Vaughn’s Field Goal Wins It

ATHENS, Ga. —  Auburn’s hopes of reaching the Southeastern Conference championship game took a major blow before the kickoff. The Tigers didn’t let it get them down.

Devin Aromashodu turned a fourth-down pass into a 62-yard gain, setting up John Vaughn’s 20-yard field goal with six seconds remaining that gave No. 15 Auburn a thrilling 31-30 victory over ninth-ranked Georgia on Saturday night.

The Tigers (8-2, 6-1 in the SEC) were hoping rival Alabama would remain unbeaten, setting up a head-to-head showdown for the Western Division title next week at Auburn.

But the Crimson Tide lost to Louisiana State, 16-13, in overtime shortly before the Auburn-Georgia game kicked off, putting the Bayou Bengals in control of the division race.

“We had our shot at them and we didn’t beat them,” Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said of Louisiana State.

Georgia (7-2, 5-2) controls its destiny despite the loss. Helped out by South Carolina’s upset of Florida, the Bulldogs can still claim a spot in the SEC’s Dec. 3 championship game with a win over lowly Kentucky next week.