Auburn notebook: takeaway, sacks and 'fighting through adversity'

Auburn notebook: takeaway, sacks and 'fighting through adversity'Auburn notebook: takeaway, sacks and 'fighting through adversity'

Oct. 14, 2017

By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

BATON ROUGE, La. -Stephen Roberts picked a great time to force his first career fumble, stripping the ball from LSU's DJ Chark after a 39-yard reception on LSU's opening drive. Carlton Davis made his first career fumble recovery, returning 12 yards to Auburn's 48, the only turnover in LSU's 27-23 win.

Two plays later, Jarrett Stidham hit Will Hastings for a 49-yard touchdown pass, career TD No. 4 for Hastings on his longest career catch, giving Auburn a 10-0 lead with 11:31 left in the first quarter. Chalk returned a fourth quarter punt for a touchdown and LSU kicked two late field goals. "We played together as a team," said Roberts, one of four Tigers with seven tackles, including his sixth tackle for loss on the season. "Adversity hit us in the second half. We talk about it all the time. Fighting through adversity."

Davis Dash 2.0

One week taking a short pass for 75 yards in Auburn's longest play of the season, Ryan Davis nearly did it again. With LSU blitzing on third-and-13 at Auburn's 44, Stidham found Davis, who ran 52 yards to LSU's 4. Kerryon Johnson scored on the next play, giving Auburn a 17-0 first quarter lead. "I felt like I was going to score," said Davis, who added an acrobatic catch in the second quarter that led to Daniel Carlson's third field goal. "Then I got to a point where I was just trying to protect the ball. I knew guys were coming behind me and around me."

Carlson scored 11 points, extending the SEC's career scoring record to 424. "Disappointing loss, obviously, but we're going to do everything we can to turn things around from here," said Carlson, who has made 14 field goals this season and a school-record 83 in his career.

Sack Attack

Jeff Holland continued to provide stellar pass rushing, recording a career-high two sacks, both on the first play of LSU drives. Deshaun Davis delivered Auburn's other sack.

Marlon Davidson added four tackles, including one where he ran down LSU receiver Russell Gage after a 70-yard gain to Auburn's 7.

Daniel Thomas made six tackles, including four solos, adding a quarterback hurry and breaking up a pass. Thomas and Nick Ruffin, who made three tackles, played larger roles in the second half after a hamstring injury to Tray Matthews.

Dontavius Russell, Deshaun Davis and Darrell Williams joined Roberts with a team-high seven tackles.

"When you love the game, you never think like there's nothing you can do. You play till the end of the game," Williams said. "That's my mentality. And I feel like the guys around me, that was their mentality. We fight till the end."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer