The Georgia Bulldogs had just taken their first lead of the game thanks to 38-yard field goal to go up 20-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Not panicked, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne and the Tigers’ offense went back to work on a drive that started on the Auburn 25-yard line. Some short, completed passes, some solid rushes from Brian Battie and a pass interference call that went Auburn’s way had the Tigers knocking on the red zone’s door.

On 2nd and 6 from Georgia’s 28-yard line, Thorne took a page out of Carson Beck’s book and targeted his big-bodied tight end.

Rivaldo Fairweather – whose 6-foot-4 frame makes him a mismatch nightmare – found himself in a one-on-one situation against Daylen Everett, Georgia’s 6-foot-1 defensive back.

It was the exact situation you hope to get Fairweather into, so Thorne looked to capitalize on the matchup and tossed the football in the direction of Fairweather, who was streaking down the left sideline.

Thorne’s throw was a 50/50 ball and Fairweather was able to get separation from Everett. The ball first hit Fairweather’s right hand and then his left hand before falling through the basket and bouncing towards the pylon at the goal line.

A catch would’ve given Auburn a fresh set of downs inside the Georgia 5-yard line and the opportunity to possibly go up 24-20 and apply pressure on Beck and the Bulldogs’ offense. And surely, a juiced-up Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd wouldn’t have helped Georgia’s case.

But as the old saying goes, “almost” only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Now, this isn’t a hit piece on Fairweather. Anyone who has watched Auburn this season will tell you Fairweather might be the Tigers’ biggest receiving threat. Not to mention, if not for some critical grabs against Cal in Week 2, this Auburn team would be 2-3 on the year instead of 3-2.

However, Fairweather’s drop in the fourth quarter on Saturday was the perfect example of a game-wide trend. It looked as though popcorn was part of the pregame meal on Saturday as Auburn’s receivers tallied drop after drop against Georgia.

Thorne went 10-for-19 for 82 yards against the Bulldogs. And looking at just the numbers, one might assume his performance was just as turbulent as the one that ended with him being benched at Texas A&M.

A look at the film, however, tells a different story.

Of Thorne’s nine incompletions, six of them hit the hands of his target.

“I thought Payton (Thorne), of his nine incompletions Saturday, I really felt like five of those should have been caught,” Freeze said during a speaking engagement in Mobile on Monday. “And that makes a difference in those games and it makes a difference in how you perceive the play of a quarterback.”

Fairweather and Malcolm Johnson Jr. each had a pair of passes hit them in the hands, while Jay Fair and running back Jarquez Hunter each had one pass ricochet off their hands.

And that doesn’t mean Auburn’s receivers are to blame for all of them. Not every throw was perfect and the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs have some talented defensive backs in the secondary that were able to make plays.

If some of those incompletions never fell to the turf, however, the night might’ve ended with thousands of Auburn fans storming Pat Dye Field.

But that’s been the story of Auburn’s offense this season – the Tigers have been inconsistent on that side of the football.

Against Texas A&M, Freeze said Thorne had receivers running wide open, but the junior quarterback missed them.

Against Georgia, it was the opposite – Thorne was making the throws, but Auburn’s receivers weren’t making the catches.

“We’re still searching a bit, not so much in the running game, but in the pass game as to what we really look like and who we’re really going to be,” Freeze said. “When I say that, I do not say that that’s all on the quarterback. A lot of it is on receiver play, coaches.”

Freeze made a strong effort to improve Auburn’s receiver corps in the offseason. He brought in guys like Fairweather, who transferred in from Florida International, and Shane Hooks, who made it to The Plains by way of Jackson State.

But Saturday’s performance indicates that room still isn’t at the standard it needs to be to help the Tigers compete in the SEC.

As such, Freeze is continuing to prioritize adding talented targets to his roster.

“We’ve gotta get some guys in the receiver room – some depth there that can separate and win some 1-on-1s,” Freeze said Monday when asked what position group he’s prioritizing on the recruiting trail.

Now here’s the good news for the Tigers: Auburn hosted nearly 70 recruits on Saturday.

Of those visiting were four blue-chip receivers in the 2024 class, including Auburn pledges Perry Thompson, Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain. Ny Carr, a 4-star set of hands who holds offers from the likes of Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and others, was also at Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch the Tigers take on the top dogs.

Auburn also hosted a 2025 5-star receiver and Alabama commit in Ryan Williams.

Here’s more good news: Though the Tigers lost Saturday’s game, Auburn showed its ability to go toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country and to did so in front of an impressive home crowd. And that shows Auburn targets that Freeze and the Tigers might be closer to turning the corner than some realize.

“The message is clear: Come help us build it. We can do it. It doesn’t take long,” Freeze said of his recruiting pitch. “We just need people that buy into coming and being a part of the Auburn culture, the Auburn family.”