Auburn held its annual A-Day spring football game on Saturday afternoon, with Blue team taking the win over White team 37-13. Transfer quarterback Jarrett Stidham stood out as the starter for Blue team, giving his team a dominant lead in a statement first half.
Stidham, who went 16-for-20 for 267 passing yards, had 17 rushing yards with a touchdown from a fumble recovery. Impressing with downfield accuracy, Stidham had passing longs for 50 yards and 46 yards before the half.
“It wasn’t too bad,” Stidham said. “Some days it’s better than others. We just wanted to come out and do what we do best.”
“I thought, overall, the first offense threw the ball really well,” Stidham said. “Coach Lindsey is confident with me throwing the ball downfield… We’ll take it how it comes.
The white team split snaps between Malik Willis and Woody Barrett in the first half, Willis taking a majority. The freshman went 11-for-18 for 157 passing yards and 44 rushing yards on eight attempts for both Blue and White teams.
Willis took the reins in the second half for Blue team, throwing for 111 yards. Transfer quarterback Devin Adams also saw some action, taking over for White team with Willis’ transition. Adams went 3-for-4 for 73 yards, highlighted by a 69-yard pass to Marquis McClain as White team’s first touchdown.
Will Hastings led the Blue team in receptions with seven for 77 yards. Nate Craig-Myers and John Franklin III also gained recognition with the receiving corps, the two pairing for a majority of targets. Craig-Myers had five receptions for a game-high 154 yards. Franklin, though held to just two receptions and seven yards, was constantly in swing with the offense.
“They definitely made some good plays,” quarterback Sean White said, “Darius and [Nate] coming from being a freshman and a sophomore -- it’s a big jump.”
Darius Slayton had three receptions for 65 yards, imposing the downfield throws with a catch for 46 yards in the second quarter.
“I’m really excited about our receivers,” White continued, “all spring long -- they’ve done a great job.”
Auburn had its running back rotation in full swing while its former leading rusher, Kamryn Pettway, sat out the game. The former starting quarterback, White, also sat out, yet is recovering from his injury from the previous season.
Kerryon Johnson led the game in rushing with 47 yards and the game’s first touchdown to make it 7-3 in favor of the Blue team. C.J. Tolbert had a nine-yard run to make it 17-3, the other rushing touchdown coming from Stidham’s recovery with a halftime score becoming 27-6.
Malik Miller had a 15-yard rushing touchdown to end the third quarter for Blue team, extending the lead 34-6. A 39-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson, who went 5-for-5 with a long from 55, ended the scoring to give Blue team the lead with a score of 37-13.
Auburn football will return to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 2, versus Georgia Southern to start the season.
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