ARLINGTON, Texas – Nine years ago, Auburn beat Oregon on a last-second field goal. On Saturday night, quarterback Bo Nix didn't want to put it on the kicker again. Instead, the true freshman tossed a 26-yard touchdown pass to Seth Williams with nine seconds left to lead the Tigers past Oregon, 27-21, in the season opener.
On the play before, Nix completed a 13-yard pass to Williams to put the Tigers in field-goal range with a chance to win. But rather than play it safe, he took a shot on the next play, throwing a jump ball to Williams who wrestled it away from the defender at the goal line.
"We just really wanted to give Seth one chance to have a 50/50 ball," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said after the game. "Bo underthrew it just a little bit, and Seth tipped it to himself and made a big-time play. It was a really good win. Our locker room is really excited. I'm real proud of those guys. We found a way to win, especially when we didn't play our best."
The touchdown gave Auburn its first lead of the game and capped a 15-point second-half comeback. It was the largest comeback since the 2010 Alabama game when the Tigers overcame a 24-point deficit to win 28-27.
What changed? For starters, the defense clamped down in the second half and made a huge stop on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter to thwart an Oregon drive and keep it a one-point game. The offense also found its rhythm with Nix under center.
Nix, the first rue freshman to start at quarterback for Auburn since 1946, threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 42 yards in his first college game. His first career touchdown pass came late in the third quarter when he threw a quick pass to Eli Stove who took it in from 11 yards out to cut the Oregon lead to 21-13.
"He has some savviness to him," Malzahn said. "When the game is on the line you have to make plays, and that's the one thing he showed. In all fairness, it was his first start. He went against one of the better teams in the country. In this kind of environment, he did some really good things."
On the opening drive of the fourth quarter, Auburn used a heavy dose of running back JaTarvious Whitlow to get down to the goal line where it was backup quarterback Joey Gatewood who took his first snap and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-20.
Whitlow recorded his fourth career 100-yard rushing game with 110 yards on 24 carries. The sophomore also surpassed 1,000 career all-purpose yards (897 rushing, 173 receiving). As a team, the Tigers ran for 206 yards and threw for 177 yards in Saturday's win.
Defensively, senior safety Jeremiah Dinson led Auburn with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack – the third of his career. K.J. Britt, making his first at middle linebacker, finished second on the team with seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
It was also a career night for defensive lineman Tyrone Truesdell, another first-time starter, who made two clutch stops late and recorded six tackles, one tackle for loss and half a sack.
At the half, Auburn trailed, 14-6, and it could have been worse if not for an 83-yard fumble recovery from Big Kat Bryant that led to an Anders Carlson field goal and swung the momentum. It was the longest fumble return by an Auburn player through records dating back to 1996.
With the win, the Tigers open the season 1-0 for the third straight year. They will return home next week to face Tulane in the first game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Gallery: (8/31/2019) Auburn 27, Oregon 21 - 2019
GAME NOTES
- Captains: Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson, Jeremiah Dinson, Daniel Thomas
- Coin Toss: Oregon wins the toss and elects to receive
- Attendance: 60,662
- Stadium and the 67th college game overall.
- This was the 11th edition of the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium.
- The game marked Auburn's first appearance at AT&T Stadium and first regular-season non-conference game in Texas since a 14-10 win at Texas in 1991. With the win, the Tigers are now 3-0 in season openers in the Lone Star State. Auburn previously won 21- 14 at Houston in 1963 and 10-7 at TCU in 1980.
- The game marked the second meeting all-time between Auburn and Oregon. The Tigers now lead the series 2-0, having previously beaten the Ducks in the 2011 BCS Championship Game.
- The SEC is now 6-1 in the AdvoCare Classic while the Pac-12 moves to 0-4.
- Seven of the last 10 AdvoCare Classic winners have gone on to play in a BCS or New Year's Six bowl game: TCU in 2010 (Rose Bowl), LSU in 2011 (BCS Championship Game), Alabama in 2012 (BCS Championship Game), Florida State in 2014 (CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl), Alabama in 2015 (CFP National Championship & CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic), Alabama in 2016 (CFP National Championship and CFP Semifinal at the Peach Bowl) and LSU in 2018 (Fiesta Bowl).
- Attendance: 60,662
TEAM NOTES
- First-time starters for Auburn: Bo Nix, Marquis McClain, Spencer Nigh, Shaun Shivers, K.J. Britt, Owen Pappoe
- Auburn has scored in 81 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history
- Auburn's comeback from a 15-point deficit is its largest comeback since the 2010 Alabama game (24-point deficit overcome for a 28-27 win)
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/OFFENSE
- Harold Joiner's 28-yard reception was the longest of his career
- Eli Stove's 11-yard touchdown catch from Bo Nix was the first receiving score of his career and Nix' first career TD pass.
- Stove has now passed 1,000 career all-purpose yards (542 rec, 464 rush)
- JaTarvious Whitlow records his fourth career 100-yard rushing game
- Whitlow has also passed 1,000 career all-purpose yards (897 rush, 173 rec)
- Sal Cannella records a new personal best with 42 yards receiving for the game
- Joey Gatewood scores his first career rushing touchdown on a 1-yard gain in the fourth quarter
- Kam Martin is now 38th all-time at Auburn with 1,242 career rushing yards, passing Fred Beasley (1,241 from 1994-97)
- Spencer Nigh records his first career reception
- Seth Williams' 26-yard TD reception from Bo Nix was Williams' sixth career receiving score
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/DEFENSE
- Big Kat Bryant's 83-yard fumble recovery was the first of his career and the longest fumble return by Auburn through records back through the 1996 season; the previous long during that period was an 82-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Justin Garrett vs. Louisville in 2015
- Jeremiah Dinson's sack was the third of his career
- Dinson records his second career game with double-figure tackles; the first was at Mississippi State (15) last season. Dinson led Auburn in tackles for the fifth game in his career
INDIVIDUAL NOTES/SPECIAL TEAMS
- Auburn holds the SEC record for consecutive PAT with 277, an SEC record and the longest current streak in the nation. With three PAT today, Anders Carlson is now 47-47 on PAT for his career
- Christian Tutt's 41-yard punt return was a career long