In front of a sold-out crowd in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn’s offense sputtered down the stretch, falling 20-10 to No. 10 Georgia en route to its third consecutive loss.
Georgia has won nine straight against the Tigers, matching its longest winning streak in series history. Auburn falls to 3-3 on the season and is 0-3 in SEC play for the third straight season, for the first time in program history.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Dominant “First 28”
Auburn couldn’t have asked for a more dominant start to the game, which continued for much of the second half.
The Tigers seized a quick 7-0 lead after a picture-perfect 14-play, 75-yard first drive that ended in a touchdown. It was just the second opening-drive score of the season for Auburn. On the first drive alone, Auburn – which controlled over seven minutes of game time – converted on four third downs, which is more than it converted in the last two games combined.
Auburn scored on its ensuing drive with a 25-yard Alex McPherson field goal to go up by 10 points in the second quarter.
After its first punt of the game on its third drive – and after forcing three consecutive punts on the defensive end – Auburn drove 79 yards on 15 plays and was in prime position to take a 17-0 lead into the half.
Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold lined up for a “tush push” and ultimately fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line – at least that’s what the officials saw – and Auburn left its fourth offensive drive with no points.
The Tigers amassed 237 total yards of offense in the first half and held Georgia to 20 yards before a 12-play, 88-yard drive before the half, which gave it three points on a converted 29-yard field goal. Auburn also controlled the ball for nearly 22 minutes of game time and converted on 15 first downs.
Swift change of momentum
After a dominant first half and the alleged Arnold fumble near the goal line, Georgia took complete control of the momentum and never relinquished it.
Georgia has allowed its opponents to score 35 points in the first quarter this season and 30 in the second. It has only allowed a total of 30 points in the second half all season. That trend continued on Saturday night.
Auburn never scored another point after its second-quarter field goal and only garnered 40 yards in the second half. Georgia converted on 13 first downs in the second half compared to Auburn’s three, while totaling 218 yards of offense.
The Bulldogs' last drive took 8:45 off the clock, ending in a 10-yard Gunner Stockton touchdown scamper. Georgia ran 46 second-half plays to Auburn’s 23.
Still too many penalties
Auburn entered the night ranked 120th in the FBS in penalties committed.
It endured its third straight game with 10 or more penalties on Saturday. The Tigers were penalized 11 times for 90 yards.
Yes, there were a handful of tough breaks that didn’t go the Tigers’ way, but there were plays to be made, offensively, that weren’t – again.
The self-inflicted wounds are a continuing trend for this year’s Auburn team.
Defense keeps Auburn in another one
The Tigers’ defense played yet another stellar game on Saturday, and kept Auburn in it for much of the second half.
Auburn held Georgia to a 0-for-7 mark on third down until the fourth quarter and tallied a pair of sacks in the first half and one in the second.
Auburn’s defense was on the field for over 22 minutes in the second half and gave up 218 yards, but turned Georgia over on downs to open up the second half and held it to a missed field goal attempt – essentially giving way to three punts and a pair of turnover-on-downs for Auburn’s offense.
Auburn held Georgia to 79 yards rushing, which is its lowest mark of the season by a large margin. Georgia had broken the 180-yard mark on the ground in every game until Saturday.
Xavier Atkins led the Tigers, yet again, with eight tackles.
Auburn will host Missouri next Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in a "Night" game. The official kick-off time and television destination are TBA.
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