Auburn Shocks Georgia, Wins On 73-Yard Hail Mary
Nov 16, 2013; Auburn, AL, USA; Fans of the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs tailgate together before the game at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Murray led the Georgia Bulldogs back in the fourth quarter to overcome a 17-point deficit, bringing the score to 38-37 and seemingly putting the game away.
But, somehow, Nick Marshall threw up a prayer from 73 yards out and, somehow (again), Ricardo Louis cruised into the end zone untouched… and won the game.
You really do have to see it to believe it:
It really was a miracle.
This one is going to be remembered for a long, long time–especially if you are a Georgia fan.
After Murray and the Georgia offense seemingly pulled off a huge comeback and took down No. 7 Auburn, a play like this ruined it all for them, and the Tigers won, 43-38.
Just look at the reaction of the Georgia coaches. It says it all:
This loss is even more crushing when you realize just how impressive the comeback was. Aaron Murray led his team down the field in the fourth quarter time after time after time.
He threw a 5-yard pass to Rantavious Wooten for a touchdown.
He threw a 24-yard pass to Arthur Lynch for a touchdown.
Finally, with under two minutes left and the Bulldogs down by 6, Murray ran the ball five yards into the end zone for a touchdown.
However, the football gods clearly have it out for Georgia this year, and they wouldn’t be allowed to come away with the win.
Murray finished with 415 yards on a 33-49 passing attempts and was responsible for four touchdowns. The team totaled 532 yards over the game, and turned the ball over just once. But for everything Georgia did, the Tigers were one step ahead.
Auburn finished with 566 yards on the night and didn’t turn the ball over a single time. Each player that ran the ball averaged over four yards per carry and the team finished with 323 yards on the ground.
The Georgia defense should be given some credit for stopping the Tigers back-to-back times during the fourth-quarter comeback… but when you give up that much yardage, you give a team too much of a chance to hang around in the game.
And that’s exactly what happened–in the worst imaginable way.