Blowout on the Plains: Auburn blasts Alabama A&M 73-3

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by Jeff Shearer
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Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers
Box Score

AUBURN, Ala. – Payton Thorne accounted for five first-half touchdowns and Auburn kicked off the season with a 73-3 victory over Alabama A&M Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, win No. 800 in program history. 

“There are a lot of great coaches, staff, players and administrators that contributed to those 800 wins,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “We’re only the 13th program in FBS history to do that so we’re honored that we can join and be a small part of that.”

Thorne completed 13 of 21 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns in the half, adding 49 rushing yards and another TD on the ground before sitting out the second half.   

“It was good to get things rolling, get week one out of the way,” Thorne said. “It was a good start for us. We did what we were supposed to do. The offensive line did a great job tonight. They were five guys working as one unit.”

It took Auburn only four plays and 47 seconds to take the lead. After Thorne opened the game with a 12-yard completion to freshman Malcolm Simmons, Jarquez Hunter scored on his first carry, racing 34 yards through a sizable hole on the right side.  

After Auburn’s defense forced a three-and-out on A&M’s first possession, the quick-strike Tigers needed only one play to double their advantage. Thorne stepped up in the pocket and fired deep down the middle to KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 67-yard touchdown and a 14-0 Auburn lead.

“I turned around and Payton put it out there. I was like, I need this one. I ran right under it, looked back a little bit and saw green grass,” Lambert-Smith said. “Collectively, we put in a lot of work this summer. You saw it pay off.”

Auburn repeated that winning formula, a three-and-out and a one-play scoring drive, with Thorne finding freshman Cam Coleman on a stop-and-go route for a 44-yard touchdown to put the Tigers ahead 21-0 at the 11:39 mark of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs gained 56 yards to Auburn’s 1-yard line on a tipped pass that JC Hart nearly intercepted, but Jalen McLeod’s third-down sacked led to a missed A&M field goal.

The Tigers increased their lead to 28-0 with 2 minutes left in the opening quarter on Thorne’s second touchdown pass to Lambert-Smith, a 4-yarder.

Keionte Scott’s 29-yard punt return set up Town McGough’s 32-yard field goal to give Auburn a 31-0 lead early in the second quarter. 

The Bulldogs advanced to Auburn’s 21-yard line, but McLeod stopped A&M’s quarterback on fourth-and-7. 

One play later, Thorne connected with another member of Auburn’s highly touted quartet of in-state receivers, Perry Thompson, for a 70-yard touchdown and a 38-0 lead with 10:10 left in the second quarter.

Alabama A&M kicked a field goal midway through the quarter, but Auburn added two more rushing scores before the half, Thorne’s 4-yard run and Damari Alston’s 2-yarder to put the Tigers on top 52-3 at intermission.

Auburn tallied 436 yards in the half despite possessing the ball for only 9 minutes and 37 seconds. 

The teams mutually agreed to shorten the second half by playing 10-minute quarters. The Tigers scored on special teams when Micah Riley blocked a punt that Simmons recovered in the end zone for a 59-3 Auburn advantage at the 8:25 mark of the third quarter. 

Hank Brown took over for Thorne in the second half, hitting the speedy Simmons for a 57-yard touchdown that gave Auburn a 66-3 lead after the Tigers’ only possession of the third quarter.  

Brown displayed his deep-ball touch on his second drive, teaming up with a leaping Sam Jackson V  for a 37-yard touchdown that gave Auburn a staggering 70-point lead. Brown was 3-for-5 for 96 yards and two scores. Holden Geriner played the remainder of the abbreviated fourth quarter. 

Jalen McLeod led Auburn’s defense with five tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. Malik Blocton and Keldric Faulk added sacks.

“A good opener to get a lot of people in the game, and for us to stay fairly healthy,” Freeze said. “I thought we executed fairly well on both sides for most of the night.”

Auburn continues its season-opening five-game homestand next Saturday vs. California at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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

Highlights

GAME NOTES

>> Captains: Eugene Asante, Luke Deal, Jerrin Thompson, Payton Thorne
>> Coin Toss: Alabama A&M wins the toss and defers; Auburn will receive 
>> Eagle Flight: Independence from flagpole
>> Attendance: 88,043 (eight consecutive sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium)

TEAM NOTES
>> First-time starters for Auburn: Cam Coleman, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malcolm Simmons, Percy Lewis, Philip Blidi, Quientrail Jamison-Travis, Dorian Mausi Jr., Jerrin Thompson
>> This was Auburn’s 800th win in program history
>> Auburn has scored in 143 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history
>> Jarquez Hunter’s first-quarter TD with 14:13 remaining is the fastest score at the start of any Auburn game since 2010 against Chattanooga (14:30 pass from Cam Newton to Darvin Adams)
>> Hunter (14:13) and Lambert-Smith’s (12:47) scores are the fastest two touchdowns to start the season by Auburn through records back through the 1996 season
>> The first quarter was the first time an Auburn QB threw 3 TD passes in a quarter since Cam Newton in 2010 vs. Chattanooga -- Darvin Adams (2), Emory Blake
>> 28 is the most points scored in the first quarter by Auburn since the 2018 Music City Bowl vs. Purdue; it’s the fourth time in Auburn records the Tigers have scored 28 first-quarter points
>> 52 is the most first-half points for Auburn since 56 vs. Purdue in the 2018 Music City Bowl; 49 points ties the largest halftime lead since that Purdue bowl game
>>  436 yards are the most yards of total offense in the first half by Auburn since 2016 vs. Arkansas State (452)
>>  73 is the most points scored in the first game of a season since scoring 78 points vs. Marion in 1915 (109 years)
>> The Tigers’ 70-point margin of victory is the largest since Auburn defeated Erskine, 77-0, in 1932 (92 years)

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - OFFENSE
>> Jarquez Hunter is now 16th among Auburn career rushers with 2,225 yards, passing Kenny Irons (2,186 from 2005-06) and Cameron Artis-Payne (2,218 from 2013-14); next is James Joseph (2,264 from 1986-90)
>> Hunter scores his first rushing TD of the season and 18th of his career
>> KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s 67-yard touchdown catch was his first score at Auburn 
>> Cam Coleman’s 44-yard touchdown catch was the first reception and score of his Auburn career 
>> Perry Thompson’s 70-yard touchdown catch was the first score of his Auburn career; it was the longest completion of Payton Thorne’s Auburn career and his 19th TD pass as a Tiger
>> Thorne’s 322 passing yards are his most for a game in his Auburn career; his 322 first-half passing yards were the most by an Auburn QB since Jarrett Stidham passed for 355 yards in the first half of the 2018 Music City Bowl
>> Thorne’s TD run in the second quarter was his fourth rushing score at Auburn
>> Damari Alston scores his third career rushing touchdown
>> Malcolm Simmons’ 57-yard TD catch from Hank Brown was an Auburn first for both freshmen
>> Sam Jackson V’s 37-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter was the first receiving TD of his collegiate career
>> Auburn had five different players with receiving touchdowns in the game – the most known in program history.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - DEFENSE
>> Jalen McLeod records his first sack of the season, giving him 6.5 for his Auburn career
>> Keldric Faulk records his first sack of the season and second of his career
>> Malik Blocton recorded the first sack of his Auburn career

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - SPECIAL TEAMS
>> Auburn has converted 121 consecutive point-after kicks dating back to the second kick of the 2021 season
>> Towns McGough’s 32-yard field goal in the second quarter was the first of his Auburn career
>> Micah Riley’s blocked punt and Malcolm Simmons’ recovery for a touchdown was the first for both; it was the first punt blocked by Auburn for a score since Caylin Newton blocked a punt recovered by Barton Lester vs. Georgia State in 2021
>> Keionte Scott has 400 career punt return yards; 10th at Auburn is Robert Baker (463 from 1995-96)

Postgame Press Conference