Georgia spoils Auburn's hopes of winning SEC West [photos]

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart reacts as he leaves the field after defeating Auburn 13-7 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart reacts as he leaves the field after defeating Auburn 13-7 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

ATHENS, Ga. - An Iron Bowl to determine the Southeastern Conference's Western Division champion was scratched Saturday when the Auburn Tigers failed to tame their longstanding rival from the East.

Georgia, which has experienced its share of growing pains and inconsistencies in Kirby Smart's first season, smothered the No. 9 Tigers 13-7 inside a frenzied Sanford Stadium for its biggest win of the year. The Bulldogs improved to 6-4 overall, clinching bowl eligibility for a 20th consecutive season, and completed their league schedule at 4-4, but they also notched their first marquee triumph of the Smart era from which to build.

"This does wonders for the program, the university and recruiting," Smart said. "It gives our kids something that they can hang their hat on."

Auburn, meanwhile, dropped to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in league play, thus assuring undefeated Alabama of representing the West for a third consecutive year. The Tigers played without 1,000-yard rusher Kamryn Pettway, and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said afterward that starting quarterback Sean White had not thrown a ball in practice in two weeks.

The Bulldogs failed to score an offensive touchdown, reaching the end zone on Maurice Smith's 34-yard interception return of White early in the third quarter, but dominated the game from every statistical angle. Georgia amassed 343 total yards while holding Auburn to just 164, and the Bulldogs racked up an astounding 39 minutes and nine seconds of possession time.

In a lopsided second half in which the Bulldogs held the Tigers without a first down, Georgia had the ball for 22 minutes and 54 seconds.

"From start to finish, this was the best defensive game we've played," Bulldogs outside linebacker Davin Bellamy said. "We've had some great defensive games earlier this season, but some of them were for two or three quarters. We had one game that we played well until the final four seconds, but we put it all together for all four quarters.

"Coach Smart has played these guys a lot, and he brought a lot of knowledge over from Alabama."

The Bulldogs were double-digit underdogs at home for the first time in 20 years, but they controlled the game on both sides of the ball. Though his offense only managed two Rodrigo Blankenship field goals, Smart was quick to praise a unit that went three-and-out just twice all game.

"Our defense got to rest, and going into this game, that was my main concern," Smart said. "Even though we didn't score a lot, we possessed the ball, and that is huge for a defense when you play Auburn, because they are at their best when they get rolling. When they don't get rolling, that's when they struggle.

"Everybody wants to criticize our offensive line, but they played hard. They're smart kids. They play with toughness, and they do the things we ask. I'm proud of them."

Blankenship, who made four field goals in last week's 27-24 win at Kentucky, including a 25-yarder as time expired, gave the Bulldogs their first lead Saturday with a 45-yard kick with 13:44 remaining. He was short on a 49-yard try with 10:21 left, when a false-start penalty on Greg Pyke backed up the kick.

A week that began with Blankenship becoming a cult hero for wearing his helmet during a postgame interview in Lexington, Ky., on the SEC Network continued with more good fortune, as the walk-on has made 11 of his last 12 attempts.

"I want to be as humble as I possibly can," Blankenship said. "It's nice to have attention and to have support, but at the end of the day, I have to lock in on making as many kicks as I can. It's been wild and it's been fun, but I always need to get back to basics."

Georgia was its own worst enemy in the first half, when the Bulldogs held a 161-132 advantage in total yardage but trailed 7-0. They had a 40-yard pass from Jacob Eason to Javon Wims to Auburn's 17-yard line on their opening possession negated by a holding penalty on left tackle Tyler Catalina, and their second drive ended when receiver Terry Godwin threw a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Tray Matthews.

The interception by Godwin spoiled a 57-yard strike from Eason to Riley Ridley to Auburn's 15.

"I knew that Michael Chigbu had a corner route and that he was supposed to get it, but there was a pass interference that they didn't call," Godwin said. "I just tried to throw it out of bounds, but I didn't throw it far enough."

Auburn then marched 80 yards in 15 plays and consumed more than six minutes of possession time, taking a 7-0 lead when tailback Kerryon Johnson scored from 3 yards out on a direct snap. Johnson had eight carries for 32 yards on that drive and finished the half with 15 rushes for 74 yards.

Georgia will remain at home these next two weeks against Louisiana-Lafayette and Georgia Tech.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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