Auburn football notebook: Knight leads 3-phase gem

by Jeff Shearer
Auburn football notebook: Knight leads 3-phase gemAuburn football notebook: Knight leads 3-phase gem
Zach Bland

Deuce Knight

AUBURN, Ala. Of all the spectacular things Deuce Knight accomplished Saturday in his first college football start, not to be overlooked are the 17 bullet points needed to describe his six-touchdown masterpiece in Auburn’s official postgame notes.

The freshman quarterback rushed for four touchdowns and passed for two more to lead Auburn to a 62-17 victory over Mercer at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“It was fun,” Knight said. “It was a blessing. We had a great gameplan. We practiced good all week. It just came down to players making plays, great blocks, great blocking downfield and all the things like that.”

Knight completed 15 of 20 passes for 239 yards and rushed nine times for 162 yards, accounting for 401 of Auburn’s 547 yards of total offense.

On the game’s first play, Knight worked through his progressions and when his receivers were covered, he took off to his right, turned upfield and raced 75 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

Knight tied the game with his second rushing touchdown, a 51-yarder where he again sprinted down the right sideline when he did not have an open receiver.

Leading the way: Justin Jones (l) and Mason Murphy block for Deuce KnightLeading the way: Justin Jones (l) and Mason Murphy block for Deuce Knight

Knight added two more touchdowns on designed runs in the first half, then threw his first touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to Cam Coleman with three seconds left in the first half before completing his TD six-pack with a 91-yard pass to Malcolm Simmons in the third quarter.

“I think what everybody saw was the God-given ability that Deuce has,” quarterbacks coach Kent Austin said. “His natural athleticism, the ability to make plays. He’s hard to bring down out in space and he’s fast.

“This game comes down to players making plays at every position and eliminating as many mistakes as possible, and today Deuce made some plays.”

D-lineman's dream: Chris Murray's strip sackD-lineman's dream: Chris Murray's strip sack

SENSATIONAL SENIOR DAY

One of 17 players honored on Senior Day, Chris Murray recorded two sacks, including a strip sack that Jay Hardy recovered, one of three Tiger takeaways.

“It was memorable. I’ve got my family there, Senior Night, I shed a tear before going out there today. Nothing can explain what just happened today for me,” Murray said. “It doesn’t get any better than that. A strip sack is a D-lineman’s favorite thing to do. It was great.

Kaleb Harris made his first career interception and Elijah Melendez nabbed his second, returning it 41 yards for Auburn’s second pick-six of the season.

Line it up: Alex McPherson has made 12 consecutive field goal attemptsLine it up: Alex McPherson has made 12 consecutive field goal attempts

MIGHTY MCPHERSON

A maker of 12 consecutive field goal attempts, Alex McPherson drilled a 47-yarder and a 49-yarder in a span of 3 minutes and 39 seconds of the fourth quarter.

“I’m glad I was able to go out there and knock them down for my team and add six points,” said McPherson, who’s made 18 field goals this season and 38 in his career. “I think I’m finally getting that pop back. It’s not just crawling over anymore from 47, it’s actually getting through. It’s awesome to see that ball go through. It gives you confidence going into the next kick.”

National champsNational champs

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS RECOGNIZED

During the weekend, including an on-field recognition between the first and second quarters, Auburn honored four newly recognized national championship teams: 1958, 1983, 1993 and 1994.

“It’s an awesome feeling to walk to the stadium now and see the signage up that says that we’re national champions,” said Randy Campbell, who quarterbacked Auburn’s 1983 team. “I don’t feel like we’re claiming anything, we’re just recognizing, for the ’83 team, what’s been in the NCAA record book for years and years. That’s a great feeling.”

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