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Auburn probably wishes it could play Louisiana-Monroe every year. For now, it will settle on moving its all-time record against the Warhawks to 10-0, which the Tigers did on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
As a result, AU is 3-2 as it resumes SEC play by visiting Mississippi State next week.
Here’s an analysis of Auburn’s 58-7 victory.
5 Takeaways
• Sean White is a completion machine: The redshirt sophomore connected on 14-of-17 passes to finish with 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. His performance raised his completion percentage on the season to an SEC-best 68.4. The school record is held by Ben Leard, who completed 70.7 percent of his passes in 1999.
• Kerryon Johnson emerging as a primary back: At halftime, the sophomore had already rushed for a career-high 127 yards. He finished with 146 yards and 2 TDs on 24 carries. Not bad for a guy who rushed 52 times for 208 yards and 3 TDs all last season.
• AU’s run defense was outstanding: The Tigers held the Warhawks to 112 yards on 32 carries. A week earlier, they “contained” Leonard Fournette to 101 yards on 16 attempts, both season-lows. New coordinator Kevin Steele is apparently already making an impact on Auburn’s defense.
• The rushing attack bounces back: A week after being held to 154 yards on 49 carries, Auburn finished with 410 yards on 66 attempts, almost double its season average entering the game. Led by Johnson, eight Tigers gained positive yardage on the ground, including White, who kicked off the scoring for Auburn with a 3-yard TD run.
• Kyle Davis finally hits pay dirt: His 2 catches for 58 yards were both career-highs. But he also reached the end zone on a 48-yard pass for his first career college touchdown. Fellow freshman Nate Craig-Myers also reeled in his first scoring pass, a 39-yarder from John Franklin III.
Report Card
Offense: A – The passing game was good. The running game was even better. It added up to 688 total yards, which was the fourth-highest total in school history. Auburn also increased its point total from 18 to a season-high 58. Gus Malzahn’s decision to yield play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee paid off immediately.
Defense: A – Not only did Auburn surrender just 7 points, which came as the first half came to a close, it yielded only 251 yards. It resulted in Auburn’s biggest margin of victory on the season.
Special teams: B – After making his first 12 field goal attempts, Daniel Carlson finally had one blocked. Auburn was so efficient on offense, it didn’t punt the entire game.
Coaching: A – Between the offense and defense, this was Auburn’s most complete performance of the season. A week after failing to score a touchdown on six of its trips to the red zone, Auburn was 4-for-5 in those opportunities against the Warhawks.
Overall: A – Auburn’s defensive performance wasn’t surprising, but the offensive output was somewhat surprising. Auburn’s 36 first downs were three short of the school record and the most since 2002, when the Tigers racked up 37 against Western Carolina.
Report Card
Auburn ran the ball 79 percent of the time, which led to a 33:15-26:45 time of possession edge. Plus, when they did throw the ball, the Tigers completed 83 percent of their passes. AU ran 84 plays after executing 75 a week ago.
Game Balls
WR Tony Stevens: He finished with a career-high 109 yards on 4 catches, including one for a TD.
John Franklin III: In addition to throwing his 39-yard TD pass to Craig-Myers, Franklin also gained 82 yards on just 2 carries, taking his first rush 80 yards to the house.
Tre’ Williams: He made a team-high 9 total tackles and also forced a fumble.
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
