Defense dominates in No. 10 Auburn's 24-6 win vs. Tulane

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Defense dominates in No. 10 Auburn's 24-6 win vs. TulaneDefense dominates in No. 10 Auburn's 24-6 win vs. Tulane

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn did not allow a touchdown in the No. 10 Tigers' 24-6 home-opening win Saturday over Tulane.

"Defensively, we did a super job against an offense that's been averaging a lot of points and a lot of yards rushing," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "They were 2-of-15 on third down. It was just a great third-down plan and execution."

Jeremiah Dinson's interception led to a touchdown as the Tigers shut out the Green Wave in the second half.

"The defensive line got a good push," Dinson said. "The quarterback tried to hit the tight end and the ball was in the air for a long time. I was the middle field safety, just ran it down and made a play."

After Dinson picked off Tulane at Auburn's 18-yard line, the Tigers drove 82 yards in 11 plays with JaTarvious Whitlow rushing for a 14-yard touchdown and a 21-6 Auburn lead with 1:51 left in the third quarter.

Whitlow led Auburn with 96 yards on 23 carries.

Anders Carlson kicked a 22-yard field goal with 12:36 left in the game for the final score.

Bo Nix completed 19 of 37 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.

"The offense played well in the second half and the defense played lights out the entire game," said Nix, who made his Jordan-Hare Stadium debut. "In college football, any win is great."

Dinson, Daniel Thomas and Marlon Davidson paced Auburn's defense with six tackles each. Davidson made two of Auburn's five tackles for loss.

The Tigers gained 152 of their 172 rushing yards in the second half, outgaining Tulane 379-223 for the game.

"Second half, we changed it up a little bit and we got our groove," offensive lineman Jack Driscoll said. "In big-time games coming up, we've got to be able to establish the run in the first half."

Trailing 3-0 after the first quarter, Nix hit Will Hastings for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give Auburn a 7-3 lead with 12:54 left in the half. Hastings gained 75 yards on five receptions.

"It felt really, really good," said Hastings, who rehabilitated from two knee surgeries in the past 18 months. "It was awesome getting in the end zone and celebrating with my teammates."

After Auburn's defense forced a three-and-out, Nix connected with Seth Williams for a 40-yard gain to Tulane's 1.

Eli Stove capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to increase Auburn's lead to 14-3. Tulane kicked a 32-yard field goal with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to make it 14-6 at the half.

A crowd of 85,317 attended the Tigers' home opener. Auburn (2-0) remains at home next week, hosting Kent State at 6 p.m. CT for Homecoming.

"I think it's a quality win and we took care of business," Malzahn said. "They played extremely hard and that was a quality opponent. We're 2-0 and we're looking forward to playing at home next week."

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

Game Notes

  • Captains: Derrick Brown, Marlon Davidson, Jeremiah Dinson, Daniel Thomas
  • Coin Toss: Tulane wins the toss and defers. Auburn will receive
  • Attendance: 85,317
  • Eagle flight: Aurea from above Section 12

TEAM NOTES

  • First-time starters for Auburn: Tyrone Truesdell
  • Auburn has scored in 82 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history
  • Auburn has won 13 of its last 14 home openers at Jordan-Hare Stadium

INDIVIDUAL NOTES/OFFENSE

  • Will Hastings' 31-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was his first score of the season and the sixth TD catch of his career. It was Bo Nix' third TD pass of the season.
  • Eli Stove's four-yard rushing TD in the second quarter was his first rushing touchdown of the season and second overall. He now has four career rushing touchdowns and five career scores.
  • JaTarvious Whitlow's 14-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter was his first touchdown of the season and seventh rushing score of his career.
  • Kam Martin is now 38th all-time at Auburn with 1,274 career rushing yards.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES/DEFENSE

  • Jeremiah Dinson's third-quarter interception was the third of his career and Auburn's first interception of the season.
  • Dinson, Marlon Davidson and Daniel Thomas tied for the team lead with six tackles. Two of Davidson's tackles were for a loss.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES/SPECIAL TEAMS

  • Auburn holds the SEC record for consecutive PAT with 280, an SEC record and the longest current streak in the nation. With three PAT today, Anders Carlson is now 50-50 on PAT for his career.
  • Carlson added a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.