Close Series, Rivalry of Minutiae

The Georgia-Auburn game is separated by a mere handful of points, considering the wealth of years in the series. And watching the 1994 game last night is the perfect example of how small decisions and big plays can make a huge difference in the overall outcome of a game. Consider these examples:

• Philip Daniels blocked an extra point on Auburn's first TD.
• Midway through the 4th quarter, with the game tied at 23-23, we had the ball in Tiger territory and called a bad screen pass on 3rd down that took us out of FG yardage.
• With less than 2 minutes left, Georgia had the ball with their eyes on the prize. But a questionable intentional grounding penalty on Zeier backed us up to second and long inside our own five.
• Tiger placekicker Hawkins' career long coming into the game was 45 yards. With 13 ticks left he lined up for a game winning 44 yarder. But little Terry borrowed some of Diddy's widerightness. Ballgame.

There's many more in the 60 minutes of that game 16 years ago. Back to present day, it's hard to see us keeping this game tomorrow close to the end. But the 1994 game reminds me that anything can happen, even when you go in as large underdogs. That and small plays can end up weighing heavily in the game's balance.