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November 13, 1999
ATHENS, Ga.- Junior quarterback Ben Leard returned to the starting lineup and roared into the Auburn record book Saturday, leading the Tigers to a 38-21 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs.
Leard hit on 24 of 32 passes for 416 yards and four touchdowns, leading Auburn (5-5; 2-5 SEC) to a 31-0 halftime lead over the 14th-ranked Bulldogs (6-3; 4-3 SEC), stunning a sellout crowd at Sanford Stadium.
Leard became the first Auburn quarterback to pass for more than 400 yards in a game and his four touchdown tosses also tied a school record. Leard had missed most of the Tigers' previous six games with a separated shoulder and a concussion.
Ronney Daniels caught nine of Leard's 24 completions for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels' performance placed him second all-time for receiving yards in a single game in Auburn history. He also recorded the best night for an Auburn receiver in Southeastern Conference play. Daniels now has 990 yards receiving this season. He needs 62 yards against Alabama next week to break Terry Beasley's record for receiving yards in one season. His nine touchdown receptions rank third-best in a single season for Auburn receivers.
Auburn's offense set the tone for the game on the initial possession, moving 80 yards on 15 plays and consuming six minutes to take a 7-0 lead. Leard hit Clifton Robinson with a four-yard pass for the touchdown.
Two possessions later, Leard hit Markeith Cooper with passes of 45 yards and 10 yards to highlight a 60-yard, four-play drive making the score 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Leard found Daniels for touchdown passes of 59 and 78 yards and Damon Duval tacked on an 18-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make the score 31-0.
On the Tigers first possession of the second half, Leard connected with Daniels again on a spectacular pass and run covering 57 yards. That set up a one-yard touchdown sneak for Leard to give the Tigers an 38-0 advantage early in the second half.
Quincy Carter led a Georgia comeback attempt hitting 26 of 37 pass attempts for 319 yards and two touchdowns, but the Georgia offense came to life far too late to make a difference.
Heath Evans led all rushers in the pass-oriented game with 65 yards on 17 carries.
This marked the eighth consecutive season that the visiting team has won in the South's oldest college football series. Auburn is now 16-8 against Georgia in games played on the Georgia campus.
The Tigers return home to face Alabama next Saturday, needing a win against the Crimson Tide to become bowl-eligible. Alabama needs a win to clinch a spot representing the SEC Western Division in the SEC Championship Game. Airtime for the Auburn Network is 4:30 pm (CT), with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 pm (CT) on ESPN.
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