AUBURN, Ala. – When Tank Bigsby exited with an injury after rushing for 24 yards on three carries, Shaun Shivers and D.J. Williams sparked Auburn's running game in the Tigers' 30-17 win Saturday vs. Tennessee.
Shivers and Williams combined for 131 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushes, an average of 5.24 yards per carry.
"When your brother goes down, you want to step up for him. No matter who's in, I feel like they're going to do well," said Williams, whose 9-yard touchdown gave Auburn a 27-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter. "I was excited. I loved it. I loved the feeling, but getting a [win] is even better."'You want to step up for him': D.J. Williams and Shaun Shivers combined for 131 rushing yards"When Tank went down, we knew it was time to step up," said Shivers, one of Auburn's four captains. "Do the things we've been doing since we've been here at Auburn. Continue to play well, continue to run the ball hard, continue to get downhill."
"We knew both of those guys could get it done," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Throughout their careers, both of those guys have played really well. It didn't surprise us at all. Those are both really quality backs."
BO TO FLASH 2.0
Flash: For the second consecutive game, Anthony Schwartz made a long TD catchFor the second straight game, Bo Nix and Anthony Schwartz connected on a long touchdown pass. After teaming up for a 91-yarder vs. LSU, Nix and Schwartz combined for a 54-yard TD early in the second quarter, Auburn's first score of the night, to begin a string of 27 unanswered points.
From the left hash, Schwartz sprinted uncovered past Tennessee's secondary, instantly attracting Nix's attention.
"Those are what you live for as a quarterback," said Nix, who has thrown 10 touchdown passes this season and 26 in his career. "Can't get the ball quickly enough to him. Whenever a guy like him is running wide open, just don't overthrow him."
"They were in a look we wanted, so I just went down the middle and ended up wide open," Schwartz said. "It's very exciting. Hitting these past two shots is going to be big in the game plan, I think that's going to be something to show for the next three games."
LINEBACKER U
When senior linebacker K.J. Britt, one of Auburn's team captains and the player defensive coordinator Kevin Steele calls "the quarterback of our defense," was injured in the Tigers' second game of the season, Owen Pappoe and Zakoby McClain assumed even larger roles.
"With a guy like K.J. being gone, we knew we had to step up," said Pappoe, who led Auburn with 12 tackles vs. the Vols. "Me and [McClain] are in competition with each other too, to see who can have the most tackles each week. It's a friendly competition."
McClain, who made six tackles vs. Tennessee, leads Pappoe 68-65 in their hotly contested bragging rights battle.
BRING ON THE IRON BOWL
D.J. Williams needed only two words to express his excitement about Auburn's next opportunity.
"Can't wait," he said of Saturday's 2:30 p.m. CT visit to Tuscaloosa for the 2020 Iron Bowl.
"It's going to be a fun and exciting game," safety Jamien Sherwood said. "It's going to be physical. It's the best rivalry in college football."
"We have a lot of respect for them," Pappoe said. "It's the Iron Bowl. Auburn vs. Alabama. There's going to be a whole different energy in the complex next week. We're going to be really locked in and ready for them."
The Bo Show: After winning his Iron Bowl debut as a freshman, Bo Nix will play his first Auburn game in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer