AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn's playmakers made plays, the first-team defense delivered, Anders Carlson kicked a pair of field goals and 25,210 got their first look at the 2021 Tigers under first-year coach Bryan Harsin Saturday on A-Day at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"It was great to see the fans," Harsin said. "Our guys appreciated that. I know it helped us."
The first-team defense held the No. 2 offense to 37 yards on 18 plays in the first half, allowing only 1.1 yards per rush and just 4-of-12 passes for 29 yards.
Tank Bigsby scored on a 46-yard touchdown run up the middle, Bo Nix fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Canion and Carlson hit field goals of 28 and 34 yards – one for each side – to give the predominantly first-string Auburn team a 17-3 win over the Tigers.
.@BoNix10 ➡️ @ElijahCanion for 6️⃣! pic.twitter.com/YWXyO1w8QT
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) April 17, 2021
"The only way you get better is playing the game," Harsin said. "I saw some solid execution with our blue (first-team) offense. I thought that blue defense played well. Our second offense did not move the ball very well or very consistently but I think that's because of the defense playing around the football fast and getting to them."
Nix completed 12 of 20 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, adding 29 rushing yards on five carries.
"Being out there today in front of everybody was really fun," Nix said. "It reminded me of how it should be here in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Looking forward to fall for sure."
"He made good decisions," Harsin said. "I thought Coach Bobo did a good job of really challenging him and making him operate, and that's what you want to see from your quarterback. He's a weapon. He's got the ability to extend plays and make plays. He did that today."
Gallery: (4-17-2021) A-Day
Bigsby and Shaun Shivers combined for 119 yards on 19 carries. Canion led Auburn's receivers with 51 yards on six catches.
Freshman quarterback Dematrius Davis and Malcolm Johnson Jr. combined for the game's longest pass play, a 42-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Smoke Monday set the tone for the first-team defense with a tackle for loss after a completion on the opening play, one of five TFLs for first unit.
"The defense did a good job today," Monday said. "The D-line looked really good. The linebackers look good all the time, that's nothing new. We have a lot of things we can work on. It was a really good spring."
Redshirt freshman Nick Curtis made A-Day's only takeaway, recovering a fumble that Kamal Hadden forced.
Bigsby earned offensive MVP honors, rushing for 64 yards on seven carries, adding 22 receiving yards on two catches.
"I feel like the offensive line is doing great," said Bigsby, the 2020 SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year. "I feel like they came a long way with the little things. They're going to be great."
Defensive MVP Trey Elston made a game-high six tackles and broke up a pass. Carlson was the special teams MVP.
Auburn will conclude spring practice Monday. The Harsin Era officially kicks off Sept. 4 when Auburn hosts Akron in the season opener, with hopes of a return to full stadium capacity.
"It was fun getting out there in front of our fans," said senior center Nick Brahms. "It was awesome. Good atmosphere. I love when the fans are in the stadium. I can't wait for fall, best atmosphere in college football at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It's going to be fun."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer