The Greatest Upset That Never Was: Auburn 27, Jacksonville State 20
By Nathan Deal
Sep 12, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Jacksonville State Gamecocks offensive lineman Kyron Samuels (75) reacts on the field after the overtime game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Auburn won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
The concept of FBS teams facing FCS teams has always been simple: a powerhouse program pays a smaller school a gargantuan sum to visit their stadium and provide them an easy win. It’s been done so many times in college football history that it has become cliché.
But sometimes, the cliché is subverted, and the result is a season-changing — and sometimes season-defining — upset. When a large college football program pays an FCS team to come into their own house and beat them, it almost feels like the college football overlords playing a prank.
Nowhere has this ever been more evident than on September 7, 2007, when the Appalachian State Mountaineers upset the 5th-ranked Michigan Wolverines in front of 110,000 shocked fans.
There have been many upsets in college football since that fateful day, but no upset has earned a place beside that famous 34-32 Mountaineer win.
Michigan has been the lone victim of college football’s biggest practical joke. That almost changed on Saturday afternoon.
Jacksonville State went toe-to-toe with 6th-ranked Auburn, who entered the game as a 41-point favorite and the media’s favorite to win the SEC. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a moral victory. The Gamecocks outplayed the Tigers for most of regulation, and Gus Malzahn’s team almost joined those 2007 Wolverines in the hall of infamy.
The Gamecocks did it through the air, as Eli Jenkins went 26/43 for 277 yards and a score, while Josh Barge and Ruben Gonzalez combined for 22 catches and 233 yards. They did it on the ground, as they ran for 161 yards and another score. They did it on defense, holding Auburn without a touchdown in the first half, forcing 3 turnovers and making life miserable for the Tigers’ offense.
The Gamecocks just didn’t do it on special teams, which made all the difference and made one of the greatest upsets in college football history the greatest upset that never was. Connor Rouleau missed 2 field goals. Punter Hamish MacInnes shanked a punt late in the 4th quarter, setting up a struggling Tigers offense at JSU’s 30-yard line. They even had several kickoffs out of bounds and allowed Rudy Ford a big kick return early in the 4th quarter.
As the 4th quarter progressed, and the Gamecocks took a 20-13 lead, a sense of dread descended upon Jordan-Hare Stadium. With a new videoboard and the kids from New Schmid Elementary School in Chicago visiting town as esteemed guests, could such a day of celebration really become the darkest day in the history of a proud, storied football program?
Auburn, in typical fashion, defied the narrative, taking advantage of Jacksonville State’s miscues late in the game and scoring the game’s final 14 points. Auburn fans left the stadium exhausted and relieved, while the small pocket of red-clad Gamecock fans left heartbroken after letting a legendary opportunity slip away.
For Auburn, they’ll take the too-close-for-comfort 27-20 overtime win, because it gives them a 2-0 record. The game at LSU on Saturday looms large. Despite glaring issues the first two weeks, the program still has a chance to make a positive statement in Baton Rouge.
For Jacksonville State, though, they’re left to wonder what could have been. They’ve beaten SEC schools before (a 49-48 win at Ole Miss in 2010). They’ll still compete for the FCS National Championship this season. But Appalachian State’s football program will be forever associated with beating #5 Michigan, and Jacksonville State had every opportunity to become forever associated with beating #6 Auburn, and they ultimately couldn’t pull it off.
The Gamecocks played nearly perfect, but it takes true perfection to go down in sports history.