No. 10 Auburn narrowly escaped Saturday night after nearly three hours of weather delay, defeating Southern Miss in an ugly, 24-13 win.
Let’s hand out some grades from the 11-point win:
Quarterback: C-
The Auburn quarterback continues to struggle. Jarrett Stidham looked panicked all night, and has yet to find any rhythm in the passing game this season.
Apart from two big plays to Seth Williams and Darius Slayton, the passing game was close to nonexistent. Stidham threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-33 passing. The redshirt junior also finished with four carries for -26 yards.
Running Back: C-
For the first time since 2012, the Auburn offense failed to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back games.
After finishing with 91 yards against Arkansas, the Tigers only managed to rush for 96 yards against Southern Miss. It didn’t help matters that the Auburn starter, JaTarvious “Boobee” Whitlow, left the game early with the shoulder injury and that the offensive line struggled to get any push all night against the Golden Eagles’ front seven. Whitlow carried the ball four times for 23 yards before exiting and backup Kam Martin finished with 24 carries for 90 yards.
Wide Receiver: B
A freshman pair of receivers were the difference in what was another lackluster performance from the wide outs.
True freshmen Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz both added touchdowns in the first half to help extend Auburn’s lead, in a game that was tight the whole contest. Williams showed off his Randy Moss-like vertical ability on a 46-yard touchdown pass downfield, an advantage that the Tigers’ passing attack has yet to have this year.
Offensive Line: F
There are no excuses for the offensive line’s performance Saturday against Southern Miss. J.B. Grimes unit continues to look undisciplined, and flat out incapable of protecting Jarrett Stidham. On top of giving up three sacks, the Tigers had nine penalties for 78 yards, which for the majority of the game, was more yardage than they could achieve on the ground.
Front Seven: A+
Considering how much time the defense had to spend on the field, with the amount of times the offense went three and out, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s unit performed about as well as they could. The Tigers front seven held Southern Miss to 2-of-13 on third down, forcing two sacks, and 45 yards rushing.
Secondary: A-
Once again, turnovers played a big role in Auburn’s win. Freshman Christian Tutt’s interception in the fourth quarter, on what could have been a game-tying drive for Southern Miss, sealed the victory for the Tigers. Auburn’s secondary, apart from a few big plays, was consistent and
kept the Golden Eagles offense at bay allowing 215 yards through the air and forcing one turnover.
Special Teams: B
Anders Carlson had one 53-yard attempt blocked and then converted on a 23-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 24-13 in the last minutes of the game.
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