AUBURN, Ala. – The message all week was to improve. Improve from Week One. On Saturday, No. 7 Auburn (2-0) answered that call with a dominant 63-9 win over Alabama State.
"I'm glad we got the victory," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "I liked the way that we put the game away early. We got a chance to play some young guys which was much needed. A lot of those guys are going to be playing this season and we got them out there to get experience and get their feet wet."
More specifically, running the ball more effectively was a point of emphasis for Malzahn after the Tigers rushed for 147 yards in their opener. They responded with 429 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns against Alabama State.
Redshirt freshman JaTarvious Whitlow led the way with 122 yards on 14 carries while true freshman Shaun Shivers added 117 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Including Shivers, six players (Shivers, Kam Martin, Harold Joiner, Malik Miller, Jarrett Stidham and Anthony Schwartz) scored rushing touchdowns. Three of the six were true freshmen.
"I thought that was good to get back on track running the football, and especially giving all the running backs carries," Malzahn said. "There's nothing like carries in a game, and you can find out a lot about the running backs, too."
Stidham and Schwartz also hooked up through the air for a 57-yard touchdown, the long play of the night for Auburn. Stidham, who gave way to Malik Willis in the second quarter, went 6 of 11 passing for 113 yards with the lone touchdown.
For Schwartz, it was a breakout performance. The true freshman didn't see a touch the week before but finished with three catches for a team-high 67 yards, three carries for 50 yards and scored his first two career touchdowns. He averaged 19.5 yards per touch.
But as impressive as the offense looked, it wasn't the only unit to find the end zone for Auburn on Saturday. Safety Daniel Thomas returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter, and later in the first half, Devan Barrett picked up a blocked punt and returned it 10 yards for a score to make it 35-0. The punt was blocked by cornerback Jordyn Peters.
It was the first time since 2003 that the Tigers scored on an interception return and a blocked punt return in the same game.
Though the Tigers gave up a touchdown late in the third quarter, the defense forced four turnovers and allowed only 47 yards rushing for the game. Thomas added another interception in the first half, and true freshman Jamien Sherwood recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
In all, 21 true freshmen saw the field Saturday.
Auburn will return home next Saturday where it will host LSU at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
"It's always a good game when we play," Malzahn said. "It's big. It's big for the West. We're going to get their best, and they're going to get our best. I'm glad we are playing at home."
Auburn vs. Alabama State Game Notes
- Captains: Deshaun Davis, Ryan Davis, Jarrett Stidham
- Coin Toss: Auburn wins the toss and will receive
- Eagle Flight: Spirit from section 12 in SW corner
- Attendance: 84,806
TEAM NOTES
- First-time starters for Auburn: Seth Williams
- Auburn scored first for the 18th time in the last 20 games
- Alabama State has traveled the fewest miles (54.2 miles) of any opponent at Jordan-Hare Stadium since the Tigers hosted Fort Benning (42.3 miles) in 1944
- This is 27th time during the Malzahn tenure that Auburn has scored 40 points or more, the 11th time during that era Auburn has scored 50 points or more, and the second time scoring 60 points or more.
- Auburn is now 12-0 under Malzahn with two 100-yard rushing performances in the same game; the last time was Kerryon Johnson and Kam Martin vs. Georgia Southern last season
- The last time Auburn scored on a blocked punt and on an interception return was vs. ULM in 2003
- This was the 23rd game of the Malzahn era where Auburn accumulated 500 yards total offense
- 63 points is the most Auburn has scored since scoring 62 in the 2013 Western Carolina game, and is the most points Auburn has scored during the Malzahn era
- Auburn had three interceptions in a game for the first time since recording three interceptions at Texas A&M in 2015
- Auburn's 54-point win was its 20th of 50 or more points at Jordan-Hare Stadium and the third of the Gus Malzahn era
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/OFFENSE
- Jarrett Stidham scored his first rushing TD of the season and the fifth of his Auburn career
- With three catches tonight, Ryan Davis needs just two more catches to move into sixth place among Auburn career receiving leaders; he has 119 career receptions
- True freshman Anthony Schwartz recorded his first career touchdown, a 57-yard reception. It was Stidham's second TD pass of the season and the 20th of his Auburn career. Schwartz then added a 23-yard rush in the second quarter for his first career TD run. The last Auburn receiver to score rushing and receiving TD in the same game was Stanton Truitt vs. Arkansas in 2016
- JaTarvious Whitlow has posted a career best in rushing with 122 yards, his first 100-yard game; he's the first Auburn rusher to gain 100 yards in the first half since Kerryon Johnson at LSU last season (125 yards)
- Kam Martin scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and sixth of his career
- Harold Joiner scores the first rushing touchdown of his career, a 2-yard run in the third quarter
- Shaun Shivers records his first career 100-yard rushing game, with 117 yards; he scores his first career rushing TD with a 2-yard run
- Malik Miller records his first rushing TD of the season and third of his career
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/DEFENSE
- Daniel Thomas recorded his fourth and fifth career interceptions, his first multiple-interception game since the 2016 Alabama game. Thomas' first career touchdown came on his first quarter 29-yard interception, Auburn's first interception touchdown since Nick Ruffin vs. ULM last season
- Richard Jibunor recorded his first career sack
- Jamien Sherwood records his first career interception
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/SPECIAL TEAMS
- Devan Barrett recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown for his second career score. The punt was blocked by Jordyn Peters. Auburn's last blocked punt for a TD was at Texas A&M last season.
- Anders Carlson was successful on his first five career PAT attempts; as a team, Auburn has connected on 232 consecutive PAT, the second longest streak in the nation
- Ian Shannon scored his first three career points with three PAT attempts in the second half