AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Tempers flared the last time Georgia and Auburn met in a normally neighborly rivalry.
Players from both teams say the bad blood won’t carry over into Saturday when the 24th-ranked Tigers visit the 14th-ranked Bulldogs.
Billed as the oldest rivalry in the Deep South, it got ugly last season. There were 10 personal foul penalties, two suspensions of Auburn players for throwing punches and a couple of injury-causing hits on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray.
Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen says “everyone kind of thought it was a friendlier rivalry up until last year.” He’s one of 17 Auburn players from Georgia.
Murray says the Bulldogs aren’t even talking about that game with an SEC East title potentially on the line.
