The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs hosted rival Auburn Tigers in Athens, Georgia, in a major SEC battle. Georgia would come into this game fresh off of a massive win versus the Alabama Crimson Tide last weekend. Many fans have been worried throughout the week that the Bulldogs would be wore out mentally and physically from last weeks game. That could have been the case, it's clear the Bulldogs made too many mistakes and didn't play as consistent as they have all season.
The Bulldogs came out early and jumped on Auburn with a 14-0 lead, looking like they were going to cruise through the contest at home. Auburn came in with other plans and once they adjusted, they really never looked back from that point on.
The loss for the Bulldogs represents one of the biggest
shake ups in the history of college football and making it the first time in 36 years that an unranked opponent defeated a No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll in back-to-back weeks. The Bulldogs 53-game winning streak versus unranked opponents was broken by the Auburn Tigers.
Kirby Smart reacts to loss to Auburn
The talk around will revolve around the No. 1 team in the country falling to an unranked team in Auburn. However, Kirby understands the loss isn't considered acceptable but it's also not the end of their season. Smart understands that the Bulldogs still control their own destiny when it comes to accomplishing their goals.
Kirby Smart knows it's important not to beat themselves but he also credits the Auburn team for the way they played against his Bulldogs.
"Tough one, we like to say the Dawgs don't beat the Dawgs but they found a way to beat themselves today... humility is a week away. Auburn played better than us today, executed better than us today... We had some really untimely, uncharacteristic penalties," Smart said.
"Everything we want to do is in front of us. I know it's a big deal to other people but it's just another game to me." Smart said.
Georgia will certainly have to clean up a lot of things following the loss to Auburn but they still have a good view ahead of them to accomplish the goals they have set out for the team.
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton showcased a lot of what he put on the field last week against the Crimson Tide a week ago, just not as consistent and add that with quite a few more mistakes. Stockton has played spectacular all season long and it's clear he would like to have some of those plays back against Auburn but all he can do from here is grow from them and if one knows how smart Stockton is, he will figure it out.
Gunner Stockton reacts to Bulldogs loss
Gunner Stockton was 22 of 34 for 272 passing yards and two touchdowns. Stockton also had two interceptions and a crucial fumble toward the end of the game. The fumble from Stockton was a run from Auburn's 46-yard line with just 58 seconds remaining while the game was still tied at 24 a piece. Auburn would then take over and some plays later, the Tigers kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired in Athens.
Stockton reacted to the crucial fumble that gave Auburn the chance to seal the win on a drive that led to the game-winning field goal.
Stockton stated, "Just got to protect the ball and at the end of the day, ball security is everybody's livelihood, just got to protect the ball."
If anyone cleans up mistakes, it's Gunner Stockton. Stockton has a winners mentality and has a strong work ethic. If you are a Georgia Bulldogs fan, you can be comfortable with who your quarterback and leader of the team is moving forward.
The Bulldogs are on a much needed bye week coming up but will take on the Florida Gators in a huge rivalry matchup on Saturday, October 31. Kickoff will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: No. 1 Georgia football reacts to stunning upset loss to Auburn
