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Recap: Auburn defense stands up to Washington in clutch, No. 9 Tigers win

ByRob Maxwell|
Kam Martin picks up yards against Washington on Saturday in the season opener. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Kam Martin picks up yards against Washington on Saturday in the season opener. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jarrett Stidham threw for 273 yards and the ninth-ranked Auburn football team best No. 6 Washington on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The offense was very good in the first half, but managed just 15 points and was good enough when it needed to be in the second half to strike first in the College Football Playoff stakes.

Auburn-Washington recap

Fourth quarter 

  • When Auburn really needed a stop on defense, it got it. Derrick Brown sacked Jake Browning and Browning was called for intentional grounding and Auburn is leaving the dome with a huge victory.
  • Auburn 21, Washington 16: JaTarvious Whitlow bulls his way into the end zone from the 10 and Auburn takes the lead. (4Q, 6:05)
  • Washington 16, Auburn 15: Auburn avoids absolute disaster after shooting itself in the foot the entire drive and then the Huskies avoid disaster when Peyton Henry’s 30-yard FG hits the upright but squeezes through for a field goal. (4Q, 14:06)

Third quarter

  • Penalties on defense are killing Auburn. Washington has mostly marched down the field on penalties (40 this drive including a facemask and personal foul) alone to end the quarter. The Huskies have second down at the AU 9 to start the fourth quarter.
  • Auburn drives again, but is stopped on third down and Carlson’s 54-yard attempt is wide right. (3Q, 7:03)
  • After Auburn’s opening drive stalls and the Tigers punt for the first time (a 30-yard dud from Aidan Marshall), Washington drives into the red zone. A TD pass is called back because of offensive pass interference (an obvious illegal pick) and the Huskies miss a 40-yard field goal attempt and the lead remains with Auburn. (3Q, 10:05)

Halftime analysis

It was a case of the good and the bad. Let’s start with the bad.

Auburn hasn’t been able to get much pressure on QB Jake Browning and he’s burned the Auburn DBs (Jamel Dean, Javaris Davis and Noah Igbinoghene) on multiple down-field throws. He has completions of 36, 42 and 32 yards that account for 110 of Washington’s 215 total yards.

The good for Auburn starts with Jarrett Stidham. He is 15 for 19 for 184 yards and has been on the mark. The Tigers haven’t been great running it, but still managed 102 yards on 28 carries, let by Kam Martin (13-52). Auburn has yet to punt, scoring a touchdown, kicking three field goals and missing a field goal.

If Auburn can get more heat on Browning in the second half and prevent the long pass, it should be in good shape. The defense contained Myles Gaskin, who gained 27 yards on 8 carries.

It feels like Auburn should be up by at least 10 points, but it’s not. The opening drive of the second half will be an important one for the Tigers.

Second quarter

  • Auburn 15, Washington 13: Browning keeps beating Auburn on deep balls because the defensive backs fail to turn for the ball. A great pass and catch pulls it to near even just before the half. Browning to Quinten Pounds from 13 yards with Jamel Dean covering. (2Q, 0:43)
  • Auburn 15, Washington 6: There’s the big leg of Anders Carlson. The redshirt freshman hits a 53-yarder with room to spare. (2Q, 1:23)
  • It goes without saying but if Auburn can score here it would be a big momentum lift because the Tigers get the second half kickoff.
  • Auburn 12, Washington 6: After a 42-yard pass play — and Javaris Davis leaving the field after it (and getting called for pass interference) with an apparent hand injury, the Auburn defense stiffens and limits the Hukies to a field goal. (2Q, 5:57)
  • Auburn 12, Washington 3: Auburn drives deep again but stalls inside the 20 and Anders Carlson bounces back with a 28-yard field goal. (2Q, 10:35).

First quarter

  • That’s the end of the opening quarter. Auburn has outgained the Huskies 160 to 66. But a missed field goal and failed 2-point attempt put a damper on the good start.
  • Auburn puts together another good drive but Carlson is wide right on this attempt with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.
  • Quick stat update: Auburn has outgained UW, 99-66. Stidham is 7-of-8 for 82 yards. Kam Martin has carried 5 times for 16 yards. Browning is 3 for 8 for 43 yards and Myles Gaskin has 28 yards on 6 carries.
  • Auburn 9, Washington 3: The Huskies benefit from a long Browning pass and personal foul on Auburn and kick a 32-yard field goal.
  • Auburn 9, Washington 0: After another good-looking drive and near-touchdown (Stidham just missed Darius Slayton on third down), Anders Carlson hits his first career field goal attempt. (1Q, 5:39)
  • After Washington makes two first downs, Jamel Dean picks off a Jake Browning pass as he’s under big-time pressure. Auburn takes over on its 36.
  • Auburn 6, Washington 0: Auburn strikes first with a perfectly thrown ball to Sal Cannella high in the end zone. But the 2-point conversion fails. Head-scratcher. (1Q, 11:45)
  • Th Auburn defenses forces a quick three and out and a big Ryan Davis return gives the Tigers the ball at Washington’s 36. (1Q, 13:57)
  • Auburn wins the toss and defers to the second half. Washington will receive the kickoff.

Pre-game

  • The first news of the day came mid-morning when Adam Jude of the Seattle Time reported that Washington All-American left tackle Trey Adams did not make the trip to Atlanta because of a back injury. So the Huskies will be without their best offensive lineman against Auburn. Adams missed about half of last season with a torn ACL. Left guard Luke Wattenberg replaced him last season and appears to be the most likely choice for Chris Petersen today, too.
  • The concerns about Jamel Dean’s mystery right hand injury? Well, he’s on the field stretching and the contraption on his hand doesn’t look like it’s going to keep him from playing today.
  • Quarterback Jarrett Stidham is here and looks ready to play some ball.

A lot of former Auburn football players (and even a former coach) are chiming in on Twitter about the game today, too. Here’s a sampling of some of them:

https://twitter.com/ByJustinLee/status/1035970618771030023

Auburn-Washington game time, information

When: Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ABC | Watch online: ESPN3
Line: Auburn (-2)

Auburn-Washington preview

1. Auburn vs. Washington secondary

The Huskies are talented and experienced in the secondary. Safety Taylor Rapp is a preseason first-team All-American. Cornerback Bryon Murphy is a second-team preseason All-American. Jojo McIntosh (safety) and Jordan Miller (CB) are both seniors and the other starters in the secondary. Expect Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham to test them.

I’ve read that Auburn will have to resort to dink-and-dunk pass plays. Yes, the Tigers will do that with quick-hitters to Ryan Davis, but for this passing game to be at its best, Stidham — a very accurate downfield passer — has to hit some long passes. We know Darius Slayton can get behind defenses. Auburn will need someone else to step up as a threat Saturday. Nate Craig-Myers is the obvious option. Maybe Sal Cannella. Both are physical mismatches. Don’t be surprised if the freshmen receivers make big plays. If Anthony Schwartz checks into the game, he has to be accounted for, whether or not Auburn intends to get him the ball.

2. Myles Gaskin will get his carries

We caught up with Bret Stuter from the Husky Haul this week for his take on the game from the Washington perspective. He said this about UW RB Myles Gaskin: “I expect Myles Gaskin to have a good game, as long as Washington sticks with feeding him the ball.  Last season, Gaskin did not get on track until the fourth game of the season at Colorado. But it was not due to poor running.  Against Colorado, Gaskin carried the ball 27 times for 202 yards. The previous three games? He carried the ball for 24 times for 153 yards.

“Throughout his collegiate career, Gaskin has averaged better than 5.7 yards per carry. The reason you haven’t heard as much about him as other college running backs? Washington had games where they simply abandoned the running game despite its proficiency. By comparison, Stanford’s Bryce Love missed a game last season due to injury, and still managed to carry the ball 41 more times.

“All that being said, the closer this game plays out, the more like Gaskin gets his carries. Since I expect a close contest, I look for a huge game from Gaskin.”

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