And why wouldn’t he be? Auburn just put itself in great position heading into the rest of the season. Not only does this win make the Iron Bowl the de facto SEC West championship game, it gives the Tigers the chance to add another win against top-ranked team to its playoff resume.
Win that game, and the conference championship rematch against Georgia decides which SEC team makes the playoff.
Auburn is playing the SEC’s best football right now, and it’s not particularly close. Since losing to 27-23 against LSU, the Tigers have outscored their next three opponents 134-64. Auburn is peaking at the right moment, just in time for Alabama’s trip to The Plains. And we all remember the last time those teams played for the right to make the SEC championship.
Apart from that, the Tigers should have every reason to be confident heading into that game. Georgia’s team is built in the image of the Tide: Establish the run game, let your quarterback manage the game and use a swarming defense to suffocate opposing offenses. None of that worked against the Tigers.
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Alabama is having its own struggles in recent weeks as well, particularly on defense, which is down four players after Shaun Dion Hamilton and Mack Wilson were lost for the season against LSU. Is it too early to wonder what a depleted Tide defense would look like against an Auburn offense that gashed Georgia for 488 yards?
Regardless, Auburn should be the highest-ranked two-loss team in the country when the latest playoff rankings are released on Tuesday. What amounts to a bye week for Alabama and Auburn next week then sets up another monumental game in the Iron Bowl.
That’s what happens when you throttle Georgia. If the Tigers keep playing like they are now, the might have a shot to do it again.
