DALLAS — If there was a regular season game that really tested Georgia a season ago, it came on the road against Auburn.
At multiple points in the 2023 contest, the Bulldogs trailed by double digits. There were turnovers, mistakes and a hostile crowd to boot.
“I would say the hardest road game was my first one, was at Auburn,” Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said. “I’d never been on the road before as a starter. Obviously I had experienced road games from the sideline knowing how loud it is, but it’s different when you’re in the heat of it.”
Georgia was a big favorite going into that game and if you judge both programs over their entire seasons, it shouldn’t have been a close game. Georgia went 13-1, while Auburn limped home to a 6-7 record.
But for one fall Saturday on the road, Auburn gave Georgia everything and more it could handle.
“I’d say my toughest road game probably had to be Auburn from last year,” Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams said. “I went there, it was loud, they was very good at home, and when we played, it was a great game there at Auburn.”
The Tigers employed multiple quarterbacks against Georgia, keeping the defense on its toes. Payton Thorne returns for Auburn this year and the Tigers have gone to considerable lengths to upgrade their wide receiver room. Incoming freshman Cam Coleman is seen as one of the most promising wide receivers in the country.
Georgia is able to look back fondly on that game because it did find a way to pull out a win. Tight end Brock Bowers was sensational that afternoon, as he finished with a career-high 157 yards on receptions.
Beck found Bowers late for a go-ahead 41-yard touchdown. Safety Malaki Starks iced the game on the ensuing drive by intercepting a Thorne pass.
Both players were on hand at SEC Media Days this year, as Beck and Starks are now two of the program’s most important leaders.
That they were able to make big plays against Auburn helped them mature as players and ultimately as leaders.
“When you’re thrown into the fire and you have to be the one to distinguish the fire,” Beck said. “I’d say Auburn was definitely -- it was very fun. I’ll say that. Although difficult, very fun, and I definitely enjoyed playing at that stadium.”
The Auburn game illustrates the difficulty of winning on the road in the SEC. Georgia may have the toughest road schedule in the country this coming season, with trips to Kentucky, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss.
Those final three teams are likely to all begin the season as top 12 teams and could very well give the Bulldogs all they can handle.
“We’re not one to complain,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We’re one to be excited. I think when you step into the shoes of a University of Georgia football player, you accept that challenge is going to be there.
“I mean, we kind of embrace that and we love it. I mean, what you didn’t get to mention is we open with Clemson, too, one of the top programs in the country. So we’re really excited about that. I think that motivates our off-season so that we have the right kind of approach to the off-season.”
The Bulldogs open the season against Clemson away from Athens, with the game set to be played in Atlanta. The game is set for a Noon ET kickoff on ABC.
