AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5) bowl hopes remain alive after their dominating offensive performance against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (5-5, 3-3). The Tigers defeated the Warhawks 48-14, with the Tigers scoring their most points in a game since they played the New Mexico Lobos back in September.
“I thought it was one of our better performances in my time here, zero penalties,” Head Coach Hugh Freeze said, “Really proud of our kids. Hopefully, we gain some confidence.”
Auburn’s performance was solid on both sides of the ball, especially because it did not have any penalties, which is a rare occurrence for football teams. The stars for Auburn against Louisiana-Monroe were on their offense.
Cam Coleman and Jarquez Hunter were the two big stars of the game, but Malcolm Simmons, Keandre Lambert-Smith, and Payton Thorne all had great games as well. Fans were even excited to see Walker White play at quarterback during the fourth quarter, and he had a respectable performance for not having any live game experience this season.
“Two receivers over 100 yards, been a while since that happened, and one with three touchdowns,” Coach Freeze said after the game.
Cam Coleman and KeAndre Lambert-Smith were the two receivers with 100 yards or more. Lambert-Smith finished the game with six catches for 104 yards and one touchdown, while Coleman had eight catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
About Cam Coleman, teammate Bradyn Joiner said, “He’s special. I would congratulate him on all three of his touchdowns.”
“He only needed one hand, so that was sweet,” Payton Thorne said, “He is a great athlete, and it is really fun playing with him.”
Auburn’s receiving today was on-point, with six players having at least one reception, and all of Auburn’s touchdowns were receiving Touchdowns. Cam Coleman though stole the show when it came to catching the ball out of the air.
Cam Coleman was not the only one who had a stellar performance for the Tigers against the Warhawks, Jarquez Hunter also had a fantastic game.
“We got a 1,000-yard rusher in Jarquez, we couldn’t be more proud for him,” Coach Freeze said.
That is correct, Jarquez Hunter has more than 1,000 rushing yards this season, and today he had 14 carries for a total of 102 rushing yards, which is more than the total rushing yards for the entire Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks only managed a total of 64 rushing yards, which is a testament to Auburn’s defense and shows just how good Jarquez Hunter is.
“It is very special to me. I can add it to all the other things in Auburn. It’s very special,” Jarquez Hunter said, “It helps when my offensive line, tight ends, and receivers work to get me there. It was very special today.”
Auburn’s offense came together against Louisiana-Monroe and all the pieces appeared to be in just the right place for both Jarquez Hunter and Cam Coleman to have stellar performances.
Auburn is looking to keep their bowl hopes alive as they head into the final two weeks of the season with games against the Texas A&M Aggies and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Auburn Tigers face off new against the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies, on Saturday, November 23 inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
