Auburn backmost TJ Finley (1) throws a walk for a touchdown to instrumentality the pb implicit Georgia State successful the last infinitesimal of the 2nd fractional of an NCAA shot crippled Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, successful Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Shedrick Jackson caught a 10-yard touchdown walk from T.J. Finley with 45 seconds remaining, and No. 23 Auburn rallied to bushed Georgia State 34-24 connected Saturday.
Auburn trailed Georgia State by 12 points astatine halftime and avoided losing to a Sun Belt squad for the archetypal clip successful programme history.
Finley, an LSU transportation who replaced starting backmost Bo Nix precocious successful the 3rd quarter, led Auburn (3-1) connected a 98-yard scoring thrust successful the last minutes.
“The connection (from the coaches) was conscionable spell retired and play ball, similar you’ve been doing since you were a toddler,” Finley said. “Just power the discourtesy and bash my job. I came in, and we got the occupation done.”
After Finley’s touchdown walk to Jackson connected 4th down, Smoke Monday sealed the victory, returning an interception 36 yards for a people connected the 2nd play of the ensuing drive.
Led by moving backmost Tucker Gregg, Georgia State (1-3) generated 299 yards of discourtesy and 24 points earlier halftime, but was incapable to adhd to its pb successful the last quarters.
“I deliberation our shot squad played 1 unbelievable contest,” Georgia State caput manager Shawn Elliott said. “They played arsenic hard arsenic they could. They had immoderate adversity and truly fought and dug. It’s truly astonishing that it came down to a fourth-down play.”
The Tigers’ peculiar teams started the comeback with a touchdown disconnected a blocked punt precocious successful the 3rd quarter, and their defence allowed lone 85 yards successful a second-half shutout.
THE TAKEAWAY
Auburn: The Tigers avoided a disastrous result, but the crippled exposed plentifulness of problems connected some sides of the ball. Georgia State had the vantage astatine the enactment of scrimmage for astir of the game, which is simply a large contented for a squad heading into the commencement of a pugnacious SEC schedule.
“At the extremity of the day, it’s not pretty,” Auburn first-year caput manager Bryan Harsin said. “We person to larn from this, successful things that we learned from this crippled that we cognize we tin bash better. … We’ve got to instrumentality each of that into league play. That has to proceed to support getting better. We person finals each Saturday, not conscionable quizzes.”
Georgia State: The Panthers volition beryllium disappointed to not propulsion disconnected their 2nd triumph implicit an SEC squad successful 3 years, but they’ll person a batch of positives to instrumentality distant from the adjacent loss. Georgia State seems to person rebounded from its aboriginal play violative struggles, arsenic it has been keyed by a beardown crushed crippled implicit the past 2 weeks.
“We controlled the enactment of scrimmage a week ago, and we ran the shot truly efficaciously successful the archetypal half,” Elliott said. “Our violative enactment does a bully job. We’ve got a batch of starts nether our loop up beforehand … and we’ve got immoderate caller backs.”
SPECIAL TEAMS SAVIORS
Georgia State led 24-12 precocious successful the 3rd 4th erstwhile Michael Hayes’ punt was blocked by Auburn wide receiver Caylin Newton, the younger member of erstwhile Tigers prima Cam Newton.
Linebacker Barton Lester landed connected the shot successful the extremity zone, giving Auburn its archetypal touchdown disconnected a punt artifact since a triumph implicit Arkansas past season. Lester besides recovered the artifact for the touchdown successful that game.
SECOND-HALF SPARK
Georgia State rushed for 218 yards successful the archetypal half, with Gregg breaking runs of 57 and 50 yards. But aft halftime, the Panthers were held to 48 rushing yards connected 23 attempts.
One of the keys for Auburn’s defence successful the 2nd fractional was the instrumentality of starring tackler Zakoby McClain, who was suspended for the archetypal fractional owed to a targeting punishment helium received past week against Penn State.
“He conscionable flies astir and makes plays,” Auburn antiaircraft tackle Colby Wooden said. “It was captious for him to travel backmost and springiness america the vigor we need.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The No. 23 Tigers dropped 1 spot successful the canvass aft a nonaccomplishment astatine Penn State past week, but their underwhelming show against a ample underdog could outgo them their spot successful the Top 25.
UP NEXT
Auburn travels to look LSU successful its SEC opener connected Oct. 2.
Georgia State starts Sun Belt play with a location crippled against Appalachian State connected Saturday.
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