AUBURN, Ala. - If Georgia junior receiver A.J. Green was playing his final game against a Southeastern Conference opponent Saturday, he certainly went out with a bang.
Green, widely considered a top-five pick in next April's NFL draft should he opt to leave early, had a career-high nine catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the 49-31 loss to Auburn. It marked Green's third 100-yard performance in his seven games this season and the seventh of his career.
"I made some big plays but it wasn't enough," said Green, who missed the first four games this season for violating NCAA rules. "They were the better team today."
The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder from Summerville, S.C., did most of his damage in the first quarter, when he caught four Aaron Murray passes for 98 yards, including touchdowns of 31 and 40 yards. Murray had struggled out of the gate the previous two weeks but came out scorching against the Tigers, completing 6 of 8 first-quarter attempts for 121 yards and three scores.
Murray took a shot to his knee late in the game and had to be helped off the field, but Bulldogs coach Mark Richt did not believe there was any structural damage. The redshirt freshman finished with 273 yards passing and now has 2,580 this season, ranking third all-time for an SEC freshman.
Green had five catches for 114 yards at halftime, but Auburn made him even more of a focal point in the second half by using a cornerback and a safety on him nearly every play.
"I know that we certainly tried about everything that we had, and they made some great throws to him," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "He made some great catches. He's one of the best football players in college football, and there is no question about it. He is a force to be reckoned with."
Richt said Auburn's adjustments made the Tigers more vulnerable against the run in the second half. Bulldogs tailbacks Caleb King (nine carries for 53 yards) and Washaun Ealey (six for 44) each averaged more than 5.5 yards per carry, but Auburn tallied four sacks to negate some of that yardage.
Georgia traded touchdowns with Auburn until the final play of the third quarter, when the Bulldogs opted for a Blair Walsh field goal on fourth-and-5 from the 11.
"I felt like we needed seven on that particular drive, because they're a great offense and they're going to keep scoring," Green said. "We had to go punch-for-punch with them, and I thought that field goal really hurt us."
That would be the last points Georgia would score, as Auburn closed the game on a 14-0 run.
The Bulldogs extended their school-record streak to six games of scoring 30 or more points, but they are 4-2 in that stretch with losses to rivals Florida and Auburn. They are off before hosting Georgia Tech on Nov. 27, which could be Green's final college game if the Bulldogs don't win.
"It's getting close," he said. "I'm going to have to make the biggest decision of my life. I'm going to go home next weekend and talk to my parents and see what they want. With me missing those four games, it's gone by so fast."