Auburn walked into Sanford Stadium, stared down the No. 1 team in the country, and left with the kind of win that turns a Saturday into a headline.
Alex McPherson delivered the finishing blow, drilling a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tigers a 27-24 win over Georgia on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs had opened with a 14-0 burst and looked ready to roll again between the hedges, but Auburn kept answering, kept swinging, and finally finished the job after Georgia’s third turnover of the day.
The result handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season and snapped a nine-game win streak in the series. Georgia fell to 6-1, 4-1 SEC, while Auburn improved to 4-2, 2-2.
Georgia actually outgained Auburn 440-366, but the numbers that mattered most came in the turnover column. Gunner Stockton finished 22 of 34 for 272 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Byrum Brown went 15 of 26 for 150 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also running 26 times for 115 yards and a score. Georgia’s defense was led by Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole, who each had 10 tackles.
The game started like a Georgia runaway. Stockton, as usual, opened at quarterback and ran for 5 yards on the first snap before leaving the game due to a medical issue.
Ryan Puglisi stepped in and immediately helped move the ball, hitting Nate Frazier on a screen for 4 yards and then finding Craig Dandridge Jr. on a 41-yard deep ball on third-and-1. Stockton returned on the next play and handed off to Dwight Phillips, Jr., who finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 12:03 left in the first quarter.
Georgia quickly doubled that advantage. After its defense forced an Auburn punt, the Bulldogs went 89 yards in seven plays, and Stockton found Lawson Luckie wide open on the left sideline for a 24-yard touchdown with 6:49 left in the quarter.
Auburn stopped the tone from settling there. On second-and-7 at the Georgia 25, Christian Neptune threw a touchdown pass to Keshaun Singleton on a trick play, trimming the lead to 14-7 with 3:07 remaining in the first.
That was just the start of Auburn’s surge. Brown connected with Chas Nimrod on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 6:32 left in the half to tie it 14-14, and McPherson added a 49-yard field goal with 1:20 to go before halftime to send Auburn into the break up 17-14. The Tigers also picked off a Stockton deep ball with 1:04 left in the half, and after Anthony Lonon Jr. sacked Brown for a 4-yard loss to force a punt with 27 seconds remaining, Auburn carried a 17-14 lead into halftime despite Georgia holding a 256-231 edge in total offense.
The second half opened with Auburn extending the run. The Tigers moved 76 yards in nine plays and turned a pass interference penalty on Georgia into first-and-goal at the 5. Brown scored on the next play to make it 24-14 with 11:28 left in the third quarter, giving Auburn 24 straight points since Georgia’s opening 14-0 lead.
Georgia had a chance to answer right away, driving to the Auburn 24 before Stockton threw another interception. Auburn then punted after a three-and-out, and Georgia finally started chipping away. Peyton Woodring hit a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 24-17 with 14:15 left, and later the Bulldogs mounted their longest drive of the season by yardage.
Starting at its 6 with 8:14 left, Georgia marched 94 yards in 13 plays. Stockton completed an 18-yard pass to Talyn Taylor on third-and-10 from the UGA 6, then ran for 20 yards to the 4 before tossing a 4-yard touchdown to London Humphreys with 2:58 left to tie it 24-24.
But Georgia still had one more costly mistake in it. After getting the ball back at its 39 with 1:12 remaining, the Bulldogs lost the game on a Stockton fumble near midfield. Auburn recovered at the Georgia 44 with 58 seconds left, moved into range, and McPherson ended it with the final kick.
In Other News...
Georgia Loses A Key Secondary Piece Ahead Of Auburn
Georgias secondary will have to adjust on the fly Saturday, because junior safety KJ Bolden is out for the Auburn game because of injury. It is the first time Bolden has missed a game since arriving in Athens, ending a run of 34 straight appearances and removing one of Georgias more dependable pieces on the back end at a point in the schedule where every defensive detail matters.
He is not the only Bulldog sidelined, either. Chauncey Bowens, Isiah Canion, Thomas Blackshear, Amaris Williams and Tyriq Green are also listed out, giving Georgia a longer absentee list than it would prefer heading into a rivalry matchup. Auburns report did not bring any fresh movement, with Xavier Atkins, Tai Buster and Hunter Herring still unavailable as both teams work through a stretch where depth is being tested on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Is Already Showing Something Fans Will Want To See
Georgia got the kind of tune-up it wanted at Stegeman Coliseum, rolling past Charlotte 87-67 in a preseason basketball game that offered a clear early snapshot of what this roster might be capable of. Blue Cain led the way with 14 points, and the Bulldogs perimeter touch was a big part of the night, as they knocked down 17 of 33 shots from beyond the arc.
For a team still sorting itself out before the games start counting, that kind of shooting is the sort of thing fans can latch onto quickly. Georgia gets one more preseason test against Clemson before opening the regular season on November 2, and the bigger question now is whether the Bulldogs can carry that same shot-making into a tougher setting. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Faces One Auburn Worry Fans Cant Ignore
Georgia heads into its next SEC test riding the high of a win over Alabama and sitting at No. 1 in the AP Poll, but Auburn is the kind of opponent that can complicate a good week fast. The Tigers come in under new head coach Alex Golesh with a 3-2 record, and they get the trip to Athens with plenty of incentive to make the matchup uncomfortable for a team still trying to manage the wear and tear of a long season.
Georgias injury list is the part Bulldogs fans will watch most closely, with running back Chauncey Bowens and defensive back KJ Bolden among the players listed as injured or doubtful. Even with the top ranking and momentum on its side, Georgia is heading into this one with enough uncertainty to keep the attention fixed on availability as much as on the opponent across the field. [Read more 🡒]