Auburn 27, Georgia 24: Three takeaways and a field goal on the final play

Auburn won at No. 1 Georgia on Saturday because it never gave the ball away and Georgia gave it away three times. Alex McPherson ended it with a 34-yard field goal as time expired, 27-24, at Sanford Stadium.

Georgia outgained Auburn 440 yards to 366 and had the better day on third down. None of that covered the turnovers. Gunner Stockton threw two interceptions, and the Bulldogs lost the ball once more. Auburn finished with zero turnovers. It is Georgia's first loss of the season and its first at home this year.

How it was won

Georgia started as the No. 1 team should. Dwight Phillips Jr. ran 15 yards for a touchdown at 12:03 of the first quarter, and Stockton found Lawson Luckie for 24 yards at 6:49. It was 14-0 with Peyton Woodring adding both kicks.

Auburn answered before the quarter ended. Christian Neptune threw 24 yards to Keshaun Singleton at 3:07 to make it 14-7. In the second quarter, Byrum Brown hit Chas Nimrod from 9 yards at 6:32 to tie it, and McPherson made a 49-yard field goal at 1:20 for a 17-14 halftime lead.

Brown ran in from 5 yards at 11:28 of the third quarter, and Auburn led 24-14. Georgia worked back. Woodring made a 42-yard field goal at 14:15 of the fourth, and Stockton threw 4 yards to London Humphreys at 2:58 to tie it at 24.

That left Auburn nearly three minutes. It used all of it, and McPherson's kick went through at 0:00.

Brown carried the offense both ways. He was 15 of 26 for 150 yards and a touchdown, and ran 26 times for 115 yards and another score. Jeremiah Cobb added 61 yards on 13 carries as Auburn outrushed Georgia 192 to 113. Nimrod caught six passes for 60 yards; Singleton had three for 45.

Stockton was 22 of 34 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and ran nine times for 26 yards. Craig Dandridge caught four passes for 88 yards and Talyn Taylor four for 64. Phillips ran 10 times for 68 yards.

The rest of the box was close. First downs went 24-23 to Georgia, possession 30:27 to 29:33. Auburn converted 6 of 16 third downs; Georgia 6 of 12.

Against the number

Georgia closed at -19.5. Auburn did not need the points, winning outright and covering by 23. The closing moneyline on Auburn was +800, with Georgia at -1350, so a $100 bet on the Tigers returned $800 in profit.

The total closed at 50.5. The final kick took the game to 51 points and over by half a point. Before McPherson's field goal, the game sat at 48, under. Full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

Auburn, now 4-2, has won at No. 1 a week after losing 24-14 at No. 17 Tennessee. It plays host to No. 22 LSU on Saturday, October 24. The Tigers' four wins have come by margins of 3, 6, 35 and 1, so another close one would fit the pattern.

Georgia falls to 6-1. Its previous game was a 20-17 win at No. 6 Alabama, and before that it had won every game by at least 24. The Bulldogs have a week off before facing Florida on Saturday, October 31, on ABC. Expect the No. 1 ranking to move after this result.