Oct. 1, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- For the second week in a row, Auburn tweaked its starting offensive line. And for the second week in a row, it worked.
This time, Austin Golson moved from right tackle to left tackle and replaced sophomore Prince Tega Wanogho. Darius James, who suffered a scary neck injury two weeks ago against Mercer, returned to the starting lineup at right tackle. And Casey Dunn, the graduate transfer from Jacksonville State, started his second straight game at center.
"Tega's going to be an outstanding player, but we just felt like we'd put a little more experience up there," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.
The result? Auburn accounted for 511 total yards, 267 passing and 244 rushing, and the offensive line only allowed two sacks to one of the better defensive lines in the SEC. The Tigers averaged 9.1 yards per play in Saturday's 49-10 win over Mississippi State, and it all started with the play up front.
"They all seem to be operating as one unit, and that goes a long way for any offensive line," running back Kerryon Johnson said. "They'll tell you they're all thinking the same, they all block the same -- getting hats on hats -- and that makes my job a lot easier."
Johnson finished with 116 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.
As for Golson, he has now started at three different positions on the offensive line this season. The senior began the year at center, moved to right tackle when James went down with the injury, and then Saturday he saw his first action at left tackle.
"He's a versatile dude," James said. "He's probably our best offensive lineman, either him or Braden [Smith]. He's played a lot of football in his days and his college career. He's played a lot of spots and he's done a lot of different things. I feel like he can be plugged in wherever he needs to be plugged in and wherever coach needs him."
`A flying missile'
The casual fan might not have realized Javaris Davis was out last week. The Auburn defense still put the clamps down on Missouri, holding Drew Lock and Co. to 14 points. But his teammates missed him, and they were sure glad to have him back Saturday night.
"It's a blessing," safety Tray Matthew said. "That's a speed demon. He's a flying missile out there. He's so fast. He's the fastest on the team actually. It's a great advantage for our defense."
Davis finished with three tackles, two pass break-ups, and the play of the game defensively -- a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was Auburn's first pick-six since Rudy Ford did it against Idaho in 2015, and it was the first time Davis has found the end zone since his days as a high school player.
"We were in a zone coverage, and I saw the dude that I ride on the zone," Davis said. "I just tried to make a play on the ball. I saw green grass and just tried to get into the end zone."
That @AuburnFootball Defense: 💯
Javaris Davis ... PICK. SIX. https://t.co/bhx8n08CQw pic.twitter.com/XOJkbZm8F2-- SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 1, 2017
DÃÆ'Æ'©jÃÆ'Æ' vu
There was a play Saturday night that might not have received as much attention as some others, but when it happened, it felt like a huge jolt for the Tigers.
It was midway through the second quarter, Auburn was leading 21-3, and Mississippi State was facing 4th-and-4 from its own 31-yard line. Desperate to find a spark, the Bulldogs ran a fake punt, and it looked like punter Logan Cooke was going to pick up the first down. But Daniel Thomas sniffed it out, flew in and tackled Cooke a yard short of the first-down line.
Auburn failed to score off the turnover on downs because of a sack and a missed field goal, but the play kept Mississippi State from gaining any kind of momentum.
"That's an interesting deal," Malzahn said. "That's the same fake punt that we stopped last week, and Coach [Tim] Horton did a super job. That exact fake, he probably repped it three or four times and the way it fit and all that. That was a big play in the game."
The player who made the tackle on the fake punt last week? It was Thomas.
Greg Ostendorf is a Staff Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf