Nov. 13, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" It's not every week you take down No. 1. But that's exactly what Auburn did over the weekend ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" thrashing No. 1 Georgia, 40-17, in front of 87,451 fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" and on Monday, the Tigers were chosen as the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week.
Offensively, Kerryon Johnson led the way with 233 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. And as a unit, the Tigers scored 40 points, averaged 6.9 yards per play and finished with 488 total yards -- 251 passing, 237 rushing.
The Auburn defense was just as impressive, holding Georgia and its star-studded backfield to just 46 yards rushing on the night. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel both finished with less than 30 yards on the ground, and the Bulldogs went 3 of 14 on third down.
"We've got one of the best defenses in the country," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "They proved it again tonight. They took on the challenge."
Not to be overlooked, senior kicker Daniel Carlson made all four of his field-goal attempts and was named SEC special teams player of the week.
This is Auburn's third time to earn the Team of the Week honor dating to the 2002 season and the first since the "Kick Six" in the 2013 Iron Bowl when the Tigers took down No. 1 Alabama on game-winning field-goal return by Chris Davis.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf