DALLAS (FWAA) Kerryon Johnson ran for 167 yards on a workhorse 32 carries · more than triple what the Tigers' defense held Georgia to on the ground · and the Auburn Tigers (8-2) handed the top-ranked Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 40-17, to earn the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 11.
The announcement came on "Off Campus with Mark Packer" on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. ET.
Auburn held the SEC's top ground attack to 46 yards on 32 carries 233 below their season average and the Bulldogs' fewest yards in the series since at least 1967 · and only 230 total yards. Georgia scored a touchdown on its opening drive · the first touchdown Auburn has allowed in the first quarter this season · but the Bulldogs didn't reach the end zone again until the final minutes.
"We've got one of the best defenses in the country," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. "They proved it again tonight. We may have played our best game up front. They too, on the challenge and they controlled the line of scrimmage."
Johnson topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark during the game and now has 1,035 yards on the season. Jarrett Stidham threw three touchdown passes and Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals for Auburn, which outgained Georgia 488-230, a 258-yard advantage that just missed the series record for largest yardage-differential (268 by Auburn in a 16-3 win in 1969).
Auburn is now 4-0 all-time against Georgia when both teams are ranked in the top 10 (1971, 1983, 2004 and 2017).
This is Auburn's third time to earn the Team of the Week honor and the first since the memorable "Kick Six" Iron Bowl win over No. 1 Alabama in 2013.
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Nov. 11 was:
Miami (9-0): The No. 7 Hurricanes dominated No. 3 Notre Dame 41-8 to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 14 games. Travis Homer ran for 146 yards, Deejay Dallas had a pair of touchdown runs and Malik Rosier threw for a touchdown and ran for another. Miami, the ACC's Coastal Division champions, forced four turnovers for the fourth consecutive week and handed the Fighting Irish their second-worst loss in the history of the series.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter – decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.