AUBURN, Ala. – In 2007, Jerraud Powers intercepted a pass in three straight games. On Saturday night, Jaylin Simpson matched the feat by snagging his third interception in as many games to begin the 2023 season. He's the first Auburn player to do it since Powers.
"Sixteen years. That's a long time," Simpson said. "That's a good feeling. I'm going to try to do my best to get one every game. I don't really like to call them picks. I like to call them blessings. It's just a real blessing to catch those.
"I always say history repeats itself. I'm glad I could be a part of it."
Simpson's interception in the second quarter against Samford was Auburn's second of the night and fifth of the season. Fellow cornerback J.D. Rhym pulled down his first career interception the drive before, and then Simpson, with help from D.J. James, was able to be more aggressive and jump in front of the wide receiver to get the pick.
Simpson credits the work the defensive backs put in during the offseason and fall camp, staying after practice to catch balls from the JUGS machine.
"You try to make it a priority," he said. "But I feel like what we did in fall camp as a group – staying after practice when we're tired, it's 103 degrees out there, and we've just been out there for two hours. We've got good leaders on our defense on the back end. We were like, 'Listen, we've got to make this ball a priority. We need it.'
"I think that's one of the biggest things that helped our defense because nobody really wants to do that when you're that tired. I think it's just paying off now."
Next week, the Tigers open SEC play on the road at Texas A&M. Simpson can make it four straight games with an interception and move ahead of Powers.
"I think y'all should let him know that I'm coming," Simpson joked. "It's been a long time, but I think it's time for it to get broken by the young man, 'Simp.'"
'A TOUGH MATCHUP'
Late in the first half with Auburn already ahead 14-0, the coaches called Rivaldo Fairweather's number. He had caught a couple of passes for short yardage up to that point, but this time they wanted to take a shot with him.
Fairweather told his quarterback, Payton Thorne, "Just throw it up. I'm going to go get it."
So, that's what Thorne did. He threw it up to Fairweather, and the junior tight end pulled it down even with a defender draped on his back. The play went for 41 yards, good for Auburn's longest completion of the season, and set up a field goal before the half.
It was similar to last week when Thorne threw it up to Fairweather in the back of the end zone, and he went up and got it for the game-winning touchdown at Cal.
"Me and Payton, we have the chemistry," Fairweather said. "From last game, we repped that play a lot of times. We put a lot of work in behind closed doors and without any fans, and it's paying off now. Me and Payton have really been in the lab. We're used to it."
Fairweather finished Saturday's game with five catches for 57 yards.
"That's hopefully who he's going to be every Saturday," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. "We need him to be. He's a tough matchup. We just need him to be himself. We've got to find ways to get him the football and get him in advantageous matchups."
'A NEW OPPORTUNITY'
With Saturday's 45-13 win over Samford, Auburn is 3-0 to start the 2023 season. It's as good a start as the Tigers could have hoped for. However, the competition ramps up next week with the start of SEC play. Auburn faces Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU in its next three games.
"You're going to get tested here real quick with those three coming up," Freeze said. "It will test all of us. We're very young in our journey, and how we handle both success and failures will be vital. You probably learn more from failure than you do successes."
First up is a road trip to Texas A&M in a game that has served as a good barometer for Auburn over the years. The Tigers have won four of the five games they've played in College Station and finished with nine or more wins in three of those seasons (2013, 2017, 2019).
"It's a new opportunity for us," linebacker Eugene Asante said. "We want to show what we can do against an SEC team. It's exciting to get into SEC play."
Auburn and Texas A&M will kick off at 11 a.m. CT.
