ATHENS, Ga. — It wasn't necessarily impressive, but Georgia found a way to net a bounce-back win at home.
The Bulldogs took down Auburn 31-13 in their second home game of the season and their first SEC game at home.
Here are three takeaways from Georgia's win.
Where are the fireworks?
Georgia, under head coach Kirby Smart, has had a bit of a reputation of blowing teams out after a loss, especially after losing to Alabama.
The Bulldogs blew out Michigan in 2021 after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship, and did it again it 2023 to Florida State after losing to, who else, but the Crimson Tide in the Championship again.
However, their performance after the 41-34 loss last week? 31 points, 240 yards passing and 141 yards on the ground.
Running back Trevor Etienne played like a man possessed. He ran for 88 yards and had 36 yards receiving. Two of the touchdowns Georgia had in this game came from him.
Other than a few solid performances from receivers Colbie Young and Dominic Lovett, plus a few highlight plays from a few others, the Georgia offense lacked a certain je ne sais qua. That is to say, they lacked a spark.
The offensive line, which was still missing starting guard Tate Ratledge, also didn't have starting center Jared Wilson, who dressed out but sat out to rest an injury he suffered against Alabama.
Overall, quarterback Carson Beck and the offense lacked a certain something that they were expected to have coming off a tough loss. 31 points is a good amount and the offense can take pride in that, however, the team still has things to work on.
Can't stop the run
The subhead says it all. Georgia struggled to prevent the Tigers from running the ball all game.
Sure, they finished with a similar rushing total to Georgia, but Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter could not be stopped. He ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Peyton Thorne also escaped Georgia's pass rush relatively consistently.
Only Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who is having a stellar season, found consistent pressure and netted two sacks. Chaz Chambliss also found his way to the quarterback one.
Malaki Starks did have a key pressure to force the ball out of Throne's hands early when Auburn was down at Georgia's 10-yard line to help prevent a likely touchdown.
Aside from Starks, the secondary didn't look great either. Thorne threw for over 200 yards and KeAndre Lambert-Smith picked apart the various Georgia cornerbacks all game.
While there were a few other impressive moments, like Raylen Wilson's tackle for a loss to prevent a fourth down conversion, the defense looked lacking against an Auburn offense that has disappointed all season long.
Gotta clean things up
The Bulldogs, on both sides of the ball, looked a little lackadaisical all game.
Georgia fans hoped, and some even expected the team to have some fire under them. Instead, the team played slow, and without the fight many hoped they would have in this game.
Auburn may have even put up more points if not for a few untimely drops from the teams' receivers.
The team also had 85 yards given up for penalties, including multiple 15-yard penalties from both sides of the ball.
Georgia, oddly enough, looks a little undisciplined, and yet has shown plenty of big-time moments to show they can be one of the best teams in college football. Holding a team to 13 points and scoring 31 is nothing to sneeze at, but there is still plenty to work on
The Bulldogs are lucky it's a long season and that they have games against Mississippi State and Florida to get things right. However, if they can't manage to work through the kinks, then Texas may have a field day with the Bulldogs.