It may have set offensive football back a few decades, but Gene Chizik‘s Auburn squad shocked Steve Spurrier and No. 10 South Carolina, scoring a late fourth quarter touchdown to beat the Gamecocks 16-13 in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Michael Dyer carried the load for Auburn, running for 141 yards and a touchdown on a ridiculous 41 carries. Barrett Trotter and the Auburn offense only completed 12 of 25 throws for 112 yards and two interceptions, but Trotter hit tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen on a crossing route with 1:38 left in the game for the winning score. Lutzenkirchen was hit just as he reached the goaline, jarring the ball loose into the endzone. He recovered just before both he and the ball went out of bounds, and replay officials didn’t have enough evidence to overturn the crucial call that ultimately decided the game.
While Auburn’s passing attack was mediocre, South Carolina’s was even worse, with Stephen Garcia completing only 9 of his 22 throws with one touchdown and two interceptions. Garcia found Alshon Jeffrey five times, including a 50-yard touchdown, but struggled throughout the game to evade the Auburn pass-rush.
With a chance to get into field goal range and attempt a kick to get to overtime, Garcia hit Bruce Ellington over the middle, but Ellington couldn’t get down fast enough to give the Gamecocks a chance to attempt the kick.
After surviving against Georgia and Navy and having a “putrid offensive performance” in a 21-3 win over Vanderbilt, South Carolina was finally beat by Auburn, giving both teams one loss.
