Auburn shocked No. 1 Georgia Saturday with a 27-24 victory for its first win in Athens in over 20 years.
First-year head coach Alex Golesh got his first signature victory, and the Tigers lifted kicker Alex McPherson up following his walk-off field goal that lifted the Tigers over the Bulldogs.
Here are five themes from the game that led to the historic win for Auburn.
AUBURN PUNCHED BACK
Trailing 14-0 to the No. 1 team in the country, Auburn looked en route to a blowout loss.
Instead, the Tigers fought back harder than they’ve fought this season, and it led to the biggest win for Auburn in recent years.
Georgia opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive in just five plays. Auburn responded with six offensive plays before punting the ball. Once again, Georgia drove down the field with ease and scored in seven plays.
Auburn trailed 14-0 on the road less than five minutes into the game.
Yet, the Tigers fought. Auburn scored 24 unanswered points and did not back down from the challenge of facing one of college football’s most colossal forces.
BYRUM BROWN PLAYED TO HIS STRENGTHS
Brown played his best game for Auburn when the lights were the brightest.
He played to his strengths, leading Auburn in rushing yardage with 115 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Perhaps more importantly, Brown also protected the football.
Turnovers had plagued Brown this season, but facing No. 1 Georgia and the atmosphere in Athens, he didn’t commit a single turnover. Auburn won the turnover margin by three, its first game this season without a turnover.
TIGERS CONTROLLED THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
Auburn did a nice job controlling the line of scrimmage for most of the game.
The Tigers’ rushing attack has steadily increased in each SEC game this season, and they leaned on it heavily against Georgia. Auburn tallied 192 yards rushing against a team that entered Saturday as the eighth-best rushing defense in the country.
Auburn rushed for an average of 4.2 yards per carry in the win, and while a lot of that is credit to Brown’s ability to scramble, give some credit to the push up front generated by the offensive line against Georgia’s defense.
LINEBACKERS STEPPED UP IN ATKINS’ ABSENSE
Without Xavier Atkins, Auburn needed big-time play from its two sophomore linebackers.
And it got just that from Elijah Melendez and Bryce Deas.
Melendez led the team with nine tackles, tallied a sack and an interception. Deas ranked second on the team in tackles with eight, filling in for Atkins incredibly well, although it comes as no surprise to him.
“We know we have to play up to our standard, play technique sound and assignment sound and we'll be able to stop it against any offense,” Deas said earlier in the week.
IT HELPS TO BE A LITTLE LUCKY
Auburn’s first touchdown won’t win any beauty contests. In fact, it probably should have been intercepted by Georgia.
Byrum Brown pitched the ball to Christian Neptune, who fired it toward a double-covered Keshaun Singleton. However, the two Georgia defenders got caught up and Singleton made a nice adjustment to save the play for the score.
And then of course, perhaps the biggest swing play of the game — Gunner Stockton’s fumble. Auburn’s Cody Sigler did a nice job applying pressure and forcing Stockton to move up in the pocket.
In doing so, Stockton ran into his center Drew Bobo, which looked to jar the football loose, although Sigler also might have gotten a hand on it.
Regardless, Auburn pounced on it, setting the Tigers up for the historic victory.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
