Auburn?UGAly game article

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Auburn notes

Thursday, November 10, 2005

No. 15 AUBURN (7-2, 5-1) at No. 9 GEORGIA (7-1, 5-1) 6:45 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga. -- LINE: Georgia by 3

-- SERIES: Auburn leads 52-48-8.

-- GAME WITHIN THE GAME: Auburn's secondary had a rough day last week in Kentucky, largely because CB David Irons sat out most of the day with the flu. Beyond the two veterans -- Irons and safety Will Herring -- Auburn has no proven and reliable defensive backs. That could spell trouble against the Bulldogs.

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-- STAT OF THE WEEK: Auburn and Georgia have played three common opponents -- Arkansas, Mississippi State and South Carolina. The Tigers outscored the three teams by 86 points. The Bulldogs swept the trio by 18 points.

-- GAME NOTES: The teams are meeting for the 109th time in the seventh-most played rivalry in major college football. ... In meetings where both teams have been ranked, Auburn has a 6-2 record as the lower-rated team. ... The visiting team has a 29-18-2 record on its opponent's home field. ... Auburn is 17-9 in Athens. ... A win would clinch a spot in the SEC Championship Game for Georgia. ... Auburn has a 25-15-1 record vs. the SEC East. Georgia has a 26-14-1 record vs. the SEC West. ... Auburn leads the SEC in scoring and total offense. ... No opposing offense has scored 30 points against Georgia since Mark Richt has been coach. ... If Auburn maintains its current average of 435.4 yards per game, this year's squad would be the third-most prolific in school history. ... Nationally, Auburn ranks fourth in scoring defense and ninth in total defense, and Georgia ranks fifth in scoring defense and eighth in total defense. ... Auburn's Leon Hart is the SEC offensive lineman of the week. ... Georgia has given up 12 sacks, fewest in the SEC. ... Auburn RB Kenny Irons leads the SEC with 10 rushing TDs. ... Georgia had an open date last week. ... Auburn has clinched its sixth consecutive winning conference record for the first time since 1960. ... Auburn has three backs (Irons, Tristan Davis and Brad Lester) with runs of at least 70 yards for the first time in school history. ... Compared to last year's undefeated team after nine games, this year's Tigers have more total yards, first downs and rushing yards. ... Auburn OT Marcus McNeill has not allowed a sack in 39 straight games. ... Auburn QB Brandon Cox has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of the past five games, two short of the school record. ... Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville's next SEC win will be his 50th.

-- QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We won. A lot of people don't understand. We came out with a 'W'. As long as we didn't lose, I'm all right. We've got to focus on Georgia now."

-- Auburn LB Travis Williams on whether the team was disappointed with its performance at Kentucky