ATHENS — Georgia got back to playing “Kirby Ball,” prevailing in smash-mouth affair between the hedges against rival Auburn.

The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) beat the Tigers (2-4, 0-3) on offense, defense and special teams in their 31-13 victory.

It was Georgia’s 27th consecutive home win — a school record and the longest active streak of its kind in the nation — and the Bulldogs’ eighth-straight in Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry under ninth-year coach Kirby Smart.

“I thought it was really hot today, our guys and their guys struggled with the stamina part,” Smart said. “Carson stood in there and made some good throws and made some good decisions.”

Carson Beck was an efficient 23-of-29 passing for 240 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevor Etienne carried 16-times for 88 yards and two touchdowns, as UGA out-gained Auburn 381-337 in a game played without either team turning the ball over.

Georgia held a 14-3 lead at the half, appearing in control, before Auburn scored on its opening possession of the second half to cut the lead to 14-10.

The Bulldogs, however, were poised to regain control on their next drive, methodically driving 75 yards on 12 plays to push the ball into the end zone.

Etienne, the high-profile transfer from Florida, was ruled to have done just enough to break the plane of the goal line for a 21-10 lead with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

Georgia road that momentum into Auburn’s ensuing possession, trapping the Tigers at their own 5 to start the possession after a block in the back penalty on the kick return.

Auburn fought out of that hole, but after driving to its own 44 on the final play of the third quarter, the Tigers were stopped on a fourth-and-1.

Raylen Wilson dropped Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage after Jalon Walker stuffed Jarquez Hunter’s lead block.

Five plays later, Beck faked a handoff to Etienne before drilling a slant route pass to Dillon Bell for a 3-yard touchdown pass that made it 28-10.

Auburn answered with a 12-play, 67-yard drive, but the Tigers were forced to settled for a field goal — still down 28-13 with 7:38 left — when Georgia forced Thorne to throw incomplete on a third-and-8 from the Bulldogs’ 8-yard line.

Georgia capped the scoring on an unconventional scoring drive.

The Bulldogs made a gutsy decision to go for a fourth-and-1 at their own 34 — Etienne converting by inches — and then worked its way out of a first-and-40 at its own 47 to get into field goal range on the strength of Beck’s 15-yard completion to London Humphreys.

Payton Woodring took care of the rest, drilling a 47-yard field goal for the final margin.