GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On a day filled with upsets, Auburn turned in one of the biggest.
Freshman Wes Byrum kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to a 20-17 victory over fourth-ranked Florida on Saturday night.
The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the defending national champions and gave the Gators their first home loss under coach Urban Meyer. They had won 18 in a row, 17 straight since Meyer took over in 2005.
It also might have jeopardized Florida's chances of repeating. Then again, with all the other upsets Saturday, the Gators surely won't slip too far out of the picture.
Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) could take a big step back next week at No. 2 LSU. But if the Gators perform like they did Saturday, they could be in for another long day.
Auburn (3-2, 1-1) played sound defense, prevented Tim Tebow & Co. from making many big plays and took advantage of several mistakes to build a 14-0 lead at halftime.
It was 17-3 before Florida evened the game with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
But Auburn came up big in the closing minutes. Byrum attempted the winning kick, just as Meyer called timeout. The kick was true, but Byrum had to do it again.
He did, and it was right down the middle.
"I was pretty excited," said Byrum, who missed his only attempt last week against New Mexico State. "I had a rough week last week. I wanted to make sure I came back.
"It doesn't get any better than that."
Auburn used the final 4 minutes to set up the winning field goal. Ben Tate ran for 18 yards on the drive and Brandon Cox found Rodgeriqus Smith twice for 16 yards.
Byrum did the rest.
"He's got a tremendous leg," quarterback Brandon Cox said. "I was on the sideline about to throw up. Being a true freshman, after the first time he hit, I was sure he was nervous. To make two of them, that says a lot about him."
The Tigers rushed the field to celebrate and performed the "Gator Chomp" everywhere in front of 90,685 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Gators were stunned — much like No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Rutgers and No. 13 Clemson were after they were handed their first losses Saturday.
"We couldn't get first downs and we couldn't get the defense off the field," Meyer said. "That's the first time this season we've been put in that position.
"It's very disappointing. We didn't play smart."
Tate rushed for 65 yards for Auburn. Mario Fannin added 62, and Brandon Cox was 17-of-26 passing for 227 yards. Smith caught nine passes for 102 yards.
The defense deserves even more credit for keeping Florida's high-powered offense in check. The Tigers held Florida to 312 yards, well below its average. They also did it without a full game from defensive end Quentin Groves, who injured his right foot and left the field on crutches.
Tebow was 20-of-27 passing for 201 yards with a touchdown and ran 19 times for 75 yards and a score. He got little help, but that was part of the game plan because Meyer was so concerned about blocking the Tigers.
"At no point in that game did I feel comfortable enough to turn around and hand it off," Meyer said.
Percy Harvin caught seven passes for 119 yards, after missing much of the week of practice with a sore hip. Receiver Andre Caldwell also sat out much of the game, although he did play one snap.
The Gators needed much more to avoid losing to Auburn for the second time in a year. The Tigers were the only team to beat Florida last season.
Florida wanted revenge. Now, though, the Gators will have to wait for another shot.
The Tigers used a running-into-the-punter penalty on the opening possession to keep a drive alive and eventually score on Kodi Burns' 6-yard touchdown run.
They made it a two-touchdown game after blocking Joey Ijjas' 34-yard field goal attempt. Cox completed a perfect touch pass to Carl Stewart along the sideline for a 22-yard gain, then hit Montez Billings for 25 more.
Tate later converted a fourth-and-1 play at the 4, then scored from 3 yards out.
Florida's defense allowed to many big plays in the first half, the result of too little pressure and too much cushion from the cornerbacks.
The offense wasn't much better. The Gators punted on their first two possessions, had a blocked field goal and then fumbled on fourth down just before the half.
They started the third quarter much better.
After an Auburn punt, Tebow hooked up with Harvin for 52 yards. They couldn't punch it in from the 3 and settled for a field goal.
Tebow threw his second interception of the season on the next possession, a turnover that helped set up Byrum's 30-yard field goal to take it to 17-3.
Meyer was determined to change the momentum on the ensuing drive and called for a fake punt on fourth-and-1 near midfield. The Gators were flagged for an illegal formation and forced to punt.
Florida got a break, though, when Tate fumbled on the next play. Tebow then took over, picking up yards on the ground and eventually connecting with Cornelius Ingram for a 6-yard score that made it 17-10.