Rival's antics tick off Tigers

ATHENS, Ga. --- The Auburn Tigers still remember how Georgia, clad in those strange black jerseys, yukked it up on the sideline and a turned a game that had been close most of the night into a rout.

"That's always in the back of your minds," linebacker Craig Stevens said.

Auburn has been pumping up the Soulja Boy in its locker room this week, making sure no one forgets how bad it felt on its last trip to Athens two years ago, watching the Bulldogs pull away for a 45-20 victory.

"We've still got that bad taste in our mouth and we really want our revenge," defensive back Walt McFadden said, looking ahead to tonight's game against the Bulldogs.

The Deep South's oldest rivalry has been filled with all sorts of quirky games, and that 2007 contest between the hedges was no exception. Georgia warmed up in its normal red jerseys, they changed into black just before the opening kickoff. Early on, Auburn withstood whatever emotional edge the Bulldogs gained from their wardrobe change, but the home team pulled away in the second half.

Rubbing salt in the wound, Georgia's players began dancing on the sideline between the third and fourth quarters when Crank That (Soulja Boy) blared over the speakers.

Even if the Tigers wanted to get that song out of their heads, they can't this week.

"They've been playing a lot of Soulja Boy in our locker room," McFadden said. "This is a whole different team. We want to win. We're not pointing fingers. We're not giving up. We're just going to keep it all on the field."

Indeed, the Tigers have turned things around in their first season under coach Gene Chizik, already locking up a bowl trip while assembling one of the SEC's most potent offenses.

But Georgia has won three in a row against the Tigers, including last year's ugly 17-13 victory over an Auburn team playing out a disappointing season under ex-coach-to-be Tommy Tuberville.

"I haven't beaten Georgia since I got here," Stevens said. "I haven't experienced that and I feel like a lot of players don't want to leave here without having experienced that."