Kirby Smart didn’t try to dress it up after Auburn walked out of Sanford Stadium with a 27-24 upset. He credited the Tigers where it was due, while also pointing straight at the mistakes that helped swing the game late.
Georgia had the ball tied at 24 with 1:04 left when Gunner Stockton was stripped by Auburn defensive tackle Cody Sigler and fumbled. Stockton also threw two interceptions, one to Elijah Melendez and another to AnQuon Fegans, giving Auburn three takeaways on the day.
Smart also singled out Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown for the kind of slippery, broken-play production that made life miserable for Georgia’s defense.
"Their quarterback is really hard to tackle. We knew that coming in. He did a tremendous job of yards after contact, getting out of sacks, keeping them in good, normal down and distances," Smart said about Brown.
Brown finished with 265 all-purpose yards, threw a touchdown pass to Chas Nimrod, and added a touchdown run. The connection with Nimrod mattered too, since Brown and the receiver were both former USF teammates. Auburn got another boost from two ex-Bulls hooking up as well, with Christian Neptune tossing his second touchdown pass of the season to Keshaun Singleton.
Smart also pointed to Auburn’s cleaner operation and Georgia’s self-inflicted damage.
"We helped them. We gave them three turnovers and some really critical, undisciplined penalties.
Like I say, humility is a week away. Auburn played better than us today, executed better than us today, didn't turn the ball over, and hit the red area plays.
We had some really, really untimely, undisciplined, uncharacteristic penalties. I give them credit, but at the end of the day, we pick it up," Smart said.
Auburn opened the game by jumping on Georgia’s defense quickly, scoring touchdowns on its first two drives. That fast start left questions hanging over center Cole Best and the secondary, especially after the Bulldogs surrendered those early scores so quickly. But even with those rough edges, Smart had no choice but to acknowledge what Alex Golesh’s team pulled off in Athens.
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Alex Golesh had plenty to process after Auburns 27-24 upset of Georgia in Week 7, and the first-year head coach let the emotion show in a postgame interview. The win did more than just break through against a longtime rival. It also snapped Georgias 93-game home winning streak against unranked opponents and gave Golesh his first SEC road victory since taking over at Auburn.
The larger conversation around the game may end up centering on the choices Golesh made before kickoff, especially the decision to suspend linebacker Xavier Atkins. In a season where every SEC result can reshape the mood around a program, Auburns staff will get plenty of credit for the way it managed the week and put the Tigers in position to come away with one of the programs most eye-catching wins in recent memory. [Read more 🡒]
Elijah Melendezs Early Hit Changed Everything In Auburns Georgia Upset
Elijah Melendezs early punch to Georgias offense helped set the tone in Auburns 27-24 win, and the Tigers defense kept leaning on that edge all night. The linebacker was everywhere, finishing with nine tackles, a sack and an interception, and his first big hit helped knock Gunner Stockton out briefly with a stinger before the Georgia quarterback returned.
In Stocktons absence, backup Ryan Puglisi stepped in and completed several passes, giving Georgia enough to stay alive in a tight game. But Auburns defense never let the moment fully swing away, and Melendezs disruptive afternoon ended up being one of the key reasons the Tigers were able to pull off the upset. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Golesh Had The Auburn Reaction Fans Will Want To Hear
Auburns walk-off win at Georgia gave the program a needed jolt, and it came with the kind of aftermath Tigers fans were hoping to hear from Alex Golesh. After snapping a nine-game skid against the Bulldogs and earning the programs first victory in Athens since 2005, Auburn improved to 4-2 and added another rare notch with its first win over an AP No. 1 team since 2017.
Golesh leaned into the emotion of it all, praising the effort it took to get there and pointing to key players who helped make it happen. For a team that has been searching for a signature moment, the tone mattered as much as the result, and Golesh made clear he understood exactly what the win meant inside the program and around it. [Read more 🡒]