Jacksonville State, for roughly 57 minutes, seemingly did everything it could to win.
And then, everything it could to lose.
The 40-point underdog Gamecocks stood at the brink of an epic upset Saturday at No. 6 Auburn when they curled up under a conservative blanket.
Auburn escaped an all-time embarrassment by pulling out a 27-20 overtime victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Jacksonville State, a sub-division FCS school from the Ohio Valley Conference, simply frittered away a historic opportunity.
A horrible, 17-yard punt set up Auburn’s game-tying touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation.
The ensuing kickoff, though, skidded out of bounds and gave Jacksonville State the ball at its 35 with no time lost on the clock.