AU FOOTBALL: Tigers start hot, fade late in fourth loss in a row to Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. — For conceivably every situation that can hit an offense in a game, Gus Malzahn has a play — all the way down to specific times in the game, yard lines and even hashmarks.

That, though, was before the fourth quarter Saturday night at Sanford Stadium, when Auburn faced a scenario that doesn’t come up in the offensive coordinator’s published book — or anyone’s, for that matter.

With the clock ticking toward the end of Auburn’s 31-24 loss to Georgia, the Tigers’ last-gasp drive was stalled for nearly 15 minutes after Georgia’s Bacarri Rambo was immobilized on a scary helmet-to-shoulder pad hit on Mario Fannin.

“That is just one of those scary situations,” coach Gene Chizik said. “We lived that two weeks ago.”

By the time Rambo was zipped off the field, his thumbs raised with the assistance of two trainers, Georgia’s defense was as refreshed as it had been the entire night, the 92,746 fans in attendance were as loud as they’d been since the opening kickoff and Auburn’s offense looked just as stumped as it had been since its electric first quarter came to an end.

The final result was predictable.

Chris Todd took a hard sack on third-and-11 from Georgia’s 23-yard line. Lee Ziemba’s false start pushed the Tigers back 5 more yards, further minimizing what Auburn could do with its fourth-and-forever from the 35.

Todd’s heave to Darvin Adams in the corner of the end zone was overthrown and batted away, sending the Tigers to their first four-game losing streak in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry since 1948.

“That’s something that we’ve got to find a way to make a play and find a way to get into the end zone right there,” Malzahn said. “We just didn’t get it done in the end.”

Though this 113th installment of the rivalry came down to numerous big plays in the fourth quarter, it was what happened in the first quarter — and what didn’t happen after it — that’ll leave Tiger fans wondering what could have been whenever Auburn learns its postseason bowl fate.

The Tigers (7-4, 3-4 SEC) zipped out to a 14-0 lead with two flawlessly executed drives. Kodi Burns and Terrell Zachery were wide open for both of Todd’s touchdown passes and the running lanes were wide enough to keep the chains moving.

The crowd was silenced, save for a few boos directed at its own quarterback, Joe Cox.

“We were doing some good things,” Todd said. “We just couldn’t close it out.”

The rest of the night was Auburn’s offense circa mid-October, when it stumbled to three consecutive ugly losses.

The Tigers scored on just one of their final eight offensive possessions — a doinked-off-the-uprights Wes Byrum field goal in the third quarter. The other seven ended with four punts, two interceptions and the game-ending turnover on downs.

Demond Washington’s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which tied the game at 24 early in the fourth quarter, provided the lone highlight to take away from Auburn’s final 45 minutes of football.

“We have a good football team, but I don’t know how good anybody is when we turn the ball over,” Chizik said. “We’re not good enough to come back from that yet. A lot of teams aren’t.”

Georgia, meanwhile, couldn’t be stopped after its ugly, 5-yard first quarter. Superstar wideout A.J. Green’s shoulder injury in the second quarter seemed to provide the Bulldogs with a shot of adrenaline, as they responded immediately with a 50-yard Israel Troupe touchdown catch and followed by scoring on all but one of their second-half possessions.

Caleb King’s 24-yard touchdown run with 6:52 to play set up Auburn’s slow-paced, run-heavy game-ending drive.

Auburn ran the ball 10 times before Todd’s pass to Fannin fell incomplete and silence enveloped Sanford Stadium when Rambo didn’t get up.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said Rambo was knocked unconscious, but had movement in all of his extremities and was feeling no neck pain.

“We don’t feel like it’s anything serious in the long term,” Richt said.

Short-term, the Bulldogs responded with two big defensive stops that sent Auburn sputtering into its bye week.

“It’s a tough one to swallow, especially when you come out hot and expect to win,” linebacker Josh Bynes said. “It is just devastating.”

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