OXFORD, Miss. – There are plays during the course of every game that change the outcome. Typically, those plays happen toward the end of a game. Maybe it's a game-winning field goal or a field-goal return for a touchdown on the final play. But sometimes, they can happen in the first five minutes of a game.
That was the case Saturday in Auburn's 31-16 road victory at Ole Miss.
The Rebels got the ball first and quickly marched into Auburn territory. Anxious for a quick start, the home crowd was cheering every completion or first down. But on third down just outside the red zone, Auburn freshman Christian Tutt broke up a pass that stalled the drive. Still, Ole Miss was in field-goal range and had the chance to strike first with three early points.
So the kicker ran out to try a 40-yard field goal. He'd made nine of his 11 attempts from 40 yards and in on the season. However, he didn't account for Auburn defensive lineman Marlon Davidson knifing his way past the center and the right guard and getting his left hand on the ball.
The ball, like the direction of the game, changed course and landed short of the end zone. Ole Miss went from driving to score a touchdown to coming away with no points.
"That was huge because you shift the whole momentum around," Auburn safety Jeremiah Dinson said. "Those guys thought they were going to get three points, and Marlon comes in and he blocks it. It gave the offense a boost. It just shifted the whole energy."
Sure enough, the offense drove right down the field after the blocked kick and scored a touchdown to give the Tigers the early 7-0 edge. It wound up being a 10-point swing.
For Davidson, it was his third blocked field goal in the last three games. The last Auburn player to block three kicks in a season was Alton Moore in 2001, and Davidson has accomplished the feat in three consecutive games.
"It's just drive," Davidson said. "Coach G (Rodney Garner), he tells us to take points off the board. He teaches us technique every game, to take points off the board. We're doing it. I'm just going to keep going, keep going hard like I've always been doing."
"That's kind of Marlon's niche now," Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis said. "When we line up, everybody looks at him and is like 'Go block it.' He takes pride in going to block field goals. He takes pride in being one of those guys that makes game-changing plays for us. If they get those three points – how the game went, it probably doesn't go that way. You never know what play can be a deciding factor in the game."
It's a safe assumption that opposing teams will now seek out Davidson when attempting a field goal and do their best to prevent the 6-foot-3, 278-pound junior from getting through. However, Auburn special teams coach Larry Porter believes that can create opportunities for other players.
"There's a knack to being able to slip blocks and position yourself to find the ball, and Marlon has obviously conquered that," Porter said. "We would hope that some of his fellow teammates can join, and what happens is if you've got some blocks that come from two or three different players, it's hard for teams to scheme.
"We're hoping that with what Marlon has done, some of our other defensive players will benefit from it as well."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf
