The Auburn Tigers ' 43-8 win over Southern Miss had several notable moments, but perhaps the biggest of these was Andre Jordan's pick-six on the very first play from scrimmage.
Jordan picked off Southern Miss quarterback Ethan Hampton twice in the first quarter, but his first interception, the pick-six, was scored with 14:50 remaining in the first quarter, the quickest score in Auburn history.
"It's crazy because I get my first ever pick," he said, "and I made history on it, so that's definitely crazy. I saw the quarterback, he was staring down the receiver, and then I broke on the ball when he threw it, and he overthrew it, so I just had to get my hands on it and catch it... It was probably one of the best feelings ever. I've never experienced a crowd like that and then to get them hyped up, that was definitely a great experience."
Jordan, a senior, transferred to the Plains this past offseason after two years at Oregon State and one at UCLA. His performance against Southern Miss was by far the best of his career, and it seems he is peaking at the perfect time in his career if he wants to make a pass at the NFL.
Alex Golesh, Jordan's head coach, had high praise for the efforts of his senior transfer cornerback.
"For the game, a really high-end way to start defensively," he said. "A lot of credit to the pressure and then [Andre Jordan Jr.] being there, if I'm right maybe his first and second career picks in over 30 starts, so that was really cool for him."
The Tigers' defense boasts several top-tier players that have already made headlines this season, including linebackers Xavier Atkins and Elijah Melendez, safety Eric Winters and even defensive lineman Cody Sigler, and now Jordan is pushing to add his name to the list of defensive Tigers to watch this year.
However, the real challenge for this defensive group begins next week against Florida, as the Tigers begin one of the more brutal SEC schedules in the country, including away matchups at Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, as well as home matchups with Vanderbilt, Arkansas and LSU.
In matchups like those, the cream tends to rise to the top, so we'll see exactly what Jordan will be able to provide to DJ Durkin's unit throughout the rest of the season. If he keeps this pace, though, opposing offenses will soon be game-planning to keep the ball as far away from him as possible.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/auburn as Auburn's Andre Jordan Jr. Talks Making Program History .
