Auburn football: The 5 best single-game performances of the decade

[caption id="attachment_51881" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Quarterback Cam Newton #2 of the Auburn Tigers (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)[/caption]rn What performances stand out in recent Auburn history? rnIn the last decade, the Auburn Tigers have been to two national championships and have had nine winning seasons and have consistently been ranked in the top 25. That level of success wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for a few select players who put the team on their backs when it mattered most.rnrnStars like Cam Newton, Derrick Brown and Nick Marshall have taken the field for the Tigers in the past decade and while their greatness is well known, do they have any single game that stands out in the annals of program history?rnrnWhether it be from a pure statistics standpoint or a player's ability to make clutch plays in the biggest game of the season, these five players will not be forgotten by Auburn fans any time soon.rnrnI'm also limiting this to one game per player or else this whole list could probably be filled with Cam Newton.rnrn[nextslide teaser="5.%20Nick%20Marshall%2C%202013%20%40%20Tennessee" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_51882" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Quarterback Nick Marshall #14 of the Auburn Tigers (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrnNick Marshall could absolutely throw the ball. His 456 yards and three touchdowns in the 2014 Iron Bowl can attest to that. However, Marshall's real impact came with his ability to escape the pocket and make plays with his legs.rnrnThe 2014 game against Tennessee is the perfect example of that. Marshall threw just seven passes that entire game and only completed three of them. Regardless, Marshall was absolutely electric with his legs recording 14 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns.rnrnCombined with his one passing touchdown on the day, Marshall's three touchdowns aren't revolutionary. But, it's not every day that you have a 200-yard-plus rusher let alone for your quarterback to pass that mark in less than 15 carries.rnrnAuburn would go on to win this game 55-22 and would score 28 points in the second quarter alone. This may not be Marshall's best game from a quarterback perspective but it's arguably his most electric.rnrn[nextslide teaser="4.%20Sammie%20Coates%2C%202014%20%40%20Alabama" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_51883" align="aligncenter" width="3200"] Sammie Coates #18 of the Auburn Tigers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrnThe only selection on this list where the Tigers actually lost, I couldn't in good conscience, snub this Randy Moss-esque performance from one of AU's best wide receivers of all time.rnrnAs mentioned in the previous slide, Marshall torched Alabama's defense for 456 yards in the 2015 Iron Bowl. That wouldn't have been possible if Coates didn't absolutely show out in his final Iron Bowl.rnrnThe 2014 rivalry game was an absolute shootout and would end up being the highest-scoring Iron Bowl in history (a record that was nearly beaten this past season). While Alabama receiver and future NFL star Amari Cooper showed out with 13 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns, what Coates did was arguably more impressive.rnrnAgainst a Bama secondary that featured NFL talent such as Landon Collins, Eddie Jackson and Cyrus Jones, the Tigers' deep-threat put in an incredibly efficient performance.rnrnCoates recorded just five catches but that translated to 206 yards and two touchdowns. While Darvin Adams went for 217 yards and two TDs in 2010, it was Coates' ability to do so in five catches that amazes me. Not only that but Coates also recorded the majority of those yards in one half.rnrn[nextslide teaser="3.%20Nick%20Coe%2C%202018%20%40%20Ole%20Miss" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_48654" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Nick Coe #91 of the Auburn Tigers. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrnWhen you think of great Auburn pass rushers over the last decade you probably think of Nick Fairley, Dee Ford or Derrick Brown. Coe left The Plains on a bit of a sour note as he was a major disappointment in 2019 after an excellent 2018.rnrnAnd while Coe didn't end up being the first-round talent he was once billed as, when he was feeling it, the opponent is going to know it. His monstrous performance against Ole Miss in 2018 is proof of that.rnrnIn a 31-16 Auburn win in Oxford, Coe showed a near-perfect display of technique and power. For the game, the redshirt sophomore tallied four total tackles -- nothing special right?rnrnWell it just so happens that all four of those tackles were sacks on the quarterback. Technically, Coe recorded 3.5 sacks but that's not important.rnrnI'm sure Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta'amu was seeing Coe in his nightmares for the next month at least.rnrn[nextslide teaser="2.%20Cam%20Newton%2C%202010%20vs.%20South%20Carolina" /]rnrn rnrnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyVUhRNH74rnrnWhile Cam Newton may have put together the best season in Auburn history, that doesn't automatically mean he's number one on this list.rnrnThere were so many Newton games I could've gone with here too. His insane comeback in the 2010 Iron Bowl? The game against LSU where he had his Heisman moment? the game against Kentucky where he had over 400 total yards, four rushing touchdowns and a RECEIVING touchdown?rnrnWell, in the end, I went with his dominant performance against South Carolina. For starters, this was the SEC Championship game and against a very good Gamecocks squad, Newton went off. The Tigers embarrassed their opponents with a 56-17 win and pretty much guaranteed themselves a spot in the national championship game.rnrnThrowing the ball, Newton was 17 of 28 for 335 yards and four touchdowns which set Newton's season-high in passing yards and tied his high for passing touchdowns.rnrnBut it didn't stop there as the 6-foot-6, 250-pound quarterback refused to be brought down and added 14 carries for 73 yards and two TDs on the ground to top things off.rnrn[nextslide teaser="1.%20Tre%20Mason%2C%202013%20vs.%20Missouri" /]rnrn rnrnhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI5I2_6Kr9wrnrnLike the last slide, this is an example of one of Auburn's best players of all time putting the team on their backs in one of the season's biggest games.rnrnDuring the 2013 SEC Championship Game with a chance to go to the national championship on the line, Auburn running back Tre Mason was on a mission.rnrnMason put up an insane 46 carries in the game which accounted for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Mason also had one catch for eight yards in the game.rnrnWhile the Mizzou offense was able to hang with Auburn for most of the game, their defense simply couldn't stop the junior RB. Mason had two of his four touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Auburn shut out their opponent to win the game 59-42.rnrnMason shattered the previous SEC Championship Game rushing record 201 set in 2003 and his record still stands today. His four rushing touchdowns are also a SECCG recordrnrnWhile Mason had put together an excellent season prior to this game, his performance against Mizzou is what got him an invite to New York as a Heisman finalist and allowed him to pass the legendary Bo Jackson on Auburn's single-season rushing list.rnrn

Fly War Eagle

Auburn football: The 5 best single-game performances of the decade

What performances stand out in recent Auburn history?

Newsletter

Your Auburn Tigers.
Your Inbox. Every Day.