Time was money for the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night. It took the Tigers only 18:27 of possession to score 73 points against Alabama A&M. With a commanding 73-3 win over the Bulldogs, Auburn picked up a week one victory and the program's 800th win.
“We are happy to be a part of those 800 wins,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. “I think we're only the 13th program in FBS to have that. So it puts you among the elite.”
If the Tigers' offense was anything, it was efficient.
Auburn dominated time of possession against the Bulldogs, scoring 73 points in 18:27 compared to three points in 41:33 from Alabama A&M. The Tigers put up 52 points in the first half alone, including seven touchdowns and one field goal, consistently turning short drives into quick and explosive scoring opportunities.
Quarterback Payton Thorne had an outstanding night for the Tigers, throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns and completing 62% of his passes. Thorne’s four passing touchdowns are a career best for the senior at Auburn.
With the Tigers starting the contest on offense, Thorne got the ball in the air early, completing a 12-yard pass to freshman Malcolm Simmons for a first down that led to a 34-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jarquez Hunter. Auburn’s first scoring drive of the season took only four plays and 47 seconds, and the Tigers did not slow down for the rest of the night.
Getting the ball back on Auburn's own 33-yard line after a three-and-out drive from Alabama A&M, it took Thorne one play to find KeAndre Lambert-Smith up the middle of the field, completing a 67-yard touchdown pass to put Auburn up 14-0. The Tigers’ second scoring drive of the night took them only 12 seconds.
Not looking to slow down, Thorne started and ended Auburn’s third drive in seven seconds with a 44-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman, putting the Tigers up 21-0 after 66 seconds of possession.
“There’s nothing like confidence,” Freeze said. “You know, that's something that we've always been good at, is creating explosive plays, and we weren't very good at that last year … These shot plays are explosive opportunities. Anytime you have a game, even if it's like this, where you are able to create those that only builds confidence in the kids.”
Auburn averaged 25.1 yards per completion against the Bulldogs, compared to 6.65 yards per completion averaged by the Tigers last season. The Tigers threw for 451 total yards, including 96 yards and two touchdowns from Hank Brown and 33 yards from Holden Geriner in the second half.
Five different Tigers caught touchdown passes on Saturday, including freshman Perry Thompson, Sam Jackson, Coleman, Simmons and Lambert-Smith. Simmons and Lambert-Smith both finished the night with two touchdowns apiece, with Simmons earning one touchdown on a blocked punt recovery– his first touchdown as an Auburn Tiger.
Perry Thompson (#3) receives for a touchdown against Alabama A&M at Jordan Hare Stadium on August 31st 2024
“The coaches kept harping about just going out there every time you are on the field and just playing 100%,” Simmons said of his unexpected first touchdown. “We had a long summer, and we finally came together. As long as we come together, I mean, we're gonna put up points.”
Looking towards four straight home games, Auburn is set to face the California Bears next Saturday, Sept. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on ESPN2.
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Grace Heim is a senior from Enterprise, Alabama, majoring in Political Science. She started with The Plainsman in January of 2023.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @graceeheim
