Winners and Losers from Auburn's win

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Winners and Losers from Auburn's win over San Jose State

JD McCarthy

5-6 minutes

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Well, it may not have inspired a lot of o confidence but on a weekend with several massive upsets, Auburn was able to pick up the win.

The Tigers beat San Jose State 24-16 in Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday and are now 2-0 on the season.

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On a night when the offense was unable to get anything going in the first half, the Tigers’ defense was able to keep them in the game. The offense woke up in the second half and did just enough for Auburn to pull out the victory and avoid a disastrous loss, something Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M were unable to avoid earlier in the day.

Here are some winners and losers from Auburn’s win over the Spartans.

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Harris had one of his best games as a Tiger to lead the charge for the defensive line. The junior finished the night with four tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and a sack.

Auburn’s defensive line was in complete control the entire game and held the Spartans to 1.9 yards per carry and generated plenty of pressure. If Harris can keep playing at this level it could unlock another level for the defensive line, which already has several studs in Derick Hall and Colby Wooden,

(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Auburn entered the season with several questions about the receivers and with two games against less talented opponents it seemed like a great chance to learn about the group. Through two games that has not happened.

Just four wide receivers caught passes against San Jose State and only Ja’Varrius Johnson caught multiple passes. The group combined for six receptions for 93 yards. Tank Bigsby actually led Auburn with four receptions.

Auburn will need someone from the group to step up if they want the offense to be able to take advantage of defenses keying in on the ground game.

(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Yes, T.J. Finley started rough but he ended the game on a strong note. He started the game 1-of-5 with an interception but he regrouped and completed his next five passes. After the pick, he was 12-of-15 for 158 yards after the interception. While the interception was bad he showed he has the ability to put a bad play behind him and play good football, an important trait for a quarterback.

(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Auburn once again lost the turnover battle after throwing two interceptions. This time Robby Ashford and Finley each threw one. The pick by Finley was his third of the season and led to the Spartans’ first field goal of the game.

It could have been even worse as Damari Alston, Keionte Scott and Robby Ashford each fumbled the ball but were able to recover the football

Auburn has now turned the ball over four times and has yet to force one, something that could prove costly moving forward.

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Everyone knew Auburn’s defense was going to be good but they may be even better than expected, especially against the run. The group held the Spartans to 54 yards on 29 carries for a measly 1.9 yards per carry.

Every time the Spartans ran the ball it felt like Auburn had already won the play and was going to force a negative play. The group will face its first real test next week against Penn State but they have done everything you could have hoped for and more through two games.

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

Against a less talented team making mistakes is a guaranteed way to make the game closer than it needs to be and Auburn did exactly that Saturday.

The Tigers committed just three penalties last week, they equaled that on their first drive of the game. They committed nine penalties for 86 yards total. The flags only added to what was a dismal showing by the offense, which can not afford to keep making mistakes.

(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

As strong as Auburn’s run defense was the passing defense was equally bad. Scott and D.J. James both had strong games but as a unit, they were unable to slow down San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. The veteran completed 60% (24-40) of his passes for 275 yards and connected with eight different targets. His 275 passing yards are the most Auburn has allowed to a non-power conference opponent since Jacksonville State in 2015.

He enjoyed success on quick passes that exploited Auburn’s soft coverage and deeper shots along the sideline to take advantage of one-on-one coverage. The secondary will have to play better when Penn State comes into town next week, we saw what Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is capable of doing last year.