Georgia had a 14-point cushion, yet somehow walked away empty-handed. Auburn clawed its way back before Alex McPherson delivered the decisive blow with a game-winning field goal as time expired, handing the Bulldogs a crushing 27-24 loss. Kirby Smart didn't sugarcoat what went wrong, admitting his team was responsible for its own downfall. Paul Finebaum, though, isn't ready to sound the alarm.
"I mean, you have really good players, and they can every once in a while make really big plays, and, uh, I'm sure Georgia fans are a little down, but I'm I'm really not that concerned about Georgia. Of all the schools that lost yesterday, I'm least concerned about them," said Paul Finebaum during a conversation with ESPN College Football , when asked about the Georgia Bulldogs' prospects following their loss to Auburn.
Paul Finebaum's comments come after Kirby Smart unleashed a blunt assessment of Georgia's disappointing performance against Auburn, making it clear that the Bulldogs had only themselves to blame for the costly defeat.
"Yeah, tough one. We like to say the dogs don't beat the dogs, but they found a way to beat themselves today," Smart said after the game, per Fox College Football on X. "Like I say, humility is a week away."
Initially, Georgia appeared to be in control, with Dwight Phillips Jr. finding the end zone on the ground before Gunner Stockton connected with Lawson Luckie for another touchdown.
However, Auburn completely flipped the script, scoring 24 unanswered points. Despite Smart's earlier suggestion that Georgia had beaten itself, he acknowledged that the Tigers deserved the victory, having earned it through their execution and discipline.
"Auburn played better than us today, executed better than us today," he said. "Didn't turn the ball over and hit the red area plays."
While the defense certainly struggled against the Tigers, Finebaum believes the defeat does little to diminish the team's credentials, as the Bulldogs have already proved their worth. The ESPN analyst might not be wrong in his assessment, either.
So far this season, nearly all of Georgia's victories have come in one-sided fashion, except their 20–17 win over the Crimson Tide, which was a masterclass in team performance. However, that doesn't mean the Bulldogs have nothing to reflect on, as they made plenty of mistakes against the Tigers last night.
Auburn's offense completely exposed Georgia's defense, with quarterback Byrum Brown exploiting the gaps for 115 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs compounded their struggles with costly turnovers and undisciplined penalties, allowing the Tigers to capitalize on their mistakes and seize control of the contest.
"We had some really, really untimely, undisciplined, uncharacteristic penalties," Smart said.
Speaking of Bulldogs QB Gunner Stockton, he did his best to keep Georgia in the fight, throwing for 272 yards and two touchdowns. However, his two costly interceptions raised concerns, even as he helped the Bulldogs erase a 10-point deficit with a touchdown pass to London Humphreys, leveling the score at 24.
However, his late fumble with 58 seconds left handed Auburn another chance, and a roughing-the-passer penalty on Gabe Harris Jr. pushed the Tigers into field-goal range. That said, despite the backdrop, Smart refused to drown in disappointment.
"At the end of the day, we pick it up. Everything we wanna do is in front of us," Smart said. "We have to turn around and get ready to go play again, because it is a war in this league, week in and week out. Everybody can beat everybody."
Georgia entered the game riding a 53-game winning streak against unranked opponents, the longest active streak and the fifth-longest in history. The Bulldogs last suffered such a defeat against South Carolina in 2019.
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