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Saturday, Nov. 11 7:30pm ET Tigers keep SEC West title hopes alive | |||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Ben Leard once again got the best of his once-beloved Georgia Bulldogs. Leard shook off two first-half interceptions and scored on a 1-yard sneak in overtime as Auburn (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) earned a 29-26 victory over Georgia (No. 13 ESPN.USA Today, No. 14 AP) on Saturday night. "It's a great win for me personally and a big step for this football team," said Leard, who grew up in Hartwell, about 40 miles from the Georgia campus. "I grew up loving them. I won't be able to surpass this." The Tigers (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) matched their win total of the past two seasons combined, staying alive in the SEC West hunt. It was their first win over the Bulldogs in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1990. Rudi Johnson ran 34 times for 152 yards and gained 21 yards in overtime to set up the winning score. Auburn players and a number of fans stormed the field after the win and fans hovered in the stands, chanting "We want Ben! "We want Ben!" Georgia (6-3, 4-3) was limited to Billy Bennett's 25-yard field goal to start the overtime. Cory Phillips' third-down pass went out of the end zone. Johnson's final run was a 7-yard scamper to set up Leard's TD. "After the defense stopped them, we knew the bottom line (was) that we had to score a touchdown," said Johnson, who set an Auburn single-season record with his ninth 100-yard effort. "We came out, executed, and won the ball game." It spoiled a nice comeback for the Bulldogs, playing without injured quarterback Quincy Carter. Sophomore Cory Phillips, making his second start of the season, and Leard both went to Hart County High School in the tiny town of under 5,000. The Tigers scored 23 straight points to take a 23-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. They trailed 13-0 until Damon Duval's 48-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. "We grew up in that last three quarters," said coach Tommy Tuberville, whose team finished 7-0 at home. "That's the best we've played in two months. They are a bunch of scrappy guys that went out and played hard." Leard, a senior, wasn't nearly as unstoppable against the Bulldogs as he was last season. He passed for a school-record 416 yards and four TDs in that game. He was 24-of-38 for 149 yards and two TDs. His first pick was returned 75 yards by Terreal Bierria for a first-quarter TD. Phillips was 23-of-35 for 164 yards with a TD and an interception. "Auburn wore down our defense in the second half, but we fought back in the fourth quarter," said Georgia coach Jim Donnan, whose team managed just 219 yards. Georgia scored 10 points in the final minutes of regulation, tying it up on Bennett's 19-yard field goal with 41 seconds left. Phillips hit Terrence Edwards for a 16-yard TD pass on third-and-15 with 5:16 left. The 42-yard drive was set up by Cory Collier's blocked punt. Auburn's offense went three-and-out, giving Georgia the ball back at its own 42 with 3:20 left. Phillips hit Damien Gary four times for 38 yards, including a 10-yarder on fourth-and-3. Then, Edwards lined up at quarterback on third-and-goal from the 8. He was run out of bounds at the 2, setting up Bennett's tying kick. Auburn ran out the final seconds, sending it to overtime. The Tigers trailed 13-0 until the final play of the Johnson, held to 23 yards on 12 carries in the first half, rambled 54 yards on the first play of the third quarter. "That was the biggest play of the game for us," Tuberville said. "It got us momentum and got us back in the ball game." The run set up Leard's 6-yard TD toss to Reggie Worthy. Johnson rushed 14 times for 104 yards in the third quarter. Leard then hit Ronney Daniels for a 10-yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter. Duval added a career-best 49-yarder, putting Auburn up 23-13 with 11:56 left. Both scores were set up by Georgia turnovers. The Bulldogs committed three turnovers and eight penalties. "You take away the turnovers and penalties and we walk away with this game no problem," said running Brett Millican. "We stopped ourselves just like we did two weeks ago (against Florida)." |
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AUDIO/VIDEO   Auburn's Rudi Johnson breaks through a hole for a 55-yard gain.avi: 769 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Ben Leard sneaks over the line to give Auburn the victory in overtime.avi: 1207 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Auburn's Ben Leard hits Reggie Worthy in traffic for the touchdown.avi: 622 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Georgia's Terreal Bierria returns the interception 80 yards for the touchdown.avi: 999 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Georgia's Jamie Henderson steals the pass intended for Auburn's Reggie Worthy.avi: 823 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||
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