AUBURN — From Jaylin Simpson's fourth interception of the season to Marcus Harris causing a fumble early in the second half, Auburn football seemed to be catching every break against No. 1 Georgia on Saturday.

But that was until All-SEC tight end Brock Bowers had enough of the Tigers (3-2, 0-2 SEC) hanging around.

Bowers made play after play in the Bulldogs' 27-20 win over Auburn, moving the chains more than a couple times and ending his big day with eight catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. Bowers' touchdown came from 40 yards out and pulled Georgia (5-0, 2-0) in front with fewer than than three minutes remaining.

Auburn had a chance to tie or go for the win, but was eventually stopped just short of midfield. The Bulldogs, who haven't lost since December 2021, have won 22 straight games.

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Auburn football's curious quarterback usage

The Tigers didn't jump out to their early lead by playing particularly well. Auburn benefited from a 61-yard rush by quarterback Payton Thorne on its second drive, and Simpson's takeaway gave it a short field with which to work.

Auburn's best drive of the first half came after Brian Battie returned a kickoff to the 37-yard line. Thorne led the Tigers down to the edge of the red zone before coach Hugh Freeze opted to insert backup Robby Ashford into the game. Ashford helped Auburn get to third-and-1, but Freeze then went back to Thorne despite that being a prime situation to use Ashford's mobility.

Thorne handed the ball to junior running back Jarquez Hunter twice. Hunter was stuffed twice, and Auburn turned the ball over on downs.

Ashford finished with four rushes for 33 yards and Thorne had 92 rushing yards.

The Auburn defense is legitimate

Through creating turnovers and getting stops, Auburn's defense once again kept the Tigers in a game they had little business being in. Simpson's interception and Georgia's third-quarter fumble directly led to 14 of Auburn's 20 points.

Harris coupled his takeaway with two tackles for loss. Linebacker Larry Nixon III had a team-high eight tackles; Harris and Eugene Asante trailed him with seven apiece.

Offense needs a lot of work

The ground game did enough to keep Auburn alive for the majority of the game, but Thorne only had 82 yards through the air. Ashford completed his lone pass for six yards.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football falls just short of stunning No. 1 Georgia