Auburn walked into Athens and left with the kind of win that changes the mood around a program fast.
Alex McPherson drilled a 34-yard field goal as time expired, and Auburn knocked off No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on Saturday behind a punishing night from quarterback Byrum Brown and a defense that kept making Georgia pay for mistakes. The Tigers, unranked and unfazed, turned a late takeaway into the game-winning kick while Auburn players flooded the field.
The result extended a wild trend at the top of the AP Top 25. It marked the second straight week the No. 1 team lost to an unranked opponent after then-No.
1 Texas fell to Oklahoma last Saturday. According to Sportradar, it was the first time since October 1990 that the No. 1 team has lost in consecutive weeks.
Brown was the engine all night. He ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, added a scoring pass, and helped Auburn control the line of scrimmage in a 192-113 edge on the ground. He also completed 15 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Auburn’s first touchdown came on a trick play. Brown pitched to wide receiver Christian Neptune, who then launched a 28-yard touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton.
On the play, Georgia defensive backs Ja'Marley Riddle and Ellis Robinson IV collided in the end zone. Riddle was starting in place of KJ Bolden, who wore a walking boot on his right foot and did not play.
Brown later threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Chas Nimrod, and Jeremiah Cobb added 61 rushing yards as Auburn leaned into its physical run game. The Tigers scored the final 17 points of the first half after falling behind 14-0.
Georgia had opened with authority. On the first play of the game, quarterback Gunner Stockton hit the field helmet-first and had to leave briefly.
Ryan Puglisi stepped in and completed all three of his passes, including a 41-yarder to Craig Dandridge Jr., before Dwight Phillips finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run. Stockton returned on Georgia’s next possession and found Lawson Luckie for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.
From there, Auburn started chipping away. A personal foul for a late hit on Brown by freshman linebacker Khamari Brooks helped extend a key drive, and Stockton later threw an interception to Anquon Fegans after holding onto intended receiver London Humphreys too long. Auburn’s comeback kept building from there.
Georgia still had a chance to salvage the game. The Bulldogs trailed 24-14 before Peyton Woodring hit a 42-yard field goal, then Stockton led a 94-yard, 13-play march that tied it. The drive started at the Georgia 6 and ended with Stockton’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Humphreys.
But Stockton couldn’t finish the job. He lost a fumble with 58 seconds left while Georgia was moving toward a potential go-ahead field goal.
He was running from the Auburn 46 when the ball came out, and Sylvester Smith-Reed recovered for the Tigers at the Auburn 44. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Georgia’s Gabe Harris Jr. helped move Auburn into position for McPherson’s winner.
Stockton finished 22 of 34 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His two picks doubled his previous season total through six games. He also added the late fumble, and Georgia’s night included three personal foul penalties.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said, “We helped them,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart. “We had three turnovers and critical penalties. ... We had some really, really untimely, uncharacteristic and undisciplined penalties.”
Smart also said Stockton was cleared after being checked for a concussion following the opening drive, though he was later seen by trainers after taking a hit to his throwing shoulder.
“He had a stinger in his shoulder that numbs your shoulder,” Smart said. “That happens a lot in football.”
The loss snapped Georgia’s nine-game winning streak over Auburn and ended the Bulldogs’ 53-game run against unranked opponents. It also cut short their one-week stay at No. 1.
For Auburn, it was a statement built on toughness and persistence. First-year coach Alex Golesh put it plainly after the game:
“It’s pretty neat,” said Auburn first-year coach Alex Golesh. “I’m really proud of our guys. Really proud of them.
“We’re going to build Auburn back to where everybody wants it, one game at a time. Just hang with us.”
Auburn, now 4-2 and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference, gets No. 22 Louisiana State next Saturday at Auburn. Georgia, 6-1 and 4-1 in the SEC, has an off week before facing Florida on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
In Other News...
Auburn Has A Real Chance To Make Georgia Sweat
Auburn heads into its matchup with Georgia carrying the kind of underdog profile that can make a favorite uncomfortable, at least on paper. SportsLines 1,000 simulations point to the Tigers covering the spread nearly 60 percent of the time, a nod to a game model that sees Auburn in better shape than the oddsmakers do. The Tigers are also coming off a bye week, and the projections lean toward a lower-scoring game in which Auburns rushing attack could look sharper.
There are still obvious hurdles to clear in Athens, starting with Georgias home dominance under Kirby Smart and Auburns own personnel hit after linebacker Xavier Atkins was suspended. But the simulation results suggest this might be more than a routine road spot for the Tigers, especially if they can control tempo and make the game play out on their terms. The question now is whether Auburn can turn that theoretical edge into the kind of performance that forces Georgia into a real fight. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Brutal Early Test In Athens Under Alex Golesh
Auburn heads into one of the toughest assignments on its schedule Saturday, when the Tigers travel to Athens for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against No. 1 Georgia on ESPN. The matchup brings the usual rivalry pressure, but this one also arrives with the Bulldogs again looking like the more complete team, and with Auburn beat writers pointing to the gap in talent and Georgias recent control of the series.
Still, the bye week gives Auburn a little extra time to sort through its issues before walking into Sanford Stadium, and that was a recurring part of the discussion in the staff predictions. Even with Georgias edge and Auburns uneven season so far, there is at least some belief that a better-prepared Tigers team can make the trip more competitive than the matchup on paper might suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces The SEC Test That Could Change Everything
Week 7 brings the kind of SEC slate that can reshape an October in a hurry, and Auburn is right in the middle of it with a trip to face Georgia drawing plenty of attention. Around the league, five analysts have weighed in on eight upcoming conference matchups, underscoring how much uncertainty still hangs over the race and how thin the margin is in games like Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee and Missouri-Ole Miss.
For Auburn, the matchup is about more than just another prediction column. It is the sort of test that can alter the conversation around the Tigers in a hurry, because every SEC weekend seems to carry extra weight and every pick comes with a built-in argument. The forecasts are only opinions, of course, but they reflect the stakes well enough: Auburn is heading into one of those Saturdays where the result can change how the rest of the season feels. [Read more 🡒]