Auburn football star Jarquez Hunter, who started the season suspended, ended the first quarter of the Tigers’ Week 10 clash against Vanderbilt from Nashville with a pair of touchdown runs; the first a 67-yarder on the second play of the game and the second a 56-yarder.
As one can imagine, the two-score, 121-yard quarter was a hit on social media, with the X platform featuring several notable reactions to the even more notable 15 minutes from Hunter.
“Heading into today, Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter and Kentucky’s Ray Davis were the only two players in the SEC with multiple 50-yard runs this season,” The Auburn Observer’s Justin Ferguson prefaced before saying, “Hunter has doubled his count for the season in one quarter depending on what Ollie Gordon does today, he could have the Power 5 lead.”
“Auburn came to play today … let me revise that Jarquez Hunter has come to play — 121 yards and it’s still the 1st quarter!” exclaimed FOX Sports’ Tom Barton.
“(Jarquez Hunter) is doing Halloween today: his costume is Bo Jackson from Tecmo Bowl,” joked an Auburn fan.
“Jarquez Hunter, again,” VandySports.com’s Billy Derrick prefaced before saying, “This time for 56 yards. He’s got 3 carries for 121 yards. Vandy’s run defense has been…suspect.”
“More tempo, more explosive Jarquez Hunter! Another more than 50-yard TD run by Hunter gives Auburn a 14-0 lead with 3:01 to play in the first quarter,” exclaimed SportsCall Auburn’s Ryan Lavoie.
Jarquez Hunter the current leader of the Auburn football offense
When you have two quarterbacks…well, you know how that saying goes. Issues under center have defined much of the 2023 season on the Plains, forcing Hunter to pick up the slack; which he has done honorably.
Missing the UMass game, aka a valuable chance to clock some easy stats, Hunter still went into the Vanderbilt game leading the RB room in yards by over 300. He ran over both Mississippi schools, going for over 100 all-purpose yards both times and has been the undisputed top producer in SEC play.
Hunter came into the season shrouded in controversy, but he has risen above it all, and then some, for the Auburn Tigers.