9.10.23 Football Articles

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al.com

 

Three takeaways from Auburn’s adversity-filled 14-10 win over Cal on the road

Updated: Sep. 10, 2023, 1:09 a.m.|Published: Sep. 10, 2023, 12:55 a.m.

5–6 minutes

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Coming into Saturday night, the Auburn football program hadn’t made a trip out to Northern California in nearly 87 years with the Tigers’ last trip coming on Oct. 30, 1936 for a game against the University of Santa Clara Broncos.

This go ‘round, Auburn lined up against the Cal Golden Bears for a game under the lights of California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.

With a 9:30 p.m. CT start, Saturday’s kickoff was the latest in program history for Auburn and gave the Tigers a chance to pick up their first ever win in the Golden State.

And in front of a crowd that was more lopsided in the Golden Bears’ favor than many expected, the Tigers squeaked out a 14-10 adversity-filled win to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Here are the takeaways from Saturday night’s action on out west.

Auburn’s one-dimensional offense nearly rolls over

Saturday night’s performance against Cal might leave Auburn with some questions at quarterback.

All week, the storylines revolved around how much energy — if any — Auburn would come out with after a long Thursday of traveling, a Friday getting adjusted to Pacific Time and a Saturday spent waiting for a late kickoff.

However, that all felt like a worn-out storyline once the rubber hit the road and the Tigers’ offense sputtered not just to start the game, but all four quarters.

The Auburn offense got eight possessions in the first half. Of those eight possessions, three ended in turnovers, four ended in punts and one ended in a touchdown.

The Tigers’ lone score of the first half was the result of Auburn’s defense finally forcing a turnover of its own, giving the offense a short, 17-yard field. A 13-yard pass play from Thorne to Jay Fair capped off the scoring drive, giving Auburn a 7-3 lead.

Thorne’s touchdown pass to Fair was one of just five passes that were completed by the Tigers’ offense in the first half.

Even after the the Tigers’ first score of the night, the Auburn offense limped along through the second and third quarters, only finally finding some kind of groove midway through the fourth quarter as Thorne piloted a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard 50/50 ball brought down by tight end Rivaldo Fairweather.

Auburn’s scoring drive in the fourth quarter was just the second drive of the night in which the Tigers’ offense completed more than one pass.

While Cal passed for 160 yards Saturday night, Auburn’s offense mustered just 94 yards through the air. The Tigers added 136 yards on the ground — good for 230 yards of total offense to Cal’s 273 yards of total offense.

Ball security, turnovers nearly catch up to Auburn

There aren’t many games in which you lose the turnover battle and the penalty battle and keep the game as close as Auburn did Saturday night — let alone win it.

The Tigers’ offense committed four turnovers in Saturday’s win — three fumbles and a interception.

Of those, three came in the first half as Thorne fumbled in Auburn’s first drive and later tossed a pick. Meanwhile, running backs Damari Alston and Jarquez Hunter were each stripped of the football.

Fortunately for Auburn, despite four chances to capitalize on turnovers, the Cal offense was only able to do so twice as it scored a field goal following the first fumble and a touchdown off of Auburn’s second fumble.

The Tigers were able to tighten the turnover margin late in the game at DJ James intercepted Cal quarterback Sam Jackson — good for Auburn’s third takeaway of the game. James’ interception with 1:44 to play in the game sent Cal fans to the exits as it paved the way for the Auburn offense to milk the clock.

On the penalty front, the Tigers committed seven penalties for 56 yards, while the Bears committed four penalties for 41 yards.

Jarquez Hunter returns, but takes his time to come alive

Seeing junior running back Jaquez Hunter dressed ahead of Saturday’s matchup felt like it might foreshadow a strong night on the ground for Auburn.

Hunter, who came into the 2023 season primed to be the bell cow in Auburn’s backfield, missed the season-opener against UMass last week. It’s unclear if Hunter’s absence in Week 1 had anything to do with him allegedly being involved in a sex tape that leaked out during the offseason.

Nonetheless, No. 27 returned to action Saturday night and certainly didn’t get out to the start many likely expected.

Hunter’s number got called on Auburn’s first two plays from scrimmage on back-to-back carries that went for three yards a piece. After Auburn’s first drive, Hunter tallied just three more carries in the first half, totaling five carries for just 12 yards.

Come the second half, Hunter and the Auburn offense seemed to be a bit less flat.

Hunter finished the night with 11 carries, good for 53 yards. Hunter’s longest scamper of the night went for 19 yards.

Meanwhile, Damari Alston tallied 51 yards on eight carries.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Instant Analysis: Auburn gains late momentum, steals win from California

Taylor Jones

5–6 minutes

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Auburn’s California dream almost ended in a nightmare.

In a game plagued by turnovers and poor offensive play, Auburn caught momentum late and rode it to victory. A late touchdown followed by an interception in the final two minutes lifts Auburn to a 14-10 win over California late Saturday night.

Buy Tigers Tickets

Auburn (2-0) trailed 10-7 with 6:31 remaining in the game before quarterback Payton Thorne connected with tight end Rivaldo Fairweather for a touchdown pass to give the Tigers the lead. Later in the quarter, California (1-1) forced and recovered a fumble which gave them one final opportunity to steal a win. However, DJ James picked off Steven Jackson’s pass in the end zone with 1:44 remaining to secure the victory.

“A win is a win” head coach Hugh Freeze said following the game on the ESPN broadcast.

Auburn’s first drive set the tone for the evening. On 3rd down, quarterback Payton Thorne fumbled the football before stepping out of bounds. California’s Jackson Sirmon recovered the fumble with 13:33 remaining in the 1st quarter to give the Bears great field position at the Auburn 35-yard line.

Cal would respond by converting a seven-play drive into three points. Michael Luckhurst nailed a 39-yard field goal to give the Bears the 3-0 lead with 9:42 remaining in the first.

The quarter would end with Auburn obtaining three drives. Two ended on punts, and one would end on a fumble. The Tigers managed to gain just 32 yards of offense in the first quarter, trailing 3-0.

It took Auburn several drives to return the favor, but they managed to record a turnover of their own in the 2nd quarter. Auburn’s Jalen McLeod tackled Cal’s Isaiah Ifanse, and the football was stripped away by Donovan Kaufman. Kaufman would recover the fumble at the California 17-yard line to give Auburn a new set of downs with 13:01 remaining in the first half.

Like California in the first quarter, Auburn turned a fumble into a score. On the third play of the drive, Thorne connected with jay fair for the second time this season for a score. This time, Thorne dialed up a 13-yard strike to Fair to give Auburn the 7-3 lead with 11:50 in the 2nd quarter.

The trend continued later in the quarter, as California turned another turnover into points. Damari Alston fumbled the football with 7:20 remaining in the quarter to, unfortunately, end a positive drive at that point. Running back Jadyn Ott rushed for a 14-yard score to push the Bears ahead, 10-7.

Thorne was responsible for Auburn’s third turnover of the game. California’s Nohl Williams picked off Thorne with less than two minutes remaining in the first half to set up the Bears’ final drive of the 2nd quarter. The Bears planned to end the half by kicking a last-second field goal. However, a holding penalty erased the kick, forcing the Bears to try one last play from scrimmage. California quarterback Steven Jackson V threw a desperation pass to the end zone, which landed in the hands of Jaylin Simpson. He returned the pick to the Auburn 25-yard line to cap the first half.

The Tigers gained just 99 yards of total offense in the first half while committing three turnovers. Auburn had just four first downs and converted 1-of-6 third down opportunities. Defensively, the Tigers allowed 129 yards of offense and created two turnovers.

The third quarter featured less action than the previous two. California needed two possessions to set themselves up for a scoring opportunity. The Bears began a nine-play drive with 5:57, which ended in a missed 42-yard field goal to keep the score 10-7 heading into the 4th quarter.

After several frustrating drives that resulted in zero points, Auburn found the end zone again with 6:31 remaining in the 4th quarter. Thorne tossed his second touchdown pass of the game to tight end Rivaldo Fairweather to push Auburn ahead, 14-10. The play was set up by a pass interference call on the Bears two plays prior.

Turnovers woes continued for Auburn on its next possession. Hunter fumbled on the Tigers’ second play from scrimmaged, and it was recovered by Cal’s Ricky Correia for the fourth turnover of the game.

However, that turnover did not plague Auburn as others had done before. On the sixth play of California’s ensuing drive, DJ James picked off Jackson in the end zone to regain possession.

Auburn finished behind California in total yards, 273-230. The Tigers also had fewer first downs than California, and ran 23 fewer plays. Those stats go in-line with the time of possession battle, which Auburn lost by nearly 10 minutes (34:48 for California opposed to 25:12 for Auburn).

Thorne completed 9-of-14 passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Fairweather hauled in three passes for 39 yards and a score. In his return to action, Jarquez Hunter rushed for 53 yards on 11 carries.

Auburn returns to Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday to face Samford. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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247sports.com

 

Instant Impressions Auburn 14 Cal 10

Nathan King

12–15 minutes

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Auburn's offense suddenly came alive to put the Tigers up with 6:31 left, then their resilient defense got one final stop to seal — and steal — a 14-10 victory Saturday night

BERKELEY, California — The Tigers' offensive performance 2,500 miles from home was one they'll soon hope to forget. But their go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter will go down as one of the team's biggest in recent seasons.

Auburn's offense suddenly came alive to put the Tigers up with 6:31 left, then their resilient defense got one final stop to seal — and steal — a 14-10 victory Saturday night at California Memorial Stadium.

Here are Auburn Undercover's instant impressions from an unbelievable first Power Five win for Hugh Freeze at Auburn.

ONE DRIVE ALL THAT’S NEEDED FOR AUBURN

Auburn started its 11th drive of the game with one of the team’s worst offensive performances in recent memory. As Freeze cycled quarterbacks, nothing had been clicking all night through the air or on the ground.

But Auburn’s defense kept it in the game. So one drive was all the Tigers needed.

Payton Thorne led Auburn down the field to take a 14-10 lead with 6:31 left to play, finding Rivaldo Fairweather for a 5-yard score on a fade in the back of the end zone. 

Before that series, Auburn had 131 yards of offense all game, was 1-of-8 on third down, and its previous longest drive was 26 yards. It converted two third downs on that scoring drive alone and went 69 yards down the field in 4:37.

After a sack, Thorne hit Fairweather for 29 yards on a third-and-17 to push Auburn past midfield. Then Thorne dumped off to running back Damari Alston, then got the Tigers set up with a first-and-goal by lofting the ball to Fairweather in the end zone and drawing a pass interference.

DEFENSE NEEDS ONE MORE STOP

After squeezing everything from their defense all night, the Tigers needed just one more stop to possibly secure the win. 

Somehow, the Tigers got it.

Auburn had a chance to put the game on ice, but Jarquez Hunter fumbled at his own 41-yard line. Cal quarterback Sam Jackson found Trond Grizzell for a first down, then 15 yards were tacked on by a late hit flag on Auburn freshman cornerback Kayin Lee, who started in place of the injured Nehemiah Pritchett. But Auburn took advantage of a holding call the following play, which ultimately set up a third-and-19 — with Cal needing a touchdown, the game at 14-10.

D.J. James made a great tackle in space to set up a fourth-and-15, the game likely on the line. And it was James who sealed it, intercepting Jackson in the end zone with 1:44 left.

AUBURN’S DEFENSE KEEPS GAME WINNABLE

The only reason Saturday’s matchup didn’t get out of hand for Auburn is because its defense came to fight every drive.

Cal crossed midfield eight times, and came away with only 10 points on the night. Auburn held the Golden Bears to a 4-of-18 clip on third down, 3-of-6 on fourth down, and forced three turnovers. 

On Cal’s first drive of the second quarter, Donovan Kaufman forced his second fumble in as many games — and recovered it — by stripping running back Isaiah Ifanse at the Cal 16-yard line. 

Cal made a quarterback switch on its sixth drive of the game, going with Week 1 starter Sam Jackson, who was questionable leading up to Saturday after a shoulder injury last week against North Texas. A more athletic option than Ben Finley, Jackson immediately galvanized the Cal offense, and the Tigers’ defense seemed a bit shell-shocked on a 65-yard touchdown drive that took only six plays.

But they quickly settled back in, following up with another Cal punt, and an interception by Jaylin Simpson on a hail mary to end the first half.

It took a long time for the dam to truly break for Auburn/The dam never truly broke for Auburn. Even as Cal advanced inside Auburn’s 40-yard line on its first drive of the second half, the Tigers got a stop on fourth-and-5, continuing to keep the Bears at bay and giving their offense a chance.

Cal advanced to the red zone on the next drive, after another fourth-down conversion, but the Tigers stood tall and forced another 42-yard field goal try — which was no good. 

And yet again, the following drive, Cal went down the field again, and after another Eugene Asante tackle for loss, kicker Michael Luckhurst missed yet again, this time from 44 yards.

And when Auburn went ahead with the touchdown drive, the Tigers immediately got a three-and-out and got the ball back with a chance to chew clock.

Asante played on fire all night, leading Auburn with a career-high 12 tackles, plus 1 sack, one pass breakup and two QB hurries.

AUBURN AVOIDS DISASTROUS START

On the Tigers’ first third down of the game, Thorne fumbled on a scramble, and the ball appeared to be picked up by Cal linebacker Jackson Sirmon and returned 28 yards for a touchdown. One official signaled touchdown in the end zone, but the official ruling was that Thorne stepped out of bounds before losing the ball.

Even though the call was overturned, no advancement was granted to Cal because the play was blown dead on the field. So the Bears were gifted their first drive at Auburn’s 35-yard line.

Cal’s second drive started at the opposing 33-yard line after Thorne was nearly sacked on the goal line, and Oscar Chapman’s punt went only 32 yards. 

But in both instances, Auburn was helped by a Cal mistake that set its offense back 10 yards — a broken play for a loss on the first drive, and Marcus Harris sack on the second. Both came on Cal first downs inside Auburn’s 25-yard line.

Cal only managed a field goal after the first blunder, then missed a 42-yard kick after the second, so the Tigers escaped a rough start to the game by surrendering only 3 points.

THORNE UNDERSCORES BRUTAL OFFENSIVE NIGHT

Thorne’s rough night on the West Coast began on the third play of the game.

The Tigers quarterback scrambled out to his right on third down and fumbled right in front of the Cal sideline, and linebacker Jackson Sirmon picked it up and ran it back 28 yards, as the crowd roared. But it was ultimately ruled that although Thorne didn’t step out of bounds, the play was blown dead, so the Cal touchdown didn’t count.

That was the first of a long list of Thorne’s troubles — and issues for the Auburn passing game. Thorne went 9-of-14 for the game, with two touchdowns and a pick, and was sacked three times, as the Tigers failed to find any sort of rhythm through the air for the majority of the night. Auburn and Thorne’s issues led to a 1-for-8 start on third downs. 

Thorne’s second turnover — a pass that sailed too high for receiver Shane Hooks and landed in the arms of Nohl Williams — gave Auburn nearly as many giveaways (three) as first downs (four) to that point in the game. Running back Damari Alston also had a lost fumble on Cal’s side of the field in the second quarter.

No. 2 quarterback Robby Ashford got his first look at the start of the second quarter, and even when he looked to be getting a drive’s worth of work toward the end of the third quarter, Thorne still came in when things got to third-and-long.

Freeze continued to cycle quarterbacks into the fourth quarter, when Ashford threw a dropped interception by Cal, then had to come off to the sideline to be looked at by trainers. 

Auburn finished with just 94 passing yards, as Ashford went 1-for-3 with no yardage. Jarquez Hunter (53 yards) and Damari Alston (51 yards) combined to help the Tigers rush for 113 on the night.

Auburn Undercover will update this story. Check back for additional information.

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Auburn rallies past mistake-prone California for 14-10 victory

JOSH DUBOW

Sun, September 10, 2023 at 1:03 AM CDT·4 min read

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Auburn California Football

Auburn cornerback D.J. James (4) intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for California wide receiver Trond Grizzell, right, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Payton Thorne threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rovaldo Fairweather following California's third missed field goal of the game and Tigers rallied for a 14-10 victory on Saturday night.

“I don’t think we could have played any uglier or sloppier on offense. I’m really proud of our defense,” coach Hugh Freeze said. “All the credit goes to to to that side of the ball tonight. There’s going to be nights where we can score 50 and we might have to to win. And there’s going to be times where they got to hold them to 10 and we got to score 11. This is one of those nights with how poorly we played on our offense.”

Auburn (2-0) had been stagnant most of the night offensively, generating only six first downs in the first three quarters before putting together a 69-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead.

The key play on the drive was a 28-yard pass from Thorne to Fairweather to convert a third-and-17.

 

The Golden Bears (1-1) had a chance to come back after Jarquez Hunter lost a fumble for at Auburn at the Tigers 41 with 4:00 left. Cal drove down to the 15 but got backed up by a holding penalty and then Sam Jackson V threw an interception in the end zone on fourth and 13 with 1:44 to play.

Auburn ran out the clock from there, winning the game despite four turnovers and only 230 yards of offense.

“We found a way to win and we can grow from that,” Freeze said. “I think that’s what this season’s really about, is us finding a way to grow and and get better each week. We got better defensively tonight. We took a step back offensively. It’s very uncharacteristic. We really take pride everywhere we’ve been in not having many penalties and not turning the ball over and boy tonight was not that.”

The Bears were also done in by the special teams mishaps with Michael Luckhurst missing two field goals from 42 yards and another from 44 to give him five missed field goals in two games this season. He also had a 51-yarder taken off the board by a holding penalty late in the first half.

“We had a great opportunity that we let slip through our hands,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “It’s very frustrating, extremely frustrating. ... Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. I don’t feel sorry for us. We have to do better. We have the guys to do it. Unfortunately, we had so many chances but couldn’t do it.”

This game was a complete reversal from the style both teams played in lopsided openers against overmatched teams. Cal and Auburn combined for 117 points last week in wins over North Texas and Massachusetts, respectively, but came nowhere close to matching that output in their first meeting ever.

Auburn got off to a rough start with Thorne losing a fumble on the first drive of the game. The Tigers had three turnovers and four first downs for the entire first half but only trailed 10-7.

Cal missed a 41-yard field goal, had a 51-yarder negated by a holding penalty and lost a fumble at its own 17 to set up Auburn's only TD of the half on Thorne's 13-yard pass to Jay Fair.

The Bears got their only TD of the half on Jaydn Ott's 14-yard run after Damari Alston lost a fumble for Auburn.

THE TAKEAWAY

Auburn: Thorne, a transfer from Michigan State, struggled in his second start for the Tigers. He finished 9 for 14 for 94 yards with two turnovers but did have the two TD passes. Eugene Asante was the star defensively with 12 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup.

California: The Bears failed to take advantage of prime scoring chances, netting only three points on three drives that started at the Auburn 35 or closer in the first half. They had eight drives in all that got inside the Auburn 40 and came away with only 10 points on those possessions.

“We just had so many self-inflicted wounds,” Jackson said.

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Auburn football report card: High marks for defense vs. Cal, but what about the offense?

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

Sun, September 10, 2023 at 1:27 AM CDT·2 min read

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BERKELEY, Cal. — For the first time ever, Auburn football is leaving the state of California with a win.

The Tigers had taken a trip to the Golden State on three separate occasions prior to 2023, losing to Santa Clara in 1936, USC in 2002 and Florida State in the 2014 BCS championship game.

But Auburn did enough to pick up a 14-10 victory against Cal on Saturday. It was often ugly, but as the saying goes: A win is a win.

Offense: D-

The Tigers played two quarterbacks − Payton Thorne and Robby Ashford − against the Golden Bears. They combined for a putrid 94 passing yards and completed just 10 passes. The offense also turned the ball over four times, putting the defense in some poor situations throughout.

 

A big catch from transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather late in the fourth quarter to put Auburn on top and some solid running from sophomore RB Damari Alston save this grade from being a complete failure.

BEST FRIENDS: 'Big brother, little brother': Matchup with Cal will be reunion for Auburn's Payton Thorne

PAYTON THORNE: 'Hey dad, he did it right': How Payton Thorne's journey to Auburn began at North Central College

Defense: A+

Time and time again, Auburn's defense needed to make a stop. And time and time again, the unit pulled it off.

From freshman cornerback Kayin Lee holding his own to DJ James pulling down a clutch interception, it was a complete performance for the Tigers' defense. Junior linebacker Eugene Asante led the way with 12 tackles and a sack, and senior defensive lineman Marcus Harris stood out in his own right with a big tackle for loss.

Special teams: B-

With the offense struggling to generate much of anything, senior punter Oscar Chapman was tasked with booting five balls; he averaged 40.8 yards per punt. The return game, after having a big day against UMass in Week 1, was pretty quiet between Brian Battie (average of 19 yards) returning kickoffs and Keionte Scott (average of 10 yards) returning punts.

Coaching: C-

For a coaching staff with as many offensive minds as Auburn has, the Tigers ran into a lot of issues.

Auburn moved the ball better coming out of halftime, but some costly turnovers and mistakes made those mid-game adjustments almost for naught.

Overall: C+

The Tigers won on the road, and for that they pass. But it was extremely ugly and won't get the job done against the upcoming four-week stretch of Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss after a Week 3 matchup with FCS Samford.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Grading Tigers' win over Cal

 

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i have a question? in the celebration one of our kids is showing wearing a vehicle seat belt around his neck. is that our turnover doohickey symbolizing a stop?

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si.com

 

Auburn LB Eugene Asante had an insane outing vs California

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

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The transfer linebacker played out of his mind in Berkeley.

Auburn's offense didn't have a lot to show against Cal on Saturday night, struggling to cobble together drives while coughing up the ball four times.

However, the defense did more than its part helping Auburn secure a 14-10 win on the road.

Eugene Asante was at the forefront of the stellar defensive performance. Asante led the Tigers with 12 tackles, the most of his career. It’s the second straight game he has led Auburn in tackles (six vs UMass).

"What a night he had... He played really, really hard," Freeze said about Asante's performance.

After transferring in from North Carolina during the 2022 offseason, there were expectations that Asante would contribute for the Tigers immediately. However, he only appeared in four games and had one tackle.

Now that the coaching staff has put him to use, fans are beginning to see what sort of player he could become for the Tigers.

“I played scout team last year," Asante said in the postgame press conference.

Auburn held Cal to just 273 yards of total offense, shutting down what was assumed to be a potent running attack.

Cal running back Jaydn Ott had a lot to say leading into the week about Cal's chances and how they were going to act after a victory. He left the game in the third quarter after jumping in the air and getting slammed to the ground by Auburn safety Jaylin Simpson.

Ott finished with 78 yards on 20 carries (3.9 yards per carry).

There were some concerns about the Tigers' rush defense following a questionable outing vs UMass, but those concerns were not had in this game. Cal averaged 2.8 yards per rush.

If the Tigers can get more performances out of their linebackers like they did from Asante, they'll be in good shape moving forward.

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247sports.com

 

Game overview Dramatic fourth quarter dynamic defense lift Auburn to victory

Phillip Marshall

4–5 minutes

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Receiver Jay Fair scores Auburn's first touchdown against Cal. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, Auburn Undercover, 247Sports)

 Four times Saturday at California Memorial Stadium, Cal started drives inside Auburn territory – the 34, 33, 34 and 41. Auburn’s defense, on those four drives, gave up three points. Four other forays into Auburn territory resulted in seven points. As a result, though its offense was struggling mightily, Auburn got to the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game.

Stymied for most of three quarters by untimely penalties and turnovers, the offense awoke from its slumber and tight end Rivaldo Fairweather finally got to show the elite athletic ability that made him one of the top pickups out of the transfer portal. After quarterback Payton Thorne had been sacked for a 7-yard loss at the Auburn 31, it was third-and-17. Thorne threw down the right side for Fairweather, who showed his athleticism with an ankle-high catch for 28 yards. Auburn’s biggest drive of the young season was under way.

On second-and-goal at the 5, Auburn called a timeout. Head coach Hugh Freeze thought Fairweather had a matchup advantage.

“Throw it where he can catch it,” Auburn coach Freeze told Thorne. As instructed, Thorne threw it high in the corner of the end zone. Fairweather went up and got it. Auburn won 14-10, the first win in the state of California in program history.

"I like firsts," a smiling Freeze said after the game.

Freeze praised his defense. He acknowledge it was not a good night for the offense. And he praised all his team for not giving in when things were shaky.

‘I don’t think we can play any uglier and sloppier on offense than we did,” Freeze said. “I am really proud of the defense, of the plan that Ron (Roberts) and his staff had and of the effort they gave with their backs against the wall time and time again, finding a way to get us out of trouble and give us a chance to win the game.”

Cal had 273 yards offense to Auburn’s 230. It ran 78 plays to Auburn’s 55 and had the ball for 34:48 to Auburn’s 25:12. In most games, those numbers are not conducive to winning. But by hook or crook, win Auburn did to improve to 2-0 going into next Saturday’s game against Samford at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I tell them all the time, there are going to be times we score 50 and might have to do that to win,” Freeze said. “And there are going to be times when we have to hold them to 10 and we have to get 11. This was one of those nights.”

Regardless of the score or statistics, few things are more satisfying for college football players than coming from behind in the fourth quarter to win. It's even more satisfying on the road.

Auburn’s defense played most of the second half without secondary standouts Keionte Scott and Donovan Kaufman, both sidelined. Scott was dealing with severe cramps. Kaufman suffered a possible concussion. Still, the Tigers turned away every Cal surge. Linebacker Eugene Asante, in his second Auburn season since transferring from North Carolina, had a career night with 12 tackles, nine of them solo. He had a sack, 1 ½ tackles for loss, two quarterback pressures and broke up a pass.

The Bears got their first points on Michael Luckhurst’s 39-yard field goal after Thorne fumbled while going out of bounds on the third play of the game. Auburn took a 7-3 lead after Kaufman forced a fumble and recovered it at the Cal 17. Thorne hit Jay Fair on a crossing pattern for a 13-yard touchdown pass and a 7-3 Auburn lead.

After an Auburn drive died at the Cal 35 on a Demari Alston fumble, the Bears put together their best drive of the night. Running back Jaydn Ott ran 14 yards for the touchdown. Cal led 10-7. And so it stayed until Thorne threw, Fairweather leaped and Auburn escaped with a harrowing victory.

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247sports.com

'He'll make a play:' Auburn looks to reliable Rivaldo for go-ahead touchdown

Nathan King

5–7 minutes

BERKELEY, California — When the drive started humming, Auburn’s defensive players could feel better than anyone in the stadium who was going to be the one to make a play.

After all, the fate Cal cornerback Jeremiah Earby suffered — being used as a step ladder for Rivaldo Fairweather to climb and snag the ball overtop of — is one Fairweather’s teammates have been subjected to all offseason.

“I knew it was coming,” Auburn cornerback D.J. James said postgame, discussing Rivaldo Fairweather’s dominance on the decisive, go-ahead touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter.

Needing a major spark after failing to find offensive rhythm in any area, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne went to his ultra-athletic tight end transfer three times in seven plays — and those ended up being some of his best decisions of an otherwise forgettable performance at California Memorial Stadium. Fairweather capped the drive with a high-pointing touchdown grab on a 5-yard fade, putting Auburn up 14-10 and allowing the Tigers’ defense to seal the deal with their third takeaway of the game.

“We just kept our head down and just kept going,” Fairweather said postgame. “No matter all the mistakes we made, we just knew we still were going to win the game, man.”

Throughout preseason practice — Fairweather was present for spring ball but Thorne didn’t leave Michigan State until early May — the FIU transfer tight end was one of Thorne’s favorite targets. Fairweather wasn’t showcased much in Week 1, but he put his impressive skill set on display on the West Coast.

“Just repetition with Payton,” was the first thing Fairweather attributed his big plays to. “Perfect timing, man. The first game, it didn't really go all good, but we still got the dub. It's God's timing, man. Me and Payton, we do that every day — after practice, before practice, before we'd even start the season. That's what we do.”

Auburn began the go-ahead drive with Robby Ashford at quarterback — as Hugh Freeze cycled quarterbacks plenty throughout a highly inconsistent night for the passing game — but put in Thorne on a second-and-10 from the Tigers’ own 38-yard line. Thorne was dropped for a sack by Florida transfer David Reese, and a third-and-17 for an offense that had missed on seven of its eight third-down tries to that point seemed bleak.

But Thorne stepped up in a clean pocket and delivered the ball downfield to Fairweather as the tight end was behind his defender, placing the pass on Fairweather’s back shoulder for a 28-yard pickup and a conversion that made every Tigers player on the sideline throw their hands up in jubilation — and maybe a bit of surprise.

Four players later, after Thorne dumped off to Damari Alston to convert a third-and-short, the QB lofted one to the end zone, trusting Fairweather to either catch it or be the more physical player and keep the defensive back from pulling it in. Cal’s Craig Woodson was late turning his head around and swiped Fairweather in the chest as the ball made its descent, and he was flagged for pass interference.

Freeze said postgame he originally planned to “block it up” with an inside run on the second-and-5 where Fairweather scored, but he noticed the one-on-one opportunity for Fairweather split out wide in a tight space. And, as Freeze noted, a field goal could tie the game, and Auburn views a one-on-one lob to its 6-foot-4, 251-pound Fairweather as a low-risk, high-reward play.

Again, it goes back to Fairweather’s consistency as a pass-catcher in practice since he arrived.

“I had just seen Rivaldo do that too many times in practice,” Freeze said. “The last thing was I told Payton, 'Just make sure it's catchable, and he'll make a play.' And he did.”

As Fairweather was mobbed by his teammates and embraced his first-year position coach, Ben Aigamaua, on the sideline, he was given some confirmation of why he chose the Tigers as the first of a 20-man transfer class, committing to Auburn less than a month after Freeze was hired.

“That was a big reason I came here — because I trusted Coach Freeze to put me in the best position for my future,” Fairweather said. “... We trust Coach Freeze and his plan.”

Of course, the only reason such an emphatic scoring sequence was necessary is because the Tigers were abysmal, particularly in the passing game, for most of the night. Thorne threw two touchdowns but had just 94 yards and an interception. Ashford went 1-of-3 with no yardage.

The seemingly shocking success on the touchdown drive wasn’t overly surprising to Freeze, though, because he had been confident with how Auburn adjusted after halftime and looked on offense. There were just too many self-inflicted mistakes, like the seven penalties in the game, and Jarquez Hunter’s fumble at his own 41-yard line the possession before.

“Truthfully, I thought the second half, we had a good plan,” Freeze said. “But we shot ourselves in the foot. … I don't know how many possessions we got in the second half, but we kind of killed every one of them, and we really did the same things we had planned. … I thought we really had a good plan coming out of halftime, but you can't turn it over and have the penalties we have and expect to convert third-and-longs all the time. So really that drive, we didn't kill ourselves.”

[aubiefifty 18,259]

One way to describe Auburn’s 14-10 win over Cal? Wildly impressive, all things considered

Published: Sep. 10, 2023, 6:30 a.m.

6–7 minutes

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Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday morning and quoted Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.

“Grit is when you have the ability to overcome adversity in any situation. The ability to push through it, mentally, physically, to overcome. I think that’s what grit is,” Freeze wrote, quoting Campbell.

The timing of the post was eerily appropriate.

For starters, picking Campbell as the guy to quote Thursday night wasn’t a bad move as he and the Lions knocked off the reigning Super Bowl Champions in the opening game of the 2023 NFL season with a 21-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday night.

But more than that, Freeze honing in on adversity and the grit it takes to overcome it was ironic given what he and the Tigers encountered at California Memorial Stadium late Saturday evening.

Surely Freeze used Campbell’s quote to hint at the challenges Saturday night’s game in California would present from a travel perspective. Traveling nearly 2,500 miles, jumping over two time zones and having the latest kickoff in program history is nothing to scoff at.

Little did Freeze know, however, Campbell’s quote would go on to sum up the Tigers’ lackluster performance that somehow resulted in a 14-10 win over Cal, helping Auburn improve to 2-0 on the season.

After Auburn escaped Cal with a 14-10 win, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took to X to lay out an unbelievable statistic.

From 2018 to 2022, college football teams that turned the ball over four times and neglected to tally 15 first downs in a game went 1-65.

The Tigers fit in both those boxes Saturday night as they gave up three fumbles, an interception and only tallied 12 first downs.

“I don’t think we could have played any uglier or sloppier on offense,” Freeze said after the game.

Auburn was outgained by Cal 273 yards to 230 yards. Of Auburn’s 230 yards, 136 came via the ground game as the Tigers’ offense never could quite establish anything through the air.

Payton Thorne, the junior Michigan State transfer, started under center for Auburn and finished the night 9-for-14 through the air for 94 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore quarterback Robby Ashford added a completed pass, going 1-for-3 for no yardage.

At first glance, Thorne’s stat line doesn’t appear all that bad as he finished the night with a quarterback rating of 153.5. However, the numbers don’t tell the full story of Auburn struggling to find that second dimension of its offense against the Golden Bears.

Auburn completed just six passes in the first half — good for 38 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Come the third quarter, which saw the Tigers trail 10-7, Auburn completely abandoned the pass game. Thorne nor Ashford attempted a single pass during the third quarter Saturday night.

“I didn’t think Payton was throwing it well, truthfully,” Freeze said of Thorne, who also added a lost fumble to his performance.

But if Auburn was going to win the football game, Thorne would need to find a way to push through — both mentally and physically — just like Campbell’s quote said.

Fortunately for Auburn, Thorne and the Tigers were able to string together a fourth quarter that saw Thorne go 4-for-6 with a touchdown. With 6:31 to play, Thorne connected with tight end Rivaldo Fairweather on a 5-yard 50/50 ball towards the back corner of the endzone, giving Auburn the 14-10 advantage it would need to fend off Cal.

“We were just trying to look for a spark, and we never really found it,” Freeze said. “But we still found a way to score enough points to win.”

However, Auburn would’ve never been in a situation to score enough points to win if not for a brilliant performance from its defense and Cal neglecting to capitalize on a handful of opportunities.

As if containing a Cal offense that tallied just under 670 yards off offense in last week’s win over North Texas wasn’t a tall enough task, the Auburn defense was asked to do so for 35 minutes of Saturday’s game as the Golden Bears won the time of possession battle.

Fortunately for Auburn, in a perfect example of a gritty response to adversity, the Tigers’ defense — led by Eugene Asante’s 12 tackles — stayed 10 toes down all night, answering the call each time their backs were against the wall.

“I’m really proud of our defense and the plan that Ron (Roberts) and his staff had and the effort that they gave with their backs against the wall, it seemed like, time and time again,” Freeze said. “Just continued to find a way to get out of trouble and give us a chance to win the game.”

Admittedly, the Auburn defense received a little help as Cal kicker Michael Luckhurst went 1-for-4 on field goals missing a pair of kicks from 42 yards out and one from 44 yards out.

But at the end of the day, Auburn’s side of the scoreboard showed a higher number than Cal’s side of the scoreboard.

As downright ugly as the Tigers’ first road win of the season was, the old saying “a win is a win” certainly still applies and Auburn isn’t taking being 2-0 for granted.

Winning football games — no matter how sloppy — makes it easier to address the negatives, Freeze says.

“I think in our stage of our building this program, I can go in there Monday and be hard on them. I can call them up and point out, ‘Look, this ain’t gonna get it.’ I think that’s what you’ve got to have, and you can do that much easier after wins than after losses,” Freeze said.

“We’ll point out what they did well, too. But there’s a lot — we cannot play like that offensively and expect to win football games on this schedule we have.”

But the Tigers did Saturday night. And that’s a wildly impressive feat in itself.

Dan Campbell would be proud.

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[SaltyTiger 8,579]

Thanks Fiddy! Will come back here a few times today. In the old days used to stand outside waiting for the Sunday paper when we won and Bammer had lost. 
 

Don’t know if I am prouder of me or Auburn for winning. Made the entire game last night. Game actually moved along well. Commercial breaks were painful.

[aubiefifty 18,259]