ATHENS, Ga. — The Auburn Tigers did the near-impossible on Saturday afternoon, defying the odds to take down No. 1 Georgia 27-24 in the Bulldogs’ own building.
Head coach Alex Golesh and his group didn’t listen to the outside noise, coming back from a 14-0 deficit, and weathered a late Georgia comeback to snap the Bulldogs’ 53-game winning streak against an unranked opponent. All three phases of the game contributed to it, too.
Here are three winners and two losers from the contest.
Winners: Elijah Melendez
With standout linebacker Xavier Atkins away from the team, Auburn needed an answer for the quarterback of the defense. Sophomore Elijah Melendez answered that call on Saturday.
He finished with nine total tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, which were all team-highs in the win. Of course, he also had a critical interception from Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton that took away a near-red zone opportunity for the Bulldogs.
Melendez continues his rise on DJ Durkin’s defense, which was able to respond after going down early in the contest. Golesh said that he was everywhere in the win, and he will only grow from that.
Loser: Penalty Yards
The one part of Auburn’s game that kept Georgia in it, or shot the Tigers in the foot, was penalties.
Golesh’s group had 11 penalties on Saturday, picking up 85 yards of damage. They came at poor times, too, whether it be holding calls deep in Auburn’s own territory or pass interference calls to continue Georgia’s attack offensively.
Fortunately, other factors helped the Tigers make that a moot point. However, it’s something to keep in mind with the rest of the SEC schedule, including matchups with both LSU and Ole Miss to round out the month of October. As we’ve seen in the past with other games, it could be the difference between getting a team back in a game and winning.
Winner: The Rushing Attack
Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown stole the show offensively in the win, amassing 115 rushing yards and a touchdown off 26 attempts. He extended plays, broke tackles and tired the Georgia defense while moving the chains for the Tigers against a stout defense.
However, other names were able to contribute immensely, fulfilling Golesh’s pledge of running the football efficiently. Jeremiah Cobb had 61 yards off of 13 carries, while Omar Mabson II added 14 yards of his own while adding in the pass game.
The Tigers outran the Bulldogs on the ground in the win, 192-113. That was the key to slowing the No. 1 team in the country down, and it will be something Golesh will look to continue against the rest of his ACC schedule.
Loser: Pass Protection
Going into the open date, Brown was the most-sacked quarterback in the entire country. The Bulldogs were able to get to him, similar to other teams, on Saturday.
The Auburn quarterback was sacked five times in the win, with two of those happening in the fourth quarter while the Bulldogs were making a comeback. Oftentimes, Brown simply got back to the line of scrimmage to avoid a sack, but the offensive line had holes that Georgia was taking advantage of to cut into the Tigers’ double-digit lead in the second half.
LSU and Ole Miss, the immediate next opponents, have players on the defensive line who have made it difficult for opposing quarterbacks in past weeks. Auburn will look to tighten that up if it wants to continue to win at elite levels.
Winner: The Program
Auburn has not had a win as big as this to move the needle for its program this entire decade. A victory against the No. 1 team in the country alters how the program is looked at under a first-year head coach.
Golesh knows what it can do for a program, too, saying these are opponents that he wants to win against with the trajectory he wants to have.
“I just want to get this program, and I think we all want to get this program, back to where you expect to commit and win games,” Golesh said after the game. “That’s why we came here. That’s why we chose Auburn. That’s why these guys chose Auburn.”
From a transfer, player and recruit standpoint, a win like this proves you can win anywhere in the country with the right mindset. It looks like Auburn has that in its new head coach.
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