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A spirit that is not afraid

Report card: Grading Auburn's 53-0 win over Liberty

Jarrett Stidham (8) flips the ball during Auburn Football vs Liberty on Saturday,  Nov. 17, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.
Jarrett Stidham (8) flips the ball during Auburn Football vs Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn took care of business on senior day inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Liberty 53-0 in an all-around performance. Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn hopes such a performance will give his team some momentum before heading to Tuscaloosa to face No.1 Alabama in next week’s Iron Bowl.

Let’s hand out the grades from Saturday.


QB: B+

Jarrett Stidham was extremely accurate Saturday afternoon in what may have been his last game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Auburn offense racked up 531 yards of total offense and scored 53 points on 29 first downs. Stidham was 12-of-18 for 178 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also added one touchdown with his feet, running a 1-yard keeper in on fourth-and-goal. The only negative for the offense Saturday came on third downs. The Tigers were 2-for-12 on third down conversions.

RB: B

The Tigers didn’t have much trouble establishing the run this week.

Auburn, led by Kam Martin, ran for 340 yards against Liberty with five different running backs rushing for at least 40 yards. Martin led the team with 17 carries for 116 yards and JaTarvious Whitlow finished with seven carries for 48 yards, but both failed to find the end zone. Freshman Shaun Shivers was the lone back to score a touchdown, finishing with six carries and 45 yards. Asa Martin and C.J. Tolbert each rushed for 44 and 41 yards, respectively.

WR: A

Freshman Seth Williams continues to show that the future is bright at the wide receiver position.

Williams, who became the first Auburn receiver to eclipse 100 yards in a game this season, finished with five receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown. Williams didn’t drop a single pass and capped his perfect afternoon with a 45-yard diving touchdown in the third quarter that extended the Tigers’ lead to 39-0. Sal Cannella also finished with one reception for 22 yards and a touchdown.

O-LINE: B+

Whenever your offense puts up over 500 yards of total offense, it’s hard to complain.

The Tigers passed for 191 and ran for 340, while giving up only one sack and turning the ball over zero times. However, this was merely a tune-up game for next week’s Iron Bowl where this unit will have to play the game of their lives if the Tigers want any chance of competing with Tua Tagovailoa and No. 1 Alabama.

FRONT SEVEN: A+

Despite coming into the game somewhat of an unknown to most college football fans around the country, Liberty’s offense this year, believe it or not, has been very productive. Coming into Saturday, the Flames were ranked in the top 30 nationally on offense, averaging over 400 yards a game.

Auburn didn’t seem to care.

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The Tigers front seven allowed only 55 yards on the ground and sacked the quarterback three times in Auburn’s first FBS shutout since 2008 against Louisiana Monroe. The defense also created four turnovers, one of which was a pick-6 from senior linebacker Darrell Williams midway through the first quarter that gave the Tigers their first touchdown of the day, and an early 10-0 lead.

SECONDARY: A-

Kevin Steele’s secondary rebounded from the poor showing at Georgia.

The Tigers gave up only 79 passing yards and held the Flames’ offense to 3-of-12 on third down. Freshman safety Smoke Monday added the first interception of his young career.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Freshman Anders Carlson got back on track, hitting three field goals from 20, 49 and 53 yards out. The defense also got into the mix as Jordyn Peters blocked his third punt of the year in the first quarter, which resulted in a safety and gave Auburn a 12-0 lead.


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