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Five defining plays in Auburn’s win


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Five defining plays in Auburn’s 38-23 win against Arkansas

By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com
6-8 minutes

Auburn’s 38-23 victory against Arkansas on Saturday placed the Tigers back in the top-25 of the AP and coaches polls.

The Tigers took a 14-3 lead on a Tank Bigsby one-yard touchdown run at the 9:59 mark in the second quarter. Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC) had 135 yards rushing compared to 232 yards from the Razorbacks. The Tigers were outgained by nearly 100 yards on the ground. However, Bigsby ran six times for 29 yards on the second scoring drive of the game.

Bigsby’s 68 yards on 11 carries combined with Bo Nix having 42 yards on five rushes opened up the passing game. Nix threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Nix completed passes to 10 receivers in the win.

The defense also stepped up by limiting Razorback quarterback KJ Jefferson to 228 yards on 21-35 passing attempts. Auburn held the Razorbacks scoreless in the fourth quarter. Everything ended well for Auburn, but it wasn’t easy. After seeing Arkansas turn a 14-3 Auburn advantage into trailing 17-14 with 12:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Tigers needed poise.

“We don’t flinch. Nobody panicked. We just stayed together,” edge rusher Derick Hall said. “We’re all we got, and we’re all we need to be able to come on the road and win. We know adversity is going to strike at any moment. Being able to stay together and execute, just playing great defense and being defiant in our approach to this game was huge down the stretch.”

Hall’s strip-sack was recovered by Marcus Harris in the end zone on third-and-15 with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Harris scoring the touchdown gave the Tigers a 21-17 lead slowing down the Razorbacks.

“It was the play of the game. I think that our sideline — we had a lot of energy at the beginning,” Nix said. “We went down and scored, scored again and then there at the end of the second quarter kind of lost momentum and so that play after they came down and scored, that play was huge. It got us back in the lead. We got the field back shortened so they didn’t win field position, and then we just obviously got some fire back to us.

Hall’s sack turned the game. However, the Tigers needed several more big plays to get the win. Here’s a look at a few defining plays in Auburn’s sixth consecutive victory against Arkansas.

1st and 10 ball on Arkansas 39 (12:16 First Quarter): Nix threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson to give Auburn a 7-0 lead. The Tigers scored a touchdown on their first possession, unlike last week against Georgia when Auburn settled for a field goal after a long drive. Arkansas was scoring over 30 points per contest entering Saturday’s game against the Tigers. Auburn spent all week before the win harping on finishing drives.

“There were things that we’ve all been working on that fell into place today,” Harsin said. That doesn’t mean we have to stop working on those, and everything is figured out, but I think this week of preparation, the focus we showed during the game, carried over into this game. That’s one of the reasons we were able to win this game, in my opinion.”

3rd and 1 ball on Auburn 16 (2:21 first quarter): Auburn was up 7-3 with an opportunity to move the chains. Jarquez Hunter took the handoff from Nix and was met in the backfield by Jashaud Stewart. The linebacker picked Hunter up and slammed him to the turf knocking the ball out. Arkansas thought it was a fumble. The refs disagreed.

Oscar Chapman punted the pigskin to the Arkansas 49. The Hogs had good field position, but if the fumble stood, they would’ve taken over at Auburn’s 16. Arkansas missed a 53-yard field goal seven plays later.

“It was said that they had picked the ball carrier up, and that meant that the ball now couldn’t be a fumble,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said about the play during his post-game press conference. “So, I don’t know. Last week, I thought Rocket (Arkansas running back Rocket Sanders) was stopped whenever they pulled the ball out of there. But maybe not. I don’t know.”

Bigsby’s touchdown came on the ensuing possession aided by good field position from the missed field goal. Auburn went ahead 14-3 when it could’ve been perilous if Hunter’s run was a fumble.

1st and 10 ball on Auburn 29 (4:23 third quarter): Nix said Hall’s strip-sack was the play of the game. He’s right. Nix also had the prettiest pass when he connected for 71 yards to Demetris Robertson. Nix made it easy for Robertson to catch the ball in stride for the score.

“We wanted to make sure we got the good look. Coming into the game, they played us how we wanted it to look, so there we got the perfect opportunity—first down coming out, and we took a shot there. D-Rob did a great job of stemming the corner,” Nix said. They were in a quarters coverage, so we got behind the defense. He made a great adjustment to the ball, and then he finished the play. A lot of guys are just OK with the catch, but he wanted to go score, which is important.”

Auburn went up 28-17 after Robertson’s touchdown.

3rd and 6 ball on Arkansas 30 (12:31 fourth quarter): Nix attempts a deep pass to Robertson. The ball sailed over Robertson’s head for an incompletion. Good for Arkansas, right? Not so fast. The officials called pass interference. The ball probably wasn’t catchable, but the defensive back grabbed Robertson’s jersey on the play. Somebody should remind Nix of that call when he goes into another diatribe about the Tigers not getting any calls. Alas, the drive kept going resulting in an Anders Carlson field goal pushing Auburn to a 31-23 lead.

2nd and 13 ball on Arkansas 23 (2:37 fourth quarter): Nix slammed the door shut on the Razorback hopes with a 23-yard scant for a touchdown.

“That was one of our best plays to where we knew basically what they’d be in so we wouldn’t be shocked by the look, and we could just block them up and go,” Nix said. “It was one of those RPO-type plays to where if I had a throw, I could throw it, but the box kind of cleared for me, and I took off running. Just there in the huddle, Coach Harsin was just telling me to go play and win the game, and that’s what I did.”

Nubyjas Wilborn is an Auburn beat writer for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nwilborn19.

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Axe to grind much? 

For those that don't want to have to read through the entire edifice, these are the five "defining plays" that he chooses:

  1. Nix 39-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson
  2. Jarquez Hunter fumble that was ruled dead due to stopped forward momentum by the ball carrier.*
  3. Nix 71-yard touchdown pass to Demetris Robertson
  4. PI call on sideline shot to Demetris Robertson
  5. Nix 23-yard touchdown run

Mr. Wilson, on the off chance that you read this, here are a few other possible options that you chose not to go with:

  • Strip-sack leading to AU touchdown (I know you mentioned this in passing, but apparently using 40% of your picks to try and build up a "bad refereeing cost Arkansas" narrative left it the odd-man out, huh.)
  • 3 different key 4th down stops by the Auburn defense
  • Nix interception, which arguably shifted momentum to Arkansas when it was looking like an AU blow-out win
  • Key drop by wide open Arkansas receiver that ended their final real scoring opportunity

*An almost identical play occurred later in the game, wherein an Arkansas RB had his forward momentum stopped, the ball came out, and the refs blew the play dead. (Without the body slam, so it was ignored by the TV commentators.) It's weird, but I don't see Mr. Wilson or the Arkansas fan base up in arms about that play. 🤷‍♂️

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Guest MustardSeed
13 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

“It was said that they had picked the ball carrier up, and that meant that the ball now couldn’t be a fumble,”

Never heard of that rule. Wonder if it’s a real one🤷‍♂️
maybe once you pick up someone it’s impossible for them to continue forward progress so the play is dead at that point ?

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39 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

Never heard of that rule. Wonder if it’s a real one🤷‍♂️
maybe once you pick up someone it’s impossible for them to continue forward progress so the play is dead at that point ?

What should have been called on that play was a personal foul on the Arkansas player. I mean, when has it ever been ok to pick up a player and try to body slam him on his neck or head ? That's some pretty dangerous stuff right there and totally unnecessary. We see personal fouls and roughness penalties called every week in college football for a heck of a lot less than that.

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11 hours ago, IronMan70 said:

I mean, when has it ever been ok to pick up a player and try to body slam him on his neck or head ?

NecessaryGloomyBorderterrier-max-1mb.gif 

Not to mention...

PeacefulHappyBrontosaurus-small.gif

 

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12 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

Never heard of that rule. Wonder if it’s a real one🤷‍♂️
maybe once you pick up someone it’s impossible for them to continue forward progress so the play is dead at that point ?

i had never that rule either. i know if you pick a player up and slam him to the ground the officials will get that azz.............

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I called it as soon as it happened.  The defender reached out, grabbed Hunter, and pulled him back into him. At that moment his forward progress was stopped. If watched again, the Line judge raises his arm instantly to mark forward progress. That was as the ball was coming out.

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Based on the ruling, it seems as if the ball carrier is picked up that stops his ability to have forward momentum so it is dead ball at that point. I have never seen it before that I remember though. I would have been pissed if the roles were reversed, but doesn't mean it wasn't the right call. I am glad we won by enough to wear they can't wear that excuse.

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6 hours ago, bigbird said:

NecessaryGloomyBorderterrier-max-1mb.gif 

Not to mention...

PeacefulHappyBrontosaurus-small.gif

 

Haha, I remember that one. Our 175 lb. pipsqueak DB could barely get the QB off the ground. I don't think the bama QB ever lived that one down. The difference here is, that big Arky goon had our RB almost upside down at one point 3-4' high and tried to slam him on his head. That crosses the line in the personal foul rule book. It's dangerous and should be called no matter who does it. But refs don't call a lot of things they should or call things they shouldn't.  

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