Auburn Football: Ties to Georgia Make Showdown vs. Bulldogs Personal

AUBURN, Ala. — It would be hard to find a college football rivalry featuring two schools as intertwined as Auburn and Georgia.

Two of the schools' most legendary coaches, Auburn's Pat Dye and Georgia's Vince Dooley, called the other school their alma mater.

"It's like playing against your brother," Dye said back in 2007. "I don't think anybody who plays in that game can ever forget it. It just doesn't matter much where it's played or what somebody's record is. It's so intense and tough, but at the same time, it's family."

The number of individuals who have ties to both sides, either by playing or coaching, has continued to grow since the days of Dye and Dooley.

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Current Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner spent 15 years at Georgia before coming back to the school where he excelled as a player. Georgia responded by replacing Garner with legendary Auburn defensive lineman and former assistant coach Tracy Rocker.

That level of familiarity between both schools extends to the players, especially those who suit up for the Tigers.

Due to Auburn's close proximity to the Georgia state line, the two schools often battle it out for the same recruits.

And after a big haul from Georgia earlier this year, Auburn now has 39 players who claim the Peach State as their home—including several key players on both sides of the ball:

Name	Position	Class	Hometown
Montravius Adams	DT	Sophomore	Vienna
Jonathan Jones	CB	Junior	Carrollton
Quan Bray	WR	Senior	LaGrange
Jonathon Mincy	CB	Senior	Decatur
Nick Marshall	QB	Senior	Pineview
Joshua Holsey	S	Junior	Fairburn
Justin Garrett	LB	Junior	Stone Mountain
Ben Bradley	DT	Senior	Norcross
Jeffrey Whitaker	DT	Senior	Macon
C.J. Uzomah	TE	Senior	Suwanee
DaVonte Lambert	DE	Junior	Keysville
Gabe Wright	DT	Senior	Columbus

Then there is the case of the highlighted one, Nick Marshall, who played defensive back at Georgia before his dismissal in 2011 due to a violation of team rules.

Two years later, Marshall, now a dual-threat quarterback for Auburn, completed a deflected last-gasp touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis to defeat his former team.

One of the players who deflected Marshall's pass was former teammate Tray Matthews, who joined Auburn this offseason after being dismissed from Georgia.

This Saturday, the senior will have to make his first trip back to Sanford Stadium after leading the Tigers to victory inside his new home at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Marshall was not made available for interviews this week, but his coaches gave some insight on his mindset ahead of his return.

"He knows a lot of those guys, and he was there," Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said this week. "It’s his home state he grew up in, but at the end of the day, once that game starts and sounds good, he’s going to play the best game he can no matter what. He’s going to go out there and do the best he can, give his best effort."

But Marshall will not be the only Tiger with emotions tied to Saturday night's game against Georgia.

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Senior cornerback Jonathon Mincy grew up a Bulldog fan and always wanted to play his college ball in Athens. However, Georgia didn't offer him a scholarship.

"It's real big, especially going to their house," Mincy said. "Any game we play against Georgia, it's very touching for me, me growing up and being a fan of them and not having an opportunity to go there. It's real big."

For Mincy, the ultimate act of revenge against the Bulldogs, even after being a part of 2013's wild win in the rivalry, would be getting an interception inside Sanford Stadium.

"It'd be a great feeling," Mincy said. "An indescribable feeling. That would be one of the greatest memories I've got, beside the Iron Bowl."

On Wednesday night, after what Gus Malzahn called two "very solid" practices, the Auburn head coach said he could sense an extra level of excitement and energy from the Georgia natives.

"We've got close to 40 guys from the state of Georgia," Malzahn said. "Anytime you play in your home state, I know it's special for those guys."

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But several of those players have stressed the importance of not letting their personal emotions from playing back in Georgia get the best of them.

While Auburn is coming off a tough loss to Texas A&M, there is still a slight chance the Tigers can get back into the SEC Championship picture with two more rivalry wins and some help from other teams.

"It's extremely special going back to the home state and to the place where all the guys I went to high school with are rooting for Georgia, but rooting for me," senior tight end C.J. Uzomah said. "It's a special feeling knowing that I'll have a lot of friends and family there, but we know it's business.

"We know we have to go in there ready and prepare accordingly this week. I know we'll do that."

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Justin Ferguson is Bleacher Report's lead Auburn writer. Follow him on Twitter @JFergusonAU.