Auburn returns from its bye week to take on the Ole Miss Rebels and Heisman candidate Matt Corral.
The Tigers have faced plenty of quality quarterbacks who have achieved great accolades such as the Heisman and who have reached the professional level of the NFL. Since 2013, Auburn has faced off against 11 quarterbacks who were Heisman finalists and five of which won the award.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the Tigers and the Rebels, here is a review of how Auburn has performed against highly praised quarterbacks in recent years.
Johnny Manziel
The No. 24 Tigers traveled to College Station to take on No. 7 Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel, fresh off a Heisman season. Manziel threw for 454 yards and four touchdowns along with 48 yards and a score on the ground.
The Tiger defense held off the award-winning quarterback’s impressive showing, forcing two interceptions. This memorable upset concluded with Dee Ford sacking the star quarterback to force a turnover on downs with 11 seconds left as the Tigers held on to a 45-41 lead.
Jameis Winston
In one of the most historic seasons in Auburn history, the No. 2 Tigers took on Heisman winner Jameis Winston and the No.1 Florida State Seminoles in the 2014 BCS National Championship.
Auburn held the highly touted Florida State offense to 10 first-half points and forced the Heisman quarterback to cough up a fumble. The Seminoles were able to get things back on track in the second half with Winston tossing two second-half touchdowns as the Tigers lost a heartbreaker, 34-31.
Dak Prescott
This top-5 matchup featured No. 2 Auburn and No. 3 Mississippi State. Heisman candidate and future All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott had his way on the ground and through the air, throwing for 246 yards and a touchdown along with 121 rushing yards and a pair of scores. The Tigers managed to force two interceptions, but this effort was not enough as the Tigers fell 23-38.
Jalen Hurts
The 2017 Iron Bowl had No. 6 Auburn facing against future NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts and the top-ranked Crimson Tide. The Auburn defense held the Hurts and the star-studded Alabama offense in check holding them to a season-low 14 points. Hurts was limited to 112 passing yards and one touchdown along with a fumble in Auburn’s 26-14 upset victory.
Deshaun Watson
Auburn’s 2016 campaign kicked off with a matchup against Deshaun Watson and No. 2 Clemson Tigers. Auburn held Clemson to a season-low 19 points and forced an interception early in the third quarter. Despite this, Watson’s 248 yards passing and one touchdown were enough for Clemson to squeeze past Auburn, 19-13.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa and the Tide controlled every aspect of this Iron Bowl match-up. Auburn had no answer for the Tide as Tagovailoa tossed for 324 yards and five touchdown passes in this 52-21 route.
Justin Herbert
No. 16 Auburn opened up 2019 against Justin Herbert and the No. 11 Oregon Ducks. Herbert started off hot throwing a touchdown in the Duck’s third offensive possession to give them a 14-0 lead. Following this, the Auburn defense tightened up forcing a Herbert fumble and only allowing seven second-half points. This defensive effort set up Auburn’s 27-21 comeback victory.
Joe Burrow
The No. 9 Auburn Tigers held No.2 LSU to its lowest score of the season in this top-10 matchup. The Tigers held LSU to 10 first-half points and forced an interception early in the third quarter, but Joe Burrow recovered finishing the day with 321 passing yards and one touchdown adding another on the ground as well. Auburn lost the match in Death Valley 23-20.
Over the past decade, Auburn has shown that it has the ability to slow the production of star quarterbacks. Forcing and capitalizing off of turnovers was the key factor in reducing the effectiveness of some of college football’s finest signal-callers. The Auburn defense has often given the Tigers an opportunity to win, but a sputtering offense has cost them games.
Auburn returns to action in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Saturday at 6 p.m. CST against Ole Miss. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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