As the Jordan-Hare Stadium clock melted away Saturday, quarterback Kodi Burns, under pressure on fourth down, threw for running back Ben Tate in the back corner of the end zone. For interminable seconds, the ball hung in the air.
Then it hit the ground.
For the fourth time, Auburn had moved into the red zone only to come up empty. A single tick remained on the clock. And the air seemed to be sucked right out of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A big game that might have been won against an ancient and honored foe was lost. A game that might have been a ray of light in a dark season became instead another one that got away.
It was Georgia that celebrated a 17-13 victory before a sellout crowd of 87.451. It was Georgia that won a third straight in the Deep South’s oldest continuous series for the first time since 1982. And it was Auburn that wondered yet again what went wrong.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, the disappointment showing in his face, said his players gave all they had.
“I thought it was a heck of an effort by both teams,” Tuberville said. “We just didn’t make a few opportunities work for us on offense. Four times in the red zone, and we didn’t come away with any points. That can’t happen in a game like. We knew it would come down to the wire.”
The proud Tigers, preseason favorites in the Southeastern Conference West, fell to 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the SEC. They’ll go into the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29 with a losing record for the first time since 1998.
Georgia won the previous two games in this series handily – 45-20 last season and 37-15 in 2007. There was nothing easy about this one.
The Bulldogs dominated the first quarter statistically, driving 80 yards on their first possession and having a field goal attempt blocked. But it was Auburn that scored first on a 52-yard pass from Burns to Mario Fannin on the first play after Georgia’s Prince Miller fumbled a Clinton Durst punt and D’Antoine Hood recovered.
The extra point was botched when holder Clayton Crofoot dropped the snap with 14 seconds left in the first quarter. That one point would haunt the Tigers through the remainder of the game.
The Auburn defense, healthy for the first time in weeks, adjusted after giving up 158 yards in the first quarter and made life hard for Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno.
But with 3:08 left in the half, Stafford tossed a screen to Morenno, who took it 35 yards for a touchdown. Blair Walsh’s extra point made it 7-6.
Burns and Fannin led Auburn rapidly back down the field. But with 23 seconds left, Wes Byrum missed badly from 42 yards.
Georgia went up 10-6 on a 27-yard Walsh field goal with 1:48 left in the third quarter, but Auburn answered. With the Tigers facing fourth-and-inches at their own 20, Tuberville said go. Burns got it on a quarterback sneak.
With 11:05 left in the game, Fannin broke free on third-and-one and ran 35 yards for the touchdown that gave Auburn the lead. Morgan Hull replaced Byrum and kicked it to 13-10.
But special teams went bad again. Hull’s kickoff bounced out of bounds, and Georgia started from its 40.
On the first play, Stafford threw for Mohamed Massoquoi. The pass was incomplete, but a flag flew. Jerraud Powers was called for interference, a call that even Massoquoi told him was a bad one. Tuberville’s angry reaction drew another 5-yard penalty. Finally, Stafford hit A.J.Green for 17 yards and what proved to be the winning touchdown with 8:24 left.
Auburn drove back to the Georgia 21. On fourth-and-three, Tuberville sent the field goal team on. After a timeout, the offense returned. Burns went for broke. Billings was open in the end zone, but the ball was just out of his grasp.
Auburn started its final drive from its own 20 with 1:44 left. With no timeouts, Burns led the way to third-and-one at the Georgia 14 in the final seconds. A pass was just out of Rod Smith’s reach. Then the final throw didn’t connect either.
It was over.
Fannin was a difference-maker for Auburn, rushing for 60 yards on eight carries and catching four passes. He scored both touchdowns. His touchdown run was his last snap. Ben Tate played tailback on the final two drives. Burns completed 16-of-30 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Montez Billings caught six passes for 66 yards.
Auburn finished with 303 yards, including 124 on the ground. Georgia had 351 yards, 215 through the air and 136 on the ground. Moreno rushed for 131 yards on 22 carries. He had 92 of those yards in the first half. Stafford completed 15-of-24 passes.
