ATHENS, Ga. — Fifth-ranked Georgia bounced back from its first regular-season loss in almost four years — and got an added bonus after the football game at Sanford Stadium was over.
Trevor Etienne ran for two touchdowns, Carson Beck threw a pair of scoring passes, and the Bulldogs wore down struggling Auburn for a 31-13 victory on a sweltering Saturday between the hedges.
About a half-hour after Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) made it eight straight wins in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, No. 1 Alabama — the team that dealt the Bulldogs a gut-wrenching 41-34 loss in Tuscaloosa one week earlier, when Georgia was No. 2 — was stunningly upset by Vanderbilt, 40-35.
There were cheers throughout the home of the Bulldogs and the surrounding parking lots as Georgia fans celebrated an improbable result in Nashville that boosted their team’s prospects in the league title race.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart was later that usual for his postgame news conference, finally turning up right after Vanderbilt had sealed its historic triumph.