After going toe-for-toe with the No. 1 team in the country all afternoon, Auburn fell to the two-time defending national champion, Georgia Bulldogs, 27-20 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
While the defense held off the Bulldogs and forced quarterback Carson Beck into tough situations all day long, the Tigers weren’t able to hold up against the talent of Georgia in the biggest moments.
“I think that's where the game was won and lost on our third down defense and our third down offense," said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. “And you know, it was hard to get pressure on him (Carson Beck) with just four and he made the plays and we obviously could have done some different coverages but, felt like we had two good ones called on that last drive and we didn't execute them very well.”
The Bulldog’s offense found a way in a tough environment when it mattered most converting eight of their 13 third down attempts. In the second half, Georgia got a first down on five third downs of five or more yards with a high of 12 yards.
“Yeah, we gotta get better you know, there's mistakes that we made, we came close but there was mistakes that we can fix,” said Auburn linebacker Larry Nixon III.
Star Georgia tight end, Brock Bowers, made quite a presence on third downs in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard reception on third-and-9 and a 16-yard reception on third-and-12, which kept the Bulldogs alive on their final drive.
Bowers ended the day with 157 yards receiving which was more than all of Auburn’s passssing offense combined (88). Dating back to last season, it’s the sixth straight game against a Power Five opponent in which the Auburn offense has failed to record over 100 yards passing.
“Nineteen is a handful, and we didn't do a great job guarding him. And I'm sure it wasn't him every time but it was him a large majority of the time when the game was on line,” Freeze said.
And while the defense seemed to run out of gas in the final stretch, it created big plays and turnovers that kept the Bulldogs on their heels all night long. Until a late interception by Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne, Georgia’s two turnovers, to Auburn’s none, played a crucial role in providing the Tigers a chance to pull the upset bid.
“The same type of situation from the Samford game. Me and my boy, DJ, doubling this guy and quarterback threw it, I don't know why he threw it. He made a mistake,” said Auburn cornerback Jaylin Simpson about his tone-setting interception early in the first quarter.
Auburn was also gifted a fumble by Georgia tight end Oscar Delp on the first play of the second half, giving the Tigers the ball on the Bulldog 32-yard line. In both turnover situations, Auburn took advantage and put points on the board — a field goal off the interception and a touchdown off the fumble.
“Yeah, it's vital. We needed some of that probably to win this game, and you know, we preach when a break comes our way score and I think we scored points on both of those and it was huge,” Freeze said.
With a bye week ahead for Auburn, there will certainly be time to begin correcting the errors for what was mostly a successful performance by the defensive unit through the first five weeks of play. But, with tough Southeastern Conference play still very much ahead of Freeze’s squad, there will be lots to learn for a defense that still has a lot of confidence and swagger.
“We capable. The sky's the limit for us. That's really, really what I learned man," Simpson said. “We know what we’re capable of. But sky's the limit for us.”
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
