ATHENS — Hugh Freeze doesn’t believe his Auburn team is that far off, but the scoreboard at Georgia and the Tigers’ record suggests otherwise.

The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs handed Auburn a 31-13 defeat at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, dropping the Tigers to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in SEC play.

Georgia out-gained Auburn, but only by a 381 yards to 337, and neither team turned the ball over.

“I keep saying we’re not that far off, because, you know, I think — they’re the No. 5 team in the country, and we should have been in this game,” said Freeze, who’s in his second season on The Plains. “We’re not playing winning football in critical times and moments. We, as coaches – it’s our job, it’s my job – to get that fixed.”

Freeze said before the game he felt Auburn could be 5-0 if not for ranking last among Power 4 teams in turnover margin — something Kirby Smart said he agreed with him.

Freeze said after the game his expectation for the Tigers is “to win every game,” even though Auburn has remaining SEC games with Missouri, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Alabama.

“I think we are capable; I think our team’s capable of doing that, (and) I’ll refuse to believe otherwise,” Freeze said. “We’ve shown too many signs that we can be, even as young as we are, that we can be a competitive football team.

“But you’ve got to make winning plays in critical situations … “

Indeed, Georgia converted on both of its fourth down attempts while Auburn was 0-for-2 and had a field goal blocked.

Freeze also continued to voice his displeasure with Auburn’s quarterback play, even though Payton Thorne was a respectable 16-of-27 passing for 200 yards with no interceptions and also rushed for 22 yards.

What Thorne didn’t do, however, was run a fourth-and-1 play at the Auburn 44 correctly on the first play of the fourth quarter with the Tigers’ trailing 21-10.

“Yeah, he absolutely didn’t go with what we had called,” Freeze said. “Payton’s a thinker. He knows football. He decided to try to run some type of zone read there.

“I think everybody was a little confused. But we definitely weren’t on the same page there.”

Freeze summed things up accurately enough.

“Obviously, a disappointing season, and today is another step not in the direction that we had hoped,” he said. “Georgia’s a good football team, and Kirby and them do a great job. Obviously, they’ve recruited a roster that’s really talented from top to bottom, and deep.

“I think they get really good quarterback play. He understands the game. They have a really good team.”

The Georgia Bulldogs are halfway through their annual meeting in “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” Here is how the game has played out so far.

The Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers have completed the first 30 minutes of their annual rendition of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” with the Dawgs heading to the locker room with a 14-3 lead. As the second half approaches, here is a recap of everything that happened in the first half.

The Tigers began the game with the ball and marched for about 20 yards before the offense stalled out and was forced to punt. The Bulldogs offense then took the field and proceeded to march 75 yards for a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Auburn’s offense would respond with a field goal to cut the Dawgs lead to 7-3. The Bulldogs’ next offense drive would run out the remaining time in the quarter.

Georgia continued its second offensive drive of the game before stalling out around the 45-yard line and punting for the first time of the game. The Tigers were able to once again sustain a decent drive but were unable to produce any points and were once again forced to punt. Georgia took over inside its own 30 and pushed the ball down the field before an inopportune penalty forced the Bulldogs to punt just after the two-minute timeout. Auburn would be held to a three-in-out deep in their own territory and would give Georgia the ball back around the 50-yard line with just over a minute to work with. The Dawgs would cash in with a touchdown to give them a 14-3 lead.

How to Watch Georgia vs Auburn

Georgia Bulldogs 2024 TV Broadcast Schedule

Other Georgia News:

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking “Follow” on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at@DawgsDaily

It is never too early to look ahead to the 2026 class. Georgia Tech already has the interest and attention of a heavily coveted safety prospect Cortez Redding. The Yellow Jackets don’t have any commitments from the 2026 class yet, but it is a good sign they are in the running for a high-end prospect. 

Cortez Redding plays for the Jonesboro Cardinals in Jonesboro, Georgia. He is one of the best safety prospects in the country. According to 247Sports Composite, Redding is rated as the No. 16 safety, the No. 23 player in Georgia, and the No. 197 player nationally. Before narrowing down his list on Friday, Redding had 42 offers before cutting down his list of schools. His top 12 include Florida, Oregon, Kentucky, UNC, USC, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, NC State, Florida State, Auburn, and Georgia Tech. 

Redding is a hard-hitter who loves to play in the box and make disruptive plays. He is known for making sticks and causing opposing ball carriers to fumble the football. He is also an excellent open-field tackler. Redding can also play centerfield, run from one side of the field to the other, and make a play on the ball. A rare trait you see from safeties, only the elite ones can do this at a high level consistently. Think Ed Reed potential here. I don’t say this lightly, I’ve seen Redding play a few times in person. 

One of them was during the spring. I was making a tour of different high school football teams in the peach state to see how teams looked. I interviewed Redding after a spring game win against rival Lovejoy. I asked him about his best attribute on the field. 

“My best attribute is my IQ and physicality. I feel like I can tackle anybody and guard anybody,” said Redding. 

Redding is also a multisport athlete who is also a high-level basketball player and a great all-around player on the court. As a sophomore for the Cardinals, Redding averaged 11.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. He nearly tripled his scoring numbers from the year before. 

The Yellow Jackets got on Redding early and was one of the first schools to offer him last September before he blew up in recruiting. Redding would be a great addition to the Yellow Jackets if they could keep him home. He has great instincts and would fit the defensive backfield seamlessly and make a big impact in that area. It is still early but a recruitment to continue to watch as teams jock for positioning in the late winter and early spring. 

I also got a chance to do an exclusive interview with Redding and some of his teammates back in the summer in a rare uncut and unfiltered interview. It was just Redding being his natural self in his element which was cool to see. One thing that is impressive about him is how hard he works and how much he wants to be great. He goes above and beyond and constantly challenges himself to be the best on the field every time he steps on it.