ATHENS, Ga. -- Rodrigo Blankenship kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and Georgia's defense shut down No. 9 Auburn in the second half to beat the Tigers 13-7 on Saturday.
The loss ends Auburn's SEC championship hopes and knocks the Tigers out of consideration for a spot in the playoff.
Auburn (7-3, 5-2 SEC) had been in control of its hopes to win the SEC's Western Division, with one conference game remaining at No. 1 Alabama. Instead, Alabama clinched the division with Auburn's loss.
The Tigers couldn't overcome the loss of star running back Kamryn Pettway, the nation's No. 4 rusher who hurt his left leg on a long run in last week's victory over Vanderbilt. Pettway was with the team but not in uniform.
Auburn was held to 32 yards in the second half and 164 overall.
Georgia (6-4, 4-4) earned its biggest victory under first-year Coach Kirby Smart.
After Blankenship's 21-yard field goal with 2:25 remaining, Auburn was stopped on four downs, triggering a celebration in the stands and on Georgia's sideline.
Kerryon Johnson ran for 99 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter, as the fill-in starter for Johnson.
Sean White couldn't find a passing game to complement Johnson's running. White, returning from an undisclosed injury, completed only 6 of 20 passes for 27 yards with an interception.
In other games involving SEC teams Saturday, Austin Appleby threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Scarlett ran for a career-high 134 yards and Florida beat South Carolina and former coach Will Muschamp 20-7, moving closer to clinching the SEC's Eastern Division. The banged-up Gators (7-2, 5-2) can secure a spot in the league title game by winning next week against No. 24 LSU. Coach Jim McElwain lost nine starters the past two weeks, including four against the Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5). Appleby found C'yontai Lewis for a 6-yard score in the first quarter and then floated a perfect pass to Ahmad Fulwood in the corner of the end zone in the second. Eddy Pineiro's two field goals in the third, including a 54-yarder, gave the Gators some breathing room. Florida's defense did the rest. The loss snapped South Carolina's three-game winning streak. ... Drew Lock completed 22 of 37 passes for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns as Missouri defeated Vanderbilt 26-17. Each team opened with a three-and-out before Damarea Crockett's 6-yard touchdown run gave Missouri (3-7, 1-5) a lead it would never relinquish. Crockett (Little Rock Christian) had 20 carries for 154 yards and the touchdown. J'Mon Moore caught 8 passes for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, including an 82-yard score with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter, and Johnathon Johnson added four catches for 73 yards. Kyle Shurmur was 17 of 29 for 252 yards and 2 interceptions, one of which Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton returned 19 yards for a touchdown, the second of his career. Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5) punted three times in the fourth quarter and was held to minus-14 yards. ... Joshua Dobbs threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and ran for two more scores as Tennessee defeated Kentucky 49-36 to continue its domination of their annual series. Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) has won 31 of its past 32 matchups against the Wildcats, with the lone Kentucky victory coming in 2011. Kentucky (5-5, 4-4) hasn't beaten Tennessee in Knoxville since 1984. Tennessee rushed for 376 yards and averaged 9.2 yards per carry against a Kentucky defense that lost leading tackler Jordan Jones to back spasms in the first half.
Sports on 11/13/2016