The brother of star NFL kicker Evan McPherson has emerged as a college football hero after delivering a standout performance against Georgia.

Alex McPherson kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to seal Auburn’s stunning 27-24 upset of No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, with quarterback Byrum Brown leading the way with a dominant rushing display.

The result marked the second consecutive week the AP Top 25’s No. 1 team had fallen to an unranked opponent, following Texas’ defeat to Oklahoma. It was the first time since October 1990 that the top-ranked team in the poll had lost in consecutive weeks.

Auburn’s first-year coach, Alex Golesh spoke to ESPN’s Taylor McGregor alongside his son, Barrett “Bear” Golesh, becoming visibly emotional before sharing a personal story from the family home. "Bear said, 'Dad, can I get on the field after we win?' We're on the field, bro," Golesh said, before pausing.

"I'm just grateful to our guys. You can have so many narratives. I'm grateful to our guys, our coaches, our fan base. We've been through a lot.

"We're gonna get Auburn right back to where everybody wants it. One game at a time, just hang with us. This locker room, these dudes that chose to stay. That's what it's all about."

The win moved Auburn to 4-2 and ended a nine-game losing streak against Georgia, securing the Tigers’ first victory in Athens since 2005. The decisive field goal came after Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton fumbled the ball.

McPherson’s game-winning kick carried extra significance given the health challenges he has overcome. In 2024, the Auburn kicker was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, leading to the removal of his entire large intestine.

“That week I began to feel sick, I would run to the bathroom 15-20 times a day,” McPherson said last year. “I thought I just had the flu or a stomach bug or something going on. My weight was down. I had lost 20 pounds.”

McPherson lost 55 pounds during his illness and weighed just 110 pounds when he was admitted to hospital. He has since recovered and returned to full health. “It’s been really fun, really excited just to be back to normal from where I was,” he said at the SEC Media Days in July.

“Just to have that strength back to kind of kick how I want to and how I used to. I think I’m kicking as good as I have since before I got sick and it’s just really exciting to be able to do that and play with the guys to the full extent.”

McPherson is in his final season at Auburn and could follow older brother Evan into the NFL in 2027. The Bengals kicker has established himself as one of the franchise’s most reliable players at his position.