ATHENS — Georgia made its big plays count in the 21-14 win at Auburn that clinched the SEC East Division.
It’s a fact highlighted by the Bulldogs’ award-winning film crew in their most recent production, a short video at @GeorgiaFootball on Twitter.
Another salient point: Kirby Smart recruited some winners this past offseason, and without them Georgia would not be in contention for its second trip to the College Football Playoffs in the past three years.
The Bulldogs’ highlight video from the Auburn game opens with Jake Fromm coming off his first read and going deep to freshman Dominick Blaylock, who got behind the defense on a Skinny Post route and hauled in a 51-yard TD pass.
The scoring pass represented nearly half of Fromm’s passing yards on the day (46 percent). It created just enough doubt in the Auburn secondary to loosen things up for D’Andre Swift to post yet another 100-yard day.
Junior college transfer Jermaine Johnson was the second newcomer to provide a pivotal play. Johnson stripped Auburn QB Bo Nix and creating a fumble that veteran Richard LeCounte recovered.
Outside linebacker snaps have come at a premium, so Johnson has had to fight to get on the field with fellow future NFL talents Azeez Ojulari and Nolan Smith at the same position.
Veteran Brian Herrien scored Georgia’s second TD just 22 seconds before half. Herrien’s score was a gut punch that put an exclamation point on the Bulldogs’ most impressive drive of the game. It was a 7-play, 81-yard march that Fromm needed only 59 seconds to direct.
Another newcomer provided Georgia’s final score, and what proved to be the game-winning catch, in the third quarter. The highlight clip shows Eli Wolf holding up a blocker and then releasing and pulling in a perfectly-thrown pass.
Fromm’s made three of his 13 completions count for scores.
Auburn provided most of the highlights in the fourth quarter, out-gaining UGA 158-2. For obvious reasons most of that was not captured by the UGA film crew.
But on Auburn’s last-gasp drive, it was another newcomer closing out the game.
Freshman Travon Walker looped around end and tracked down Nix for a fourth-down sack that set off a sideline celebration.
