BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — In front of a whitewashed Jordan-Hare crowd, Auburn held off Sun Belt underdog South Alabama, winning 31-15. The victory was a workman-like performance that saw the Tigers improve to 3-0 and the Jaguars fall to 1-2 as both teams turn their focus to conference play.
“Happy to be 3-0,” Tiger head coach Hugh Freeze said after the game. “We played 13 true or redshirt freshmen today. We’ve got a lot, obviously, to improve on. The goal was to be 1-0 today and 3-0 headed into conference play. Our team achieved that. We’re going to celebrate that and hopefully get some folks healthy, get some rest this weekend and get ready to open conference play.”
The offense wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be. Answering the bell at every turn, Auburn controlled the line of scrimmage, racking up 195 rushing yards behind Jeremiah Cobb’s second 100-yard game in as many weeks. The junior RB racked up 119 yards on 19 carries (6.3 yards per carry) and a touchdown, while Tiger QB Jackson Arnold chipped in another 50 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, equaling his rushing touchdown total from last season. The Tigers scored on five of their seven true offensive possessions — excluding the final kneel down. The Tigers were last in the SEC and 109th nationally with a 78.1 conversion rate in the red zone, but through three games this season, Auburn is a perfect 9-9 with seven touchdowns.
Through the air, Eric Singleton, Jr. led the way with six catches for 65 yards. Cam Coleman added 49 yards on two catches, along with his first touchdown catch of the season. Both Singleton and Coleman have recorded a reception in every game they’ve played in their careers.
Much like the offensive side of the ball, the defense was solid. Five of South Alabama’s seven drives lasted 10-plus plays, but just three produced points. In the first quarter, Keyron Crawford snagged his first career interception — the unit’s first of the season — and later, Xavier Atkins pounced on a fumble after Jared Smith jarred the ball loose on a strip sack deep in Auburn territory as the Jags eyed a comeback. With the Jaguars making a final push, the defense forced a turnover on downs at the Auburn 22-yard line to secure the victory.
Auburn would strike first, marching 92 yards on the game’s opening possession. The 12-play drive culminated in a 32-yard strike from Arnold to a well-defended Coleman. It was the second scoring drive of 90-plus yards this season for the Tigers (96 yards vs. Baylor). Auburn last had two or more scoring drives of 90-plus yards in a season in 2022 (3).
South Alabama answered with a field goal on its first drive, but Auburn came back with two touchdowns of its own, with Arnold running it in from six yards and five yards out. Jaguar QB Bishop Davenport connected with Jeremy Scott for a 20-yard touchdown on their ensuing drive, but missed the extra point. The Tigerstacked on a score with a two-yard run by Cobb to take a 28-9 lead into halftime.
South Alabama would open the second half with an 11-play 75-yard drive that ended with a Devin Voisin 12-yard touchdown reception, followed by another missed extra point. The Tigers answered that touchdown with a 16-play drive that consumed 8:34 of the clock, which resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Alex McPherson to complete all the scoring for the game. That field goal drive was the longest by time since 2008 (9:54 at West Virginia) and is tied for the eighth-longest drive (scoring or non-scoring) in Auburn history.
By the Numbers
- Auburn has scored 30+ points in each of its first three games of the season (38 at Baylor, 42 vs. Ball State, 31 vs. South Alabama) for the first time since 2009 (37 vs. Louisiana Tech, 49 vs. Mississippi State, 41 vs. West Virginia).
- Auburn has recorded 10 rushing touchdowns through the first three games of the season. The Tigers had 13 rushing touchdowns all of last season.
- Auburn is +2 in turnover margin through three games. Last season, the Tigers were -7 through the first three games.
Up Next
Away versus Oklahoma at 2:30 p.m. on ABC television.
