Nov. 6, 2016
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Darius Slayton was not the primary target on the play. "I was actually second. Second or third option," he said.
Slayton's 21-yard touchdown catch on the opening drive of the second half put Auburn ahead to stay in the Tigers' 23-16 win over Vanderbilt.
"I was definitely glad he went through his progressions on that one," Slayton said.
The "he" was quarterback Sean White, who sat out the first half nursing an injury, then came out firing in the third quarter, completing all 5 pass attempts for 54 yards in the Tigers' touchdown drive.
"It was exciting," Slayton said. "I came out of my break and saw the ball. I went and got it. It was really exciting, my first touchdown."
Slayton's last touchdown came nearly two years ago as a high school senior in the Georgia Dome, a loss in the state championship game.
"It was crazy," Slayton said. "That was my first touchdown since high school. It was a great feeling to finally get one."
The Tigers trailed Vanderbilt 13-10 at the half. John Franklin III averaged 8.4 yards per carry, rushing 7 times for 59 yards, but Auburn had only 9 passing yards in the half.
"Halftime was a lot of encouragement," Slayton said. "People trying to get their minds right."
Enter White, whose presence allowed Auburn's receivers to showcase their skills.
"It was exciting," Slayton said. "I was happy he was able to come in and execute.
"John did a great job, but when Sean came in, it was like a "next man up" type of thing. You just keep playing hard, run your routes, and block as hard as you can."
Blocking is an underrated, yet important, requirement for Auburn's receivers.
"I just feel like the coaches put us in a great place to make plays," Slayton said. "Sean does a great job reading defenses and throwing to the open man. All of those things combined give us the ability to make plays."
Auburn's highly regarded freshmen receivers have made an instant impact, but Slayton says the second-year guys, himself and sophomore Ryan Davis, also have much to contribute.
"It's a different pace, because everybody comes from high school being a star. You scores touchdowns all the time, Slayton says. "In college, it's a little different. There are a lot of good players. Sometimes, you have to wait your turn. Your day comes. Every dog has his day."
Every Tiger has his day, too. For Darius Slayton, that day was Saturday versus Vandy.
🏈📽"It was crazy," says @FootballAU redshirt freshman Young_Slay2 of his first TD since HS. pic.twitter.com/hykbQRxFzT
- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) November 5, 2016
🏈"Everybody comes from HS being the star," says @Young_Slay2 of the adjustment to playing for @FootballAU. "Every dog has his day." pic.twitter.com/lb6RrjMUdv
- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) November 5, 2016
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer