Auburn walked into Sanford Stadium as a heavy underdog and walked out with one of the program’s biggest wins in years, stunning No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on Saturday.
The Tigers were listed as three-touchdown underdogs, but they never played like it for long. Auburn snapped its losing streak against Georgia, earning its first victory in the series since 2017 and handing the Bulldogs their second loss to the Tigers in the Kirby Smart era. The result sends Auburn to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, with LSU coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium next weekend.
For Auburn coach Alex Golesh, the win adds another notable line to his résumé. He is now 3-6 against AP top 10 opponents as a head coach.
Auburn’s defense delivered when the game tightened late. Georgia pulled even at 24-24 after trailing by 10 at the start of the second half, but the Bulldogs couldn’t finish the comeback.
Gunner Stockton threw two interceptions and then fumbled on Georgia’s final possession, opening the door for Auburn’s game-winning march. Alex McPherson finished it with a 34-yard field goal, his first walk-off winner.
The Tigers also controlled enough of the game at the line of scrimmage to make the upset feel earned, not accidental. Auburn ran for 192 yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry, led by Byrum Brown’s 115 yards and a touchdown.
Jeremiah Cobb chipped in 61 yards on 13 carries. Brown also completed 58% of his passes for 150 yards and a score, and Auburn finished with 366 total yards.
Despite allowing three sacks, the Tigers nearly averaged five yards per play and converted both of their fourth-down tries.
Auburn’s balance showed up in a rare way this season: the Tigers finished with more rushing yards than passing yards for the first time all year.
The comeback from an early deficit set the tone before halftime. Georgia scored on its first two possessions and piled up 164 yards on those drives, but Auburn answered with 17 straight points before the break.
The first Tigers touchdown came on a trick play, with Christian Neptune hitting Keshaun Singleton for a 24-yard score. Later in the second quarter, Chas Nimrod hauled in a remarkable catch in the corner of the end zone to tie the game at 14-14.
Auburn then blocked a Georgia field goal and turned that momentum into McPherson’s 49-yard kick, which gave the Tigers their first lead.
That 17-point half was Auburn’s biggest first-half output in Sanford Stadium since 2009, and the defense made it stand up by holding Georgia to 92 yards over its final five drives before intermission.
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Browns work as both a runner and passer helped Auburn keep the Bulldogs off balance, and his final drive was the one that mattered most in closing out the win. Golesh, after the game, pointed to the backing the program has received from former Auburn legends, a reminder that this kind of victory tends to bring the past and present together fast at a place where expectations never stay quiet for long. [Read more 🡒]