AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers secured a commanding victory over the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday in Jordan-Hare, 45-19.
The offensive attack from the Tigers began as soon as they got the ball in their hand. The ensuing kickoff following New Mexico’s first drive field goal would see Jeremiah Cobb have an electric 66-yard return, setting up Hank Brown and the offense with perfect field position. Nine plays later, Camden Brown would catch a ten-yard bullet into the end zone for the first six points. The Tigers looked confident and in rhythm for their first drive with the freshman quarterback, and there were no signs of slowing down.
Hank Brown would go on to throw an extremely efficient 235 yards and four touchdowns for the Tigers. The freshman seemingly had no first-game jitters, and consistently made effective reads and quick throws. The most impressive of which came on the Tigers' second drive which saw Brown drop back and perfectly place a 50-yard bomb right into the hands of Keandre Lambert-Smith.
Despite the two precise scores early, Auburn only found themselves up 17-13 at the half following a Towns McGough field goal late in the second quarter.
The Tiger's defense seemed to struggle early on, with New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier consistently evading pressure and finding open receivers downfield. The Lobos would also convert on all four of their third downs in the first half. Whether the issue was communication or Dampier’s playmaking ability, New Mexico was able to consistently put up drives with 9 or more plays. Despite the time New Mexico spent on the field, the defense held strong in the end and only allowed six second-half points.
Junior cornerback Champ Anthony, who recorded six tackles on Saturday night, praised the team’s secondary during the post-game press conference. “We’re deep, anyone on the field can play… There’s no drop-off,” said Anthony when asked about younger teammates like Antonio Kite, who made a crucial interception in the second half. Anthony also addressed the sluggish first-half start on defense, “We came out the second half and we played our butt off, but I just want to see us come in and just destroy people from the beginning to the end”.
Coach Hugh Freeze was particularly approving of the balanced attack that the Tigers displayed Saturday night. Auburn put up 268 yards on the ground in tandem with Hank Brown's 235 yards passing. “I will take that every Saturday,” said Coach Freeze. “That balance there will win you a lot of football games”.
The control that Auburn exhibited on the ground and through the air on Saturday should be a good indicator of a team that has their week two loss in the rearview mirror and is ready to prove themselves once again. There was clear chemistry being built between the young quarterback, his receivers, and the offensive line, and the Tigers hope to bring this chemistry into week four as SEC conference play begins.
Auburn hosts Arkansas next Saturday, September 21.
