September 5, 2015
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn turned on college football's largest video board Saturday and showed a thriller.
Jeremy Johnson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Melvin Ray with 39 seconds left, and Peyton Barber scored on a 4-yard run in overtime as Auburn beat Jacksonville State 27-20 on a surprising Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn scored first in overtime and then turned away the Gamecocks.
It was more than a lot of Auburn fans expected, especially when Jacksonville State's Troymaine scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:38 left to give the Gamecocks a 20-13 lead.
Johnson also threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to running back Roc Thomas for a 13-10 lead in the give-and-take game.
Auburn figures to get a tougher test, still, in next Saturday's game at LSU in its SEC opener.
The Tigers improved to 2-0. Jacksonville State fell to 1-1.
Barber came through at the end. He caught a 9-yard pass from Johnson in overtime, and then scored the game-winner on the next play.
"I really felt like Peyton Barber stepped up and took over the game when we needed somebody," said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
Barber followed up his 115-yard rushing game in the opener with 125 more yards against Jacksonville State.
Johnson hit 21-of-32 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.
"At the end of the game, when we needed him, he came through," Malzahn said.
It was a tough start. Auburn didn't score a touchdown in the first half, and, indeed, trailed 10-6 at halftime.
Auburn's first-half scoring was limited to a pair of Daniel Carlson field goals, a 27-yarder and a 49-yarder. Jacksonville State got a 32-yard field goal from Connor Rouleau, and took the lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Eli Jenkins to Josh Barge with 5:31 left in the first half.
It was an uneven performance for Auburn. Johnson hit 11-of-18 passes for 100 yards. Peyton Barber rushed 13 times for 44 yards.
Jacksonville State gave up the lead early in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks kept coming. Rudy Ford had to turn away one Jax State drive with an interception in the end zone when Auburn led 13-10.
"We're 2-0, so our team morale is fine. We just need to play better," Malzahn said.
Malzahn thanked the fans for staying with Tigers. "It was a big factor in fourth quarter and overtime," he said.
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine