Auburn 20, Florida 17

1234T
AUB (3-2)773320
FLA (4-1)0031417

Final

8:00 PM ET, September 29, 2007
BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM
GAINESVILLE, FL

Byrum makes last-second kick twice in Tigers' upset victory

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Auburn's Wes Bynum split the uprights on a 43-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter.
Gameball goes to... Auburn defense. The Tigers held the high-powered Gators offense to 312 total yards, more than 200 yards below its season average.
Stat of the game... 11. The Gators saw their 11-game win streak come to an end. Their last loss was last season at Auburn.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2314
Total Yards326312
Passing227201
Rushing99111
Penalties7-557-44
3rd Down Conversions6-145-12
4th Down Conversions1-10-1
Turnovers12
Possession32:5727:03
Air/Ground Leaders
Auburn Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Cox17/2622700
Florida Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Tebow20/2720111
Auburn Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Tate2065119
Fannin1362014
Florida Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Tebow1975112
Harvin41908
Auburn Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Smith9102021
Billings356025
Florida Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Harvin7119052
Ingram437117
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERAUBFLA
TD06:16Kodi Burns 6 Yd Run (Wes Byrum Kick)
Drive: 14 plays, 86 yds, 7:32
70
SECOND QUARTERAUBFLA
TD06:21Ben Tate 3 Yd Run (Wes Byrum Kick)
Drive: 10 plays, 80 yds, 3:36
140
THIRD QUARTERAUBFLA
FG11:58Joey Ijjas 24 Yd
Drive: 5 plays, 48 yds, 1:22
143
FG06:39Wes Byrum 30 Yd
Drive: 10 plays, 52 yds, 4:07
173
FOURTH QUARTERAUBFLA
TD14:56Cornelius Ingram 6 Yd Pass From Tim Tebow (Joey Ijjas Kick)
Drive: 9 plays, 38 yds, 4:14
1710
TD07:36Tim Tebow 2 Yd Run (Joey Ijjas Kick)
Drive: 9 plays, 89 yds, 3:32
1717
FG00:00Wes Byrum 43 Yd
Drive: 10 plays, 35 yds, 3:38
2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Wes Byrum started celebrating before his kick even cleared the uprights. He knew it was good when it left his foot.

For Auburn, it was actually perfect. For Florida, it was a kick where it hurt most.

Byrum's 43-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Tigers to a 20-17 victory over No. 4 Florida on Saturday night and gave them one of the biggest upsets on a day filled with them.

"It doesn't get any better than that," said Byrum.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the defending national champions, who lost to Auburn last year, and gave the Gators their first home loss under coach Urban Meyer. They had won 18 in a row, 17 straight since Meyer took over in 2005.

It also might have jeopardized Florida's chances of repeating. Then again, with all the other upsets Saturday, the Gators surely won't slip too far out of the picture.

Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) could take a big step back next week at No. 2 LSU. Then again, if the Gators perform like they did Saturday, they could be in for another long day.

Big Numbers
Auburn Tigers

Auburn has won only four times in the last 12 meetings with Florida but all four wins were when the Gators were highly ranked. Before Saturday's 20-17 victory, Auburn's last win in Gainesville was in 1994, an upset win over No. 1 Florida.

Year Site UF ranking Final score
2007 Florida 4th 20-17
2006 Auburn 2nd 27-17
2001 Auburn 1st 23-20
1994 Gainesville 1st 36-33

Auburn (3-2, 1-1) played sound defense, prevented Tim Tebow & Co. from making many big plays and took advantage of several mistakes to build a 14-0 lead at halftime.

A running-into-the-punter penalty kept Auburn's opening drive alive. It ended with Kodi Burns' 6-yard touchdown run. The Tigers made it a two-touchdown game with Ben Tate's 3-yard run that followed a blocked field goal.

It was 17-3 before Florida evened the game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

However, Auburn came up big in the closing minutes. Byrum attempted the winning kick, just as Meyer called timeout. The kick was true, but Byrum had to do it again.

He did, and it was right down the middle.

"I was pretty excited," said Byrum, who missed his only attempt last week against New Mexico State. "I had a rough week last week. I wanted to make sure I came back."

Auburn used the final 4 minutes to set up the kick. Tate ran for 18 yards and Brandon Cox found Rodgeriqus Smith twice for 16 yards.

Byrum did the rest.

"He's got a tremendous leg," Cox said. "I was on the sideline about to throw up. Being a true freshman, after the first time he hit, I was sure he was nervous. To make two of them, that says a lot about him."

The Tigers rushed the field to celebrate and performed the "Gator Chomp" everywhere in front of 90,685 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Gators were stunned, much like No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Rutgers and No. 13 Clemson were after being handed their first losses Saturday.

"We couldn't get first downs and we couldn't get the defense off the field," Meyer said. "That's the first time this season we've been put in that position.

"It's very disappointing. We didn't play smart."

Tate finished with 65 yards rushing. Mario Fannin added 62, and Cox was 17-of-26 passing for 227 yards. Smith caught nine passes for 102 yards.

The defense deserves even more credit. The Tigers held Florida to 312 yards, well below its average.

Tebow was 20-of-27 passing for 201 yards with a touchdown and ran 19 times for 75 yards and a score. He got little help, but that was part of the game plan because Meyer was so concerned about blocking the Tigers.

ESPN GAME OF THE WEEK

The ESPN Classic Game of the Week will feature Auburn vs. Florida on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

"At no point in that game did I feel comfortable enough to turn around and hand it off," Meyer said.

Florida allowed too many big plays in the first half, the result of too little pressure and too much cushion from cornerbacks.

The offense wasn't much better. The Gators punted on their first two possessions, had a blocked field goal and then fumbled on fourth down just before the half.

They turned it around in the third quarter.

After an Auburn punt, Tebow hooked up with Harvin for 52 yards. They couldn't punch it in from the 3 and settled for a field goal.

Tebow threw his second interception of the season on the next possession, a turnover that helped set up Byrum's 30-yard field goal to take it to 17-3.

Meyer was determined to change the momentum on the ensuing drive and called for a fake punt on fourth-and-1 near midfield. The Gators were flagged for an illegal formation and forced to punt anyway.

Florida got a break, though, when Tate fumbled on the next play. Tebow then took over, eventually connecting with Cornelius Ingram for a 6-yard score that made it 17-10.

After another Auburn punt, Tebow was at it again. He engineered an 89-yard drive, highlighted by a 32-yard pass to Harvin, and tied it with a 2-yard plunge.

Florida had a chance to take the lead, but a shanked punt gave Auburn the ball at the 39-yard line.

Cox, Tate and Byrum took it from there.

"We battled our way back into it, but couldn't get it done," Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey said.

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Saturday, September 29th
LSU 34 Final
Tulane 9
Mississippi State 21 Final
South Carolina 38
Florida Atlantic 17 Final
Kentucky 45
Mississippi 17 Final
Georgia 45
Alabama 14 Final
Florida State 21
North Texas 7 Final
Arkansas 66
Eastern Michigan 7 Final
Vanderbilt 30
Auburn 20 Final
Florida 17