Georgia's dream season could still end with a national championship, but the road got a little tougher Saturday.
The top-ranked Bulldogs were stunned as No. 10 Auburn cruised to a 40-17 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Meanwhile the Tigers (8-2, 6-1 SEC), afterthoughts in everyone's talk about the College Football Playoff recently, are suddenly in the mix. They'll need some help, but in theory, two-loss Auburn is still alive in the national championship picture.
Really, who saw this one coming? Junior running back Kerryon Johnson rushed for 167 yards, and put an exclamation point on the victory with a 55-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to key Auburn's offense, while quarterback Jarrett Stidham added 214 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
On the other side of the ball, Georgia (9-1, 6-1) came into game averaging 279 yards per game on the ground, ranked eight in the nation. But Auburn completely shut them down in the first half (21 attempts for 19 yards), setting the tone for the entire game. Georgia never got into rhythm offensively, and just like that, the undefeated season is history.
Here are three takeaways from Auburn's upset over Georgia
1. Kerryon Johnson ruled the day, but Nick Chubb passed a legend — Auburn's junior running back ran crazy on the Bulldogs, carrying the ball a career-high 32 times for those 150 yards. Oh, and that 55-yard TD reception is a nice highlight for the game film Monday.
WATCH: Kerryon Johnson sticks the dagger into No. 1 UGA on 55-yard TD reception https://t.co/2aLCrxLFe9 pic.twitter.com/joosOWXSjW
— SportsRadio 740 (@SportsRadio_740) November 12, 2017
Still, kudos are in order for Georgia senior Nick Chubb. He netted only 27 yards on 11 carries, but he did pass Bo Jackson for fourth on the all-time SEC rushing list, which is a big deal. With 4,318 yards he has a shot to pass both Kevin Faulk, (4,557 career yards) and Darren McFadden (4,590 yards) to finish second on the career list. Herschel Waker is probably out of reach at 5,259 yards. Jackson and Walker are two of the legendary backs in college football history, a rare blend of power and speed. Chubb is in that same mold. This is the same guy who went viral on social media earlier this year squatting 600 pounds, and he's a former high school track standout who looks to be 110 percent recovered from that knee injury he suffered as a sophomore. Chubb appears headed for the first round of the NFL Draft. The only question before then: can he, like Walker before him, lead the Bulldogs to a national championship?
2. Georgia self-destructed throughout the game — As noted earlier, Auburn's defense manhandled the UGA offensive line, shutting down the dual rushing attack of Chubb and Sony Michel. Auburn earned this victory, yet the Bulldogs made it tough on themselves with a flurry of mistakes. They muffed a punt and racked up several personal foul penalties. And in the first half, UGA missed an almost certain touchdown. Riley Ridley broke wide open when his defender fell down, but Jake Fromm underthrew it. Fromm could have thrown it better, Ridley might have had a chance to catch it anyway. A score there and the game has a different tone.
3. Georgia and Auburn have uneasy path to College Football Playoff — Georgia is no longer undefeated, but controls its own destiny in terms of making the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs face Kentucky and Georgia Tech the next two weeks, games they should win, before the Dec. 2 SEC championship game against either Alabama or Auburn. Win that, and they're in the playoff. Lose, and they may still make it, but there's no guarantee.
Assuming Auburn gets by Louisiana-Monroe next weekend, the Tigers will face Alabama in the Iron Bowl rivalry game the following weekend. Win that game, then beat UGA again in the SEC title game, and they're likely in the playoff despite two losses. They will have beaten two No. 1 teams in the span of three weeks, an almost unprecedented feat. Lose that Alabama game, and they'll still get a nice bowl out of the deal, but no playoff bid. Sure, it's a tough road for Auburn, but after thumping Georgia, there's plenty of reason to celebrate in Toomer's Corner.