ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns as No. 5 Georgia beat visiting Auburn 31-13 in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday.
Trevor Etienne rushed for a team-high 88 yards and two scores, helping the Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) bounce back from last week’s loss to then-No. 4 Alabama.
Payton Thorne completed 16 of 27 passes for 200 yards, as Auburn (2-4, 0-3) dropped its third straight game and its eighth straight against Georgia. Jarquez Hunter rushed for a game-high 91 yards, adding a score on the ground. KeAndre Lambert-Smith tallied seven catched for 95 yards for the Tigers, who never led.
Trailing by 11, Auburn forced a Georgia three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half. Hunter then broke off a 38-yard touchdown run, cutting the Tigers’ deficit to 14-10 with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Georgia answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which included a 27-yard pass to Colbie Young followed by Etienne’s 21-yard run. The scoring drive was stamped with Etienne’s 1-yard run with 3:50 left in the third quarter.
Following an Auburn turnover on downs, Georgia tacked on another score with 12:34 left in the fourth quarter, as Beck found Dillon Bell for a 3-yard passing touchdown, extending the Bulldogs lead to 28-10.
Towns McGough’s 26-yard field goal trimmed the Tigers’ deficit to 28-13, before Peyton Woodring’s 47-yarder ended the game’s scoring for Georgia with 1:50 left.
After forcing a punt on Auburn’s first possession, Etienne stamped an 11-play, 75-yard Georgia scoring drive — which was highlighted with Lawson Luckie’s 33-yard catch — with a 2-yard rushing score with 6:24 left in the first quarter.
McGough then capped the ensuing Auburn drive with a 27-yard field goal with 56 seconds left in the first.
Each team then saw their next two drives finish with a punt, before Etienne’s 23-yard run advanced the Bulldogs’ offense to the Auburn 17-yard line with 33 seconds left in the first half. After Etienne’s 6-yard reception, Beck found Dominic Lovett for an 11-yard passing touchdown with 17 seconds remaining in the first half.
McGough lined up for a 54-yard field goal with one second remaining, but Dan Jackson blocked the attempt, and the Bulldogs led 14-3 at the half.
–Field Level Media
