HUNTSVILLE — A huge upset within reach of Auburn ended in disappointment against archrival Georgia, while domination continued for Alabama against old foe Mississippi State as Southeastern Conference play continued Saturday for the Tigers and Crimson Tide.
Auburn had a golden opportunity to knock off the top-ranked Bulldogs but came up short 27-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium as third-down troubles continued to haunt the team.
A couple hours after the Deep South’s oldest rivalry ended, Alabama shrugged off a slow start and cruised by Mississippi State 40-17 for the Tide’s 16th straight win over the Bulldogs. The clash ends a series that’s been continuous since 1948. The two schools aren’t scheduled in the future as the SEC reshapes with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma next season.
Auburn (3-2 overall, 0-2 SEC) has a bye this week. Alabama (4-1, 2-0), which moved up to No. 11 in the latest Associated Press rankings, plays Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0) in a game that will be televised by CBS at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It hurts in (the locker room) right now, and that’s good to see,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said after the loss to two-time defending national champion Georgia. “It hurts. It hurts those kids and those coaches and our fans I’m sure, too. You have a chance to beat the No. 1 team in the country, back-to-back national champions at home.
“The feeling you get if you can pull that off, just ecstatic.”
Instead, the Tigers have time off to consider the what-ifs, like what if a few of the six passes out of nine incompletions from quarterback Payton Thorne were caught. But that was just one of Auburn’s eyesores with the biggest being third down. The Tigers were just 2-of-12 on third-down conversions, compared to 8-of-13 for the Bulldogs.
Auburn seemed to take a less aggressive defensive scheme in the second half with few blitzes. Also, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers roamed mostly free after being blanketed in the first half.
He had four catches for 121 yards, including the game-winning touchdown reception on a 40-yard catch-and-run, in the fourth quarter alone.
But Tigers’ defensive coordinator Ron Roberts took exception to that type of assessment made on X, formerly known as Twitter, by a user who tweeted, “Yet we didn’t double/bracket this guy.”
The tweeter added a clown emoji and tagged Roberts, who replied, “Don’t know what game u were watching! He was bracketed most of the day.”
In Starkville, it was business as usual for visiting Alabama. The Tide efficiently dismantled the Bulldogs. Quarterback Jalen Milroe, the rushing attack and the defense were all solid in a performance that was sure to ease any concerns about the team.
“I believe in this team,” head coach Nick Saban said. “I like this team.”
Milroe is also gaining the trust of Saban. The quarterback was 10-of-12 passing with no
interceptions and rushed 11 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think he’s building more confidence every day,” Saban said. “I think he’s played better in each game, and I think he’ll continue to do that as he gets experience.
“We’re all a little smarter as we get older, because we have more experience. As he gains more experience, he’ll gain more confidence.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
