Auburn stunned No. 1 Georgia 27-24 on a walk-off field goal by Alex McPherson at Sanford Stadium on October 17, 2026. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry upset snapped the Bulldogs’ 53-game winning streak against unranked opponents and handed the top-ranked AP team its second consecutive weekly defeat.
College football’s top spot proved volatile once again as Auburn engineered a 24-point unanswered surge to topple the top-ranked Bulldogs in Athens. The dramatic finish unfolded when Alex McPherson kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired, securing the Tigers’ first victory in the annual series since 2017.
The sequence that set up the winning kick started with a defensive stand and a costly mistake. Following an Auburn punt, Georgia drove down the field only to watch quarterback Gunner Stockton fumble the ball while running into center Drew Bobo with 58 seconds remaining. Sylvester Smith-Reed recovered the loose ball for Auburn. A late roughing-the-passer penalty against Georgia then pushed the ball closer, allowing McPherson to convert the game-winner.
Auburn won the pre-game coin toss and elected to defer its choice to the second half, allowing the Bulldogs to receive the opening kickoff.
The Bulldogs played shorthanded due to several injuries. Junior running back Chauncey Bowens missed his second consecutive game, while wideout Isiah Canion sat out his fourth contest and Thomas Blackshear missed his second. Safety and kick returner Tyriq Green also missed his fifth straight outing.
Byrum Brown and Auburn Ground Game Power the Upset
Auburn relied on a relentless, physical rushing attack spearheaded by quarterback Byrum Brown. The 235-pound signal-caller rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries while also tossing a scoring pass.
The Tigers piled up 366 total yards of offense across 74 plays, split between 192 yards on the ground and 174 yards through the air. Jeremiah Cobb added a 61-yard rushing effort on 13 carries to complement the ground game.
The visitors opened the scoring in the second half by marching 76 yards over nine plays for a touchdown that extended their lead to ten points. Defensively, the Tigers played without top defensive player Xavier Atkins, who was suspended for the matchup.
He’s a great defensive football coach. We’ve got a lot of links, a lot of respect for him. Our guys have to get ready to go play.
Kirby Smart, Georgia Head Coach
Stockton Turnovers and Bulldog Mistakes Derail Georgia
The afternoon began with promise for the Bulldogs. After Stockton temporarily exited following a helmet-first hit on the game’s opening play, backup Ryan Puglisi entered and completed three passes, culminating in a 15-yard touchdown run by Dwight Phillips Jr. Stockton returned on the next possession to toss a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lawson Luckie, giving the hosts a 14-0 cushion.
Things unraveled as Stockton finished with three total turnovers, including two interceptions. Despite a gritty fourth-quarter rally where Stockton capped a 94-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to London Humphreys to tie the game at 24-24, the late turnover sealed the home team’s fate.
Stockton finished the day completing 22 of 34 pass attempts for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and the two interceptions. Nate Frazier returned to the starting lineup for Georgia after recovering from a rib injury but was largely contained by the Auburn defense, gaining just 19 yards on nine carries as part of a rushing attack that was limited to 113 yards on 28 total attempts.
Historical Impacts on the SEC Rankings
The defeat carries heavy historical weight across college football. It marks the second straight week the top team in the AP Top 25 lost to an unranked foe after then-No. 1 Texas fell to Oklahoma the prior week. Georgia also saw its 53-game winning streak against unranked opponents come to an end.
Georgia drops to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC, losing its brief one-week hold on the top ranking before entering an off week ahead of an October 31 matchup against Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Auburn head coach Alex Golesh took over the program.
