Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

The Auburn–Georgia football rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Auburn University Tigers and the University of Georgia Bulldogs. The two teams first played each other in 1892 and have met nearly every year since, for a total of 116 games as of 2012. Because it is the oldest rivalry still contested between teams in the deep south, the series is referred to by both schools as the "Deep South's Oldest Rivalry".

Series history
The first college football game between Auburn University and the University of Georgia was played on February 20, 1892 in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was the brainchild of Charles Herty of Georgia and George Petrie of Auburn, both trainers at their respective schools and graduate school classmates at The Johns Hopkins University. The game was also, according to legend, when Auburn's team cheer, "War Eagle," originated. Auburn won the game 10–0.

The Tigers and Bulldogs have played each other nearly every year since. There have only been three exceptions since 1898, when World War I and World War II interrupted the series. Through the 2012 season, the rivalry is tied for the seventh most played college football series at 116 games, and is evenly matched, with the series record tied at 54–54–8. When the Southeastern Conference split into its Eastern Division and Western Division in 1992, with Auburn placed in the west and Georgia in the east, the game was designated as the teams' annual cross-divisional rivalry game.

Game results
''Auburn victories are colored ██ navy blue. Georgia victories are colored ██ red. Ties are white.''

A Game won by Georgia after 4OT. B Game won by Auburn after OT.

Series record sources: 2011 Auburn Football Media Guide, 2011 Georgia Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.

Notable games
In 1942, Georgia won the national championship with an 11-1 record, beating UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. But Georgia didn't beat Auburn, falling 27-13 at Columbus's Memorial Stadium.

On November 14, 1959, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, as time ran short, Georgia player and future Auburn head-coach Pat Dye recovered a fumble by Auburn quarterback Bryant Harvard. Georgia quarterback Fran Tarkenton's touchdown pass in the final seconds gave Georgia a 14-13 victory and cost Auburn a Southeastern Conference championship. Georgia went on to claim the 1959 SEC Championship and the 1960 Orange Bowl Championship with a victory over Missouri in Miami.

The AU-UGA game has been held in many different cities - Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Columbus, Savannah, Montgomery - but on November 12, 1960, the Bulldogs made their first trip to the Loveliest Village on the Plains; a game which the Tigers won 9-6. This marked a huge change for the Tigers, as Auburn's biggest rivals - Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Georgia - previously would not travel to Auburn. Georgia Tech's first visit came in 1970, while Tennessee eventually came in 1974. It would take Auburn's biggest rival, Alabama, almost 30 years after UGA to make the trip.

In 1983, again at Sanford Stadium, Pat Dye celebrated his first SEC championship as Auburn's coach after the Tigers beat Georgia 13-7 on November 12. Georgia coach Vince Dooley, a former star Auburn quarterback, was there too on that day in 1959 as an assistant on Shug Jordan's staff.

In 1986, the Bulldogs visited Auburn as three-touchdown underdogs. Auburn was two wins away from the SEC Championship, with only one blemish on their record, an 18-17 setback at Florida. Georgia, playing its backup quarterback, escaped with a 20-16 victory. When Georgia fans stormed the field of Jordan-Hare Stadium and started tearing the turf from midfield and refused to leave, they were doused by sprinkler system and fire hoses. Auburn received a hefty bill from UGA for water damage to band instruments.

In 1994, a Georgia team that had lost to Vanderbilt and had been blown out 52-14 by Florida, ended Auburn and former coach Terry Bowden's 20-game winning streak with a 23-23 tie at Jordan-Hare. The Sunday morning headline in nearby Columbus, Ga read "UGA beats Auburn 23-23".

In 1996, the two teams played in the first Southeastern Conference football game to go into overtime. First-year head coach Jim Donnan's team, which finished 5-6, was down 28-7 at halftime, before rallying to tie it at 28-28 on a 30 yard touchdown as time expired from Mike Bobo to Cory Allen, and Georgia went on to win 56-49 in four overtimes. This game, known to Georgia fans as the "Miracle on the Plains," was also famous for the incident in which Uga V lunged at Auburn wide receiver Robert Baker after a first quarter touchdown.

In 1999, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville got his first signature win, as the underdog Tigers, losers of five of their previous six games, led 31-0 at halftime and cruised to a 38-21 victory.

In 2002, #7 Georgia traveled to #22 Auburn with a spot in the SEC Championship game and an outside chance at the national title on the line. Auburn led 14-3 at halftime, thanks to a 53 yard touchdown run from Ronnie Brown. Georgia rallied to make it 21-17 Tigers with 1:25 remaining when they faced a 4th and 15 from the Auburn 19. QB David Greene threw up a prayer, and Michael Johnson outjumped Auburn CB Horace Willis to come away with the improbable touchdown. Georgia defeated Auburn 24-21 to secure a spot in their first SEC Championship Game. The Bulldogs defeated Arkansas 30-3 to win their first SEC Championship since 1982. The Bulldogs finished the season 13-1 with a victory over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, and a #3 final ranking.

Eighth-ranked Georgia traveled to undefeated and third-ranked Auburn in 2004. The Tigers were eyeing their first SEC Championship since splitting the title in 1989 (note: Auburn was on probation in 1993 and ineligible for the championship), as well as a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. The Tigers won 24-6 on their way to a 13-0 season, ending with a 16-13 victory over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl and a No. 2 national ranking.

In 2006, Georgia visited Auburn having lost four of their previous five games and being unranked for the first time since 2002, while fifth-ranked Auburn had national title hopes. Georgia had lost to Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the same season for the first time since 1973, when they rebounded to defeat Auburn. History repeated itself as the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 37-15 and ended Auburn's chances at a national title.

2007 marked the first time in the modern era that Georgia wore black jerseys. It also marked the first time that Georgia defeated Florida and Auburn in the same season since 1982, and the first time that Georgia scored more than 40 points in three straight games since 1942.

Family rivalry
Beyond the length of the rivalry, the schools' football histories are quite interconnected. Georgia's long-time head coach and athletic director, Vince Dooley, earned both his bachelor's and master's degree at Auburn while playing football and subsequently beginning his coaching career under legendary Auburn head coach Shug Jordan. Jordan himself was an assistant football coach and head basketball coach at Georgia before returning to his alma mater.

Former Auburn head coach Pat Dye was a three-year letterman and All-American offensive lineman at Georgia under head coach Wally Butts. Current Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner (who coached at Georgia for fifteen years), and former Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels both played at Auburn under Dye. Former Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and offensive line coach Hugh Nall are former Georgia players. Former Georgia offensive coordinator Neil Callaway was Auburn's offensive line coach for all of Dye's 12 seasons. In the coaching search that brought Dye to Auburn, Vince Dooley was first contacted about the position but decided to remain at Georgia.