Jenkins came off the line on a second-and-9 determined to reach Auburn quarterback Sean White. One of the Tigers’ running backs decided against the idea, engaging the senior and sending him to the ground. Down a touchdown with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Tigers needed to make something happen and do it quickly.

The Bulldogs’ senior made sure that didn’t happen by staying with the play.

“I get up, and I see (White) is still moving,” Jenkins said. “I’m like, ‘I’m about to kill this kid.’ I just remember diving. I didn’t know if he had the ball or not. I got up and I heard people cheering. Then I saw everyone point at us, so I got excited and started yelling.”

Jenkins’ hit on White forced a fumble, which was recovered by Georgia cornerback Aaron Davis deep in Auburn territory. The turnover set up a Marshall Morgan field goal that gave the Bulldogs a 10-point cushion with which to work.

The play by Jenkins was an example of several momentous ones made by the Georgia defense. Georgia players talked during the week about the importance of winning the turnover battle against Auburn. The Bulldogs came through, forcing three turnovers in a highly competitive 20-13 victory.

Before Saturday, Auburn had done a good job limiting turnovers. The Tigers started the season with a 2-2 record thanks to a minus-5 turnover margin. Auburn’s three wins in the next five games can be partially attributed to a plus-10 turnover margin.

If Georgia wanted to top the Tigers, its defense needed to force mistakes.

Although the Bulldogs rank among the best defenses in the SEC, the unit had struggled to produce takeaways. Georgia entered Saturday’s game in the middle of the conference in creating turnovers, forcing only 14 through 10 games. That created a misconception that Georgia’s defense has been in a lull during the recent rough patch of games. Although the defense did have issues against Alabama and Georgia, the major missing piece was causing the opponent to give up the football.

Until Saturday.

“We’ve preached (turnovers) all year,” senior linebacker Jake Ganus said. “We struggled with that early in the year, and now lately we’ve been seeming to get more and more. We’re practicing getting the ball out, and that showed.”

Georgia sophomore Malkom Parrish delivered the first one five minutes into the second quarter. The Tigers were at midfield and threatening a charge until Jeremy Johnson threw an errant pass. As the ball sailed toward a target still yet to be identified, Parrish made an acrobatic interception. Georgia’s offense only managed three points on the ensuing drive, but in a game decided by a single possession, it stood out as crucial.

The Bulldogs offense must be taken into account, as well. While the matchup with the Tigers turned into a low-scoring affair, the Georgia offense did not turn the ball over in the victory.

The effort by the offense is something junior quarterback Greyson Lambert said has been a mindset throughout the season.

“That’s kind of what we like to say is Georgia football,” Lambert said. “Protecting the football, running the football and trying to hit the big throws on play-action. That’s kind of how we wanted to do it. If we did that, we thought we’d be in a big spot at the end of the day.”

Lambert became a familiar face on the sidelines for the Georgia defense. He lingered around the defense’s huddle for the majority of the second half, telling them to get the ball one more time. He was adamant that another drive-ending play would seal a valuable win for Georgia.

Luckily for Lambert, his support paid off.

Georgia forced the third and final turnover by Auburn with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were driving with the intent of slicing into the Bulldogs’ 10-point advantage. Auburn wide receiver Ricardo Louis raced towards the end zone, intent on scoring his third touchdown of the season. Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter halted the charge, forcing the ball out from the senior’s hands. The Bulldogs recovered mere inches from the goal line, preserving the valuable points cushion.

The irony of the game-clinching fumble by the former hero of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry was not lost on Jenkins. After going through a miserable experience in Auburn two years ago thanks to Louis, Jenkins celebrated the victory and the performance by the ball-seeking defense.

“It was an overjoying experience, especially after the last time I was here,” Jenkins said. “There’s no prayers in Jordan-Hare this time.”