http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/by-upsetting-auburn-georgia-bolsters-its-chances-for-a-division-title.html 2014-11-16 06:36:20 By Upsetting Auburn, Georgia Bolsters Its Chances for a Division Title No. 15 Georgia’s punishing 34-7 victory over No. 9 Auburn kept alive its hopes of winning the East Division and advancing to the SEC championship game. === ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia running back Todd Gurley has some rust to shake off. Once considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Gurley lost four games this season to a suspension for accepting money for signing memorabilia, and when he stepped back on the field Saturday, he was missing the burst of speed and ability to break tacklers he had flashed in the early part of the season. Gurley rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries but was upstaged by the freshman tailback Nick Chubb, who helped carry No. 15 Georgia to a punishing 34-7 victory over No. 9 Auburn in the Bulldogs’ final Southeastern Conference game of the season. The victory for Georgia (9-2, 6-2 SEC) kept alive its hopes of winning the East Division and advancing to the SEC championship game. If Missouri, which leads the SEC East, loses one of its remaining three conference games, Georgia will win the division by virtue of its victory against Missouri. Considering the Bulldogs’ impressive win over Auburn, a victory in the SEC championship game over the West champion, if they get that far, would give Georgia a chance to sneak into the four-team College Football Playoff. Gurley’s return was highly anticipated, but Chubb, as he had been throughout Gurley’s absence, was a revelation for the Bulldogs. He rushed for 144 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns Saturday. This season, Chubb has rushed for more than 1,000 yards. Over and over, Chubb kept stayed on his feet after being hit by a would-be tackler. He is a shifty back who hits a hole, accelerates and dances through the second line of the defense. Perhaps it was because Chubb was so spectacular in his first five games that it seemed Gurley was a step slower than before. A 6-foot-1, 226-pound junior who is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2015 N.F.L. draft, Gurley did not look like the same running back who gained 773 yards on 94 carries and scored eight touchdowns through the first five games of the season. In the second quarter, from the Auburn 13, Gurley had a whopping hole to run through, but his legs could not get him there. He sputtered and managed 3 yards before he was dragged down. He had been practicing with the team throughout his suspension, but Gurley did not have his game legs on Saturday. There was a cautious moment with 5 minutes 21 seconds left in the game when Gurley fell in a heap at the Auburn 11-yard line after a 6-yard gain. He laid on the field for several minutes and then gingerly walked off and did not return. The next play, Chubb took a handoff, ran out of several arm tackles, danced through the Auburn secondary, and went 11 yards for the touchdown. Gurley’s best highlight of the night did not count. He cradled a first quarter kickoff 5 yards deep in the end zone and bolted upfield. It was the first time he had touched the football in a game since Oct. 4, and a roar grew and grew in Sanford Stadium. Gurley split the Auburn kickoff team and raced 105 yards for a touchdown. But the cheers of more than 90,000 fans then turned to groans when a holding penalty was called and . Gurley’s touchdown run turned into a kickoff return for 32 yards. The combination of Chubb and Gurley awarded Georgia’s receivers man-to-man coverage on the outside most of the night and the Bulldogs had chances to break the game open. Twice, though, the receivers dropped deep passes, or the Bulldogs would have put this game away even earlier. One dropped pass would have been a touchdown, another would have gone for 50 yards. The Georgia offense, however, had more than enough firepower for Auburn, which at one time was ranked No. 3 and considered a national championship contender. It has been that kind of chaotic season in the SEC with rough-and-tumble, competitive games, and contenders like Auburn, Mississippi, and Mississippi State being upended in fierce road games. It remains to be seen how much Georgia will be rewarded for this win. The defense, which has been inconsistent, held Auburn to one score. The Tigers had been averaging 38.7 points per game. The other thing for the committee to consider is the full return of Gurley and how much better the Bulldogs could be in the next three weeks.