The Eatonton Messenger
The Georgia Bulldogs tripped over their own feet Saturday against Auburn, making multiple uncharacteristic mistakes that even the casual football observer could identify.
And the upstart Tigers were more than happy to take full advantage, feasting on Bulldogs’ turnovers as Auburn stunned Georgia 27-24, with Alex McPherson’s field goal as time expired giving the Tigers their first win since 2017 over the Dawgs.
“We helped them; we gave them three turnovers and had some very critical undisciplined penalties,” Smart said after the game.
The closing stages of Saturday’s game were a nutshell of why Georgia fell short. Two plays after Georgia’s Gabe Harris was flagged for a late hit on Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown, Auburn was easily able to line up for McPherson’s game-winner from 34 yards out.
Auburn’s game-winning drive began at its own 44, initially set up by Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton fumbling near midfield, one of three turnovers for him on Saturday.
Stockton also was intercepted twice, marking the first multi-interception game of his Bulldogs career. Stockton, who exited the game for a handful of plays after keeping the ball on Georgia’s first offensive drive, went 22-of-34 for 272 yards passing.
It was not the most sterling effort compared to other outings, but Stockton not only helped Georgia lead 14-0 early, he put the Bulldogs in position to reach overtime in the closing minutes after engineering a 94-yard drive.
“It’s all about how you respond; it’s a lot like life,” Stockton said. “Life is not supposed to be fairytales and pixie dust, it’s all about how you respond and get better.”
Georgia was efficient early in the contest, needing only a little more than eight minutes to lead 14-0. That early success began with a five-play drive of 75 yards that ended with a 15-yard touchdown by Dwight Phillips Jr. It was followed by a 91-yard drive ending on Lawson Luckie hauling in Stockton’s pass for a 24-yard touchdown with 6:49 to go in the first quarter.
That, however, is when Auburn got going on both sides of the ball. Part of that had to do with the Tigers more than holding their own in the trenches, outrushing Georgia 192-113.
Phillips had a good chunk of those Georgia yards, rushing for 68 in a game that also saw Nate Frazier return from injury and gain 19 yards.
It was Auburn’s Brown, though, whose physical frame made him tough to tackle, that helped his team to extend plays. In addition to rushing for 115 yards, the Auburn signalcaller went 15-of-26 passing for 150 yards.
The Tigers gradually got back on track as a result, trailing 14-7 with 3:07 remaining in the first quarter on a halfback pass from Christian Neptune to Keshaun Singleton. They went on to tie it with 6:32 to go until halftime when a nine-yard pass from Brown to Chas Nimrod knotted things up at the end of an 11-play, 64-yard drive.
Georgia tried to break out of its sudden offensive doldrums, driving to get in place for a 54-yard field goal attempt by Peyton Woodring with 4:30 left in the half that was blocked.
Auburn excelled on special teams, however, and led 17-14 at halftime, leaving Georgia trailing at the half for the second game in a row.
The Bulldogs’ mistakes didn’t magically vanish once the second half began. Auburn led 24-14 less than three minutes into the third quarter, after a roughing the passer penalty against Josh Horton extended a Tigers’ drive, capped off by an easy one-yard touchdown by Brown.
The Bulldogs rallied later in the quarter, driving inside the Tigers’ 30-yard line; however, another Georgia miscue followed, as a pass by Stockton was snagged by Auburn’s Eligah Melendez.
Georgia managed to cut into the Auburn lead with 14:15 to play in the fourth quarter when Woodring converted a 42-yard field goal. In the end, however, any benefit gained was eventually undone by multiple missteps by the Bulldogs.
“We like to say that the Dawgs don’t beat the Dawgs, but they found a way to beat themselves,” Smart acknowledged after the game. “A lot of credit to Auburn; their physicality showed.”
Georgia has this week off before facing Florida Oct. 31, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.