If you reflect back to most memorable wins in Georgia’s football history, there is at least some element of expecting success. No, that is not to say you expected the 2001 win at Tennessee with no doubt going in, that the 2007 Florida win was zero shock. You at least in those instances felt this team had some semblance of having a chance going in. Even the National Title win over Alabama with many experts nationally discounting Georgia’s chances had some degree of thinking Georgia had a shot.
That
is what made the 2006 win at Auburn different. That season began as a transition year in Athens with Matthew Stafford eventually taking over the starting quarterback job, and with four losses in five games around the season’s midpoint, that’s about where things sat for the Dawgs. And with six wins, Georgia was barely bowl eligible, prospects unlikely to improve with Auburn, a team with BCS aspirations and outside national title hopes coming up, as well as Georgia Tech.
It’s safe to say, few stay coming what would happen that day on The Plains. By the time it was all over, one of the most stunning results of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry had unfolded. This game did not have the lead-up as other Georgia-Auburn games. With apologies to The Three Daves, this game was so discounted, it was the 12:30 EST Jefferson-Pilot game,
Stafford had shown lots of promise to that point, but also growing pains. On this day, Stafford looked like the seasoned veteran and Auburn’s Brandon Cox looking like the green newcomer overwhelmed. That, of course, came courtesy of one of Georgia’s best walk-on to standout stories in safety Tra Battle, who picked off Cox three times in the first half alone, one of which was returned for a touchdown. It was redemption for Battle, whose getting lost on defense late in the 2005 game in Athens allowed Auburn to get the win. That, by the way, is the Tigers’ last win in Sanford Stadium for those keeping up with such things.
Georgia did not just win this game – it was a no-doubter with the Dawgs up 30-7 at halftime. In the end, Stafford passed for 219 yards and Kregg Lumpkin ran for over 100 yards against one of the nations top-15 defense. It was costly for Auburn, too. It not only dashed its scant national title hopes, but it also took the Tigers out of both BCS Bowl contention and handed the SEC West title to Arkansas.
Go Dawgs!
