AUBURN, Ala. – Flashing his speed and versatility, sophomore Bryce Cain delivered two big plays in Auburn’s season-opening 17-16 win over Baylor Saturday in Atlanta.
Early In the second quarter, Cain came through on punt coverage, racing around the opponent assigned to slow him down and tackling punt returner Jayden McGowan for a 3-yard loss at Baylor’s 22-yard line, a field-flipping 52-yard possession change after Hudson Kaak’s 49-yard punt.
“I’m the gunner. I had to attack his leverage with speed because speed is my best ability,” Cain said. “As soon as I came down, I saw he didn’t fair catch, so I had to make a play, so I hit him.”
Later in the quarter, Cain’s 25-yard reverse, Auburn’s longest run of the game, set up Jeremiah Cobb’s touchdown run on the next play to give the Tigers a 10-0 lead.
“I saw all my blockers blocking for me,” Cain said. “Shout-out to all my teammates on offense. As soon as I turned up, I saw green grass. I had to show my speed to the world.”
In the words of Bruce Pearl, Cain stayed right and stayed ready, eager to contribute in all three phases.
“Whatever it takes to get on the field,” he said. “Either two-way, special teams, offense. I just want to get on the field and show the world what I’m about. Wherever they put me, that’s where I’m going to be. I’m going to play to the best of my ability.”
A receiver in his first two seasons on the Plains, Cain added defensive back duties during preseason camp.
“He’s got a skillset that’s dynamic,” Auburn coach Alex Golsh said. “We’ll continue to evolve his role as it goes. He’s earned the right to play. He’s a playmaker. I’m proud of him. I give him a lot of credit. He accepted his role as it was last week and he continues to strive to create a bigger one for himself.”
“You’ve got to always be ready because you don’t know when your name’s going to get called,” Cain said. “When he called my name, I was confident. I knew what I was running and I had to execute the job. I had to get the job done.”
Cain’s eagerness to embrace whatever role he’s assigned serves an example to his teammates.
“All it takes is one to make a difference,” he said. “That’s what I like to tell all the guys who aren’t getting a lot of playing time: as soon as your name gets called, that one play can change your whole life. That one play can change the whole game.
“I came out there ready to play, confident. As soon as I got on that field, I knew what I was fixing to do.”