Playing against the same team twice made the difference for a Georgia victory.
In its 28-7 win over Auburn, Georgia rushed for 238 yards in addition to 183 through the air. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Nick Chubb combined for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs.
Chubb and Sony Michel, both of whom Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn noted as a focus for the Tigers, combined for 48 yards in Georgia’s trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium three weeks earlier.
“They just physically whipped us up front,” defensive back Tray Matthews said. “If your team rushes for 200 yards, you’re going to win the game.”
While Auburn initially put its focus on the Bulldog running-back tandem at Jordan-Hare, which was successful in its 40-17 win, Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm complemented the trio’s absence with efficiency in Atlanta.
Fromm completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts (72 percent) for 183 yards and two touchdowns. In the loss at Auburn, Fromm went 13-for-28 (46 percent) for 184 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Fromm delivered at the right moment.
“He makes a lot of decisions to put these guys in the right play,” Smart said. “And Jake is kind of the mailman. He’s the deliverer of the package. He does a good job of that.”
In addition to Fromm’s championship performance, Auburn defensive back Carlton Davis and linebacker Tre’ Williams left the game with injuries. Neither returned in the loss.
Both Malzahn and Matthews said that Georgia did not change their game plan from the pair’s first meeting.
“They didn’t really do too much, anything different than they did the first time,” Matthews said. “They just ran a little more on the perimeter.”
Despite the loss, Matthews earned his first career sack early in the first quarter.
The Auburn defense allowed speed to take control of the game, with several Georgia players taking advantage of the space presented to them on the perimeter. Swift’s 64-yard touchdown with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, which included missed tackles by Auburn, put the Tigers in a 21-point deficit.
No team in SEC Championship history has ever come back from a deficit of more than 13 points to win.
“They’ve got a very good team,” Malzahn said. “They flipped the script on us from the last game, did exactly what we did the first game.”
After five straight victories following a loss to LSU, quarterback Jarrett Stidham says that, despite a loss in the SEC Championship, Auburn has a lot to look forward to.
“Losing to LSU that way and combing back and winning five straight and beating two number ones in three weeks and setting ourselves up for an SEC Championship, I think that’s a lot to be proud of,” he said.
With a win in its conference championship, Auburn was expected to make a run into the College Football Playoff. Now, following a loss to the Bulldogs, Malzahn hopes to build off of the late success the Tigers have had.
“I think our future is very bright,” he said. “I believe we’re going to be back. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re back in this moment next year.”
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