Auburn had been here before... A late lead that evaporated and became a devastating defeat. That had been the story on the Tigers over the previous five seasons under Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze.
On Saturday, the story was rewritten as Auburn defeated No. 1 Georgia 27-24
on the leg of kicker Alex McPherson. This win is the first signature win for Alex Golesh through his first six games as Auburn's head coach.Defeating the Bulldogs on Saturday is a historic victory that could give this program the momentum it has been lacking. Entering the game, Auburn had not defeated Georgia since the 2017 regular season when they won 40-17. Auburn also had not won in Athens, Georgia since the 2005 season. Like on Saturday, that game ended with the Tigers kicking
a field goal to win 31-30.
Not many people believed the Tigers were going to win on Saturday outside of country singer Riley Green. The confidence within the fanbase was low when the Bulldogs opened to a 14-0 lead. That was when the Auburn offense found its rhythm. Auburn responded with an 11-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a trick play where Christian Neptune connected with Keshaun Singleton for a 24-yard touchdown.
Auburn's upset of Georgia was thanks to quarterback Byrum Brown. One of the keys on the offensive side for Auburn entering the game was to take care of the football. Brown racked up 265 yards and two touchdowns, but most importantly, he had zero turnovers. Auburn fans and media had been asking why they had not been using Brown more in the run game. He rushed 26 times for 115 yards. Overall, Auburn rushed for 192 yards, with Jeremiah Cobb rushing for 61 yards on the ground. For the most part, they did a good job of moving the chains and stayed away from third-and-long.
Another key element of this upset, and any upset, is winning the turnover battle. Georgia committed three turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterback Gunner Stockton and the key fumble at the end. Before the fumble, Georgia looked to be in position to kick a field goal to win. Stockton stepped up in the pocket to run when the ball was knocked out of his hand by Cody Sigler and recovered by Sylvester Reed-Smith with 58 seconds remaining. That set the stage for McPherson to kick the 34-yard field goal to win the game.
This is a big win for Auburn and points to this program getting back to where it belongs. However, the work is not done for Golesh and this team. They will need to focus on the next game versus LSU. That game is not as difficult after what happened in Athens.
Auburn is now a team that can look at its schedule and believe it can play with any of its remaining opponents.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Jordan's Review: Auburn's Alex Golesh gets first signature win
