Despite a shaky Week 1 performance against Baylor, the Auburn Tigers rebounded well on Saturday to take down the Southern Miss Golden Eagles by a final score of 43-8.
The Tigers were heavy favorites headed into this game, and jumping out to an early lead allowed head coach Alex Golesh to get a bit creative with playcalling, rotations and depth charts.
The game got off to a hot start for the Tigers when, on the very first snap of the game, Andre Jordan Jr. picked off Southern Miss quarterback Ethan Hampton and took it to the house, scoring the first points of the game in just 10 seconds- the fastest score in Auburn history.
The Tigers got off to a bit of a rough start on offense after that, trading punts with the Golden Eagles until, with just under seven minutes to go in the first quarter, Byrum Brown connected with Jonathan Echols on a 22-yard read-option play that scored the Tigers' second touchdown of the game.
On the next drive, Jordan intercepted yet another Hampton pass, marking the first time the Tigers have picked off two passes in the first quarter since 2013, but the Tigers were only able to net an Alex McPherson field goal out of the deal.
In the second quarter, Brown connected with true freshman De'Shawn Spencer on an eight-yard touchdown pass, and the Golden Eagles responded with their only score of the day, though they were able to follow it up with a successful two-point conversion. McPherson closed out the half with a career-high 55-yard field goal, and the Tigers led 27-8 at the half.
In the second half, the wheels seemed to come off for Southern Miss, as the Tigers had their way, scoring two touchdowns on three drives. Jeremiah Cobb fumbled on one drive, but the Tigers' defense made up for the mistake with a safety on the ensuing drive, just two plays later.
In the fourth quarter, Auburn allowed some younger talent to shine, as sophomore Oregon State transfer Tristian Ti'a took the reins, joined by Omar Mabson II in the running back spot. Between those two and a couple of young receivers, Tiger fans got a taste of what the Tigers' offense could look like in the coming years.
Byrum Brown improved dramatically over his shaky, three-interception Week 1 performance, completing 18 of his 26 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, while notably remaining absent of interceptions throughout the matchup.
The Tigers may have gotten off to a bit of a slow start in this matchup, but defensive consistency made up for their struggles in the interim before Brown found his stride and got the offense going properly. The 'easy' matchups are over for the Tigers, though, who are now scheduled to play Florida this coming week, in what could be the most important game of the season for Alex Golesh.
Enjoy our content? Make AuburnOnSI a preferred source to see more stories from us on Google by clicking here.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/auburn as Auburn Flattens Southern Miss In Rebound Week 2 Win .
