Auburn Stuns No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on Walk-Off Field Goal
The auburn stuns georgia upset unfolded Saturday night at Sanford Stadium in Athens, where unranked Auburn beat the nation’s No. 1 team 27-24 as kicker Alex McPherson drilled a 34-yard field goal on the game’s final play. The winning drive came after Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton fumbled near midfield with under a minute to play, killing a Bulldogs drive that had looked headed for a go-ahead field goal of its own.
Stockton’s Fumble Opens the Door
Georgia had tied the game at 24 on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Stockton to London Humphreys with about three minutes remaining. After an Auburn punt, the Bulldogs took over with a chance to win it — then safety Sylvester Smith-Reed pounced on Stockton’s fumble at the Auburn 44-yard line with 58 seconds left. It was Stockton’s third turnover of the night; he also threw two interceptions, though he finished with 272 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Three running plays and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Georgia’s Gabe Harris Jr. moved Auburn 15 yards closer, to the Bulldogs’ 19-yard line. McPherson made no mistake, and the Tigers stormed the field.
From 14-0 Down to a Statement Win
Georgia looked every bit the top-ranked team early, racing to a 14-0 lead after two drives. Stockton briefly left the game after a hit on a 5-yard run on Georgia’s opening snap; backup Ryan Puglisi stepped in to lead a 55-yard drive capped by Dwight Phillips Jr.’s 15-yard touchdown run. Stockton returned for the next series and found Lawson Luckie for a 24-yard score with 6:49 left in the first quarter.
Auburn answered with 24 straight points, ignited by a trick play — a running-back pass to Keshaun Singleton for a touchdown. Quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 150 yards and a score and rushed for 115 yards and another touchdown, including a 5-yard rushing score that made it 24-14 midway through the third quarter. Elijah Melendez intercepted Stockton during the Auburn run, and Peyton Woodring’s 42-yard field goal pulled Georgia back within 24-17 before the late tying touchdown.
A Signature Win for First-Year Coach Golesh
The result snapped Georgia’s 53-game winning streak against unranked opponents and gave Auburn its first win over Georgia since 2017 — and its first victory in Athens in 21 years. It was also the second straight week the AP No. 1 team fell to an unranked foe, after Oklahoma beat then-No. 1 Texas the previous Saturday, the first such back-to-back upsets since 1990.
Auburn improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play, while Georgia dropped to 6-1. For head coach Alex Golesh, 42, in his first season at Auburn after three years at South Florida, it was a signature win — and an emotional one, celebrated on the field with his young son moments after the final kick.
Source: ESPN