Link to Article in The Red & Black
Olivia Sayer
UGA fans cheer on the football team during the second half of a NCAA college football game between Georgia and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Georgia won 27-20. (Photo/Landen Todd @whats_landophoto)
A wave of electricity ran through the crowd at Sanford Stadium. As the fourth quarter began, Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” blared through the overhead speakers, eliciting an eruption from the 92,746 fans decked out in all black.
The 2007 ‘blackout game’ marks just one of many memorable moments embedded within the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.’’
The rivalry between Georgia and Auburn began in 1892 when Auburn professor George Petrie was asked to referee Georgia football’s inaugural game against Mercer. Petrie, who was the head coach of the Tigers at the time, sent one of his players to officiate and in turn asked if the Bulldogs would play his team at Piedmont Park.
Georgia head coach Charles Herty agreed, and on Feb. 20, 1892, the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” began. For just 50 cents a ticket, fans watched as Auburn, who at the time was known as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama, earned a 10-0 victory.
Since that game, the Bulldogs and Tigers have met 127 times, making it one of the most played rivalries in college football. However, what used to be a back-and-forth battle has recently turned one-sided.
The Bulldogs slightly lead the series 64-56-8 but currently own a seven-game winning streak against the Tigers. Georgia has also won nine of the last 10 contests and has not lost to Auburn in Sanford Stadium since 2005.
Despite the Bulldogs’ recent dominance, the rivalry is filled with unforgettable moments that are now displayed in photographs and record books.
One of the most iconic moments came in the 100th matchup. Georgia won 56-49 in what was the SEC’s first overtime game, but it was the Bulldogs’ mascot that stole the show.
After Auburn wide receiver Robert Baker found the endzone, the cute but feisty Uga attempted to bite him. The motion caused Baker to leap back, creating a photograph that can now be found in many households.
“The noise scared the dog and startled it,” sideline handler Charles Seiler told ESPN. “Bulldogs are kind of bred to run and catch things. And, in a playful way, I think the dog turned around, and there was this big guy coming his way, and so he lunged out at him.”
Seiler, whose family owns the line of Bulldog mascots, said it was a good thing he secured Uga’s leash because, if not, the bulldog would have “lit [Baker] up.”
Georgia is no stranger to the noise associated with Jordan-Hare Stadium, as showcased in one of the most jaw-dropping plays in the history of college football.
With Auburn leading by 20 and less than 10 minutes to go, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray orchestrated three near-perfect drives to give the Bulldogs a one-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
On a fourth-and-18 situation, the Tigers heaved the ball down the field in desperation. Instead of deflecting the pass, Georgia defenders Tray Matthews and Josh Harvey-Clemons attempted to intercept it. As a result, the ball bounced off them and into the hands of Auburn wide receiver Ricardo Louis for a 73-yard touchdown. Matthews later transferred to Auburn.
The play was coined “the Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and remains one of the most prominent moments in the Georgia-Auburn rivalry.
A happier moment for the Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium occurred in the 1986 matchup. After Vince Dooley and Georgia upset No. 8 Auburn 20-16, many fans rushed the field in celebration.
The public address announcer warned fans to stay in the stands, but they were enthralled in the emotion of the game and rushed the field anyway. As a result, Auburn turned the water on, drenching Georgia fans in what is now known as “the game between the hoses.”
“The funny thing is that in some magazine there was an article about the 25 most memorable things that have happened in the SEC, and Bear Bryant winning 315 games was like, number 24 or something,” Paul Conner, who was responsible for opening the valve, told the War Eagle Reader in 2011. “But us wetting the Georgia Dawgs was number 11. They remembered that more than anything Bear Bryant did.”
Moments as such are why the SEC made Auburn one of Georgia’s permanent opponents when the conference did away with divisions in the offseason. Commissioner Greg Sankey said “traditional rivalries” would play a factor into schedules. With over 130 years of history, the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” certainly falls into the category.