Pickin' Splinters » Auburn Tigers

This Date in College Football Belt History – November 12

Casey — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:10:26 +0000

For the 3^rd week in a row, Auburn faced a top-ten team with The Belt on the line. Coach Vince Dooley’s 4^th ranked, 8-0-1 Georgia Bulldogs welcomed coach Pat Dye’s 3^rd ranked, 8-1 Auburn Tigers. Auburn’s RB Lionel James rushed for the Tigers’ only touchdown while PK Al Del Greco kicked 2 field goals & the defense held Georgia to just 51 yards rushing while the offense held the ball for 38:59 in a 13-7 Auburn victory. Using their wishbone rushing attack, QB Randy Campbell the Tigers drove to the Georgia 35-yard line before Del Greco just missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Auburn got the first break of the game when Tigers’ DT Doug Smith stripped Georgia’s QB John Lastinger of the ball on an option play. The fumble was recovered for the Tigers by DE Quency Williams at the Georgia 23-yard line. Auburn drove the 23 yards in 5 plays with James scoring the touchdown when he carried 4 yards around right end with 4:34 left in the 1^st quarter. The highlight of the drive was a punishing 10-yard run by Tigers’ All-American RB Bo Jackson to the Georgia 4-yard line as he broke the tackles of 4 Bulldogs’ defenders before being brought down. Del Greco’s field goals came in the 2^nd quarter when he hit from 21 & 41 yards giving Auburn a 13-0 halftime lead. Jackson nearly gave the Tigers another score when he broke a 28-yard run around left end from the Auburn 3-yard line. Jackson stepped out of bounds at the Auburn 31-yard line but would have gone the distance for the score without the misstep. Both defenses dominated the 2^ndhalf as neither team was able to mount a scoring challenge in the 3^rdquarter. Del Greco could have put the game out of reach with two 30-yard field goal attempts but both of his kicks from the center of the field sailed wide to the left. The Bulldogs only touchdown came with 2:11 left in the game after an 87-yard drive when Lastinger, who completed 7 of 8 pass attempts on the drive, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to WR Herman Archie. The highlight of the drive was a 23-yard gain on a pass from Lastinger to WR Fred Lane. Georgia recovered the on-side kick at their own 45-yard line but they were still unable to move against the suffocating Auburn defense as Tigers’ CB Jimmie Warren broke up the final pass attempt. Campbell threw for 95 yards completing 12 of 15 pass attempts while Jackson added 115 yards rushing for the Tigers. Lastinger threw for 110 yards with a touchdown while the Bulldogs were held to just 51 yards rushing & 117 yards passing in the loss. Auburn finished the season 11-1; SEC Champions, ranked 3^rd nationally while the Bulldogs finished 10-1-1 & ranked 4^th nationally. Georgia would play for The Belt again in 1987.

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This Date in College Football Belt History – November 5

Casey — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:35:33 +0000

The 3^rd ranked, 7-1 Auburn Tigers & coach Pat Dye welcomed the 7^th ranked Maryland Terrapins of coach Bobby Ross who stood 7-1. Three different Auburn running backs rushed for more than 100 yards with a touchdown as the Tigers amassed 450 yards rushing & Auburn’s RB Tommie Agee scored 2 touchdowns as the Tigers retained The Belt with a 35-23 win over the Terrapins. The Tigers took the lead early in the 2^nd quarter after a scoreless 1^st quarter when QB Randy Campbell threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Woods to finish an 8-play, 74-yard scoring drive. Auburn pushed the lead to 14-0 when Agee broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown run. Maryland’s only points of the 1^st half came midway through the 2^nd quarter when PK Jess Atkinson hit a 30-yard field goal but the Terrapins still trailed 14-3 at the half. Maryland rallied in the 3^rd quarter with QB Boomer Esiason throwing 2 touchdown passes to give the Terrapins the lead. The first came on a 10-yard pass to WR Sean Sullivan with 12:07 left in the 3^rd quarter while the second came on a 14-yard pass to WR Greg Hill to finish a 12-play, 99-yard scoring drive with just 1:32 left in the quarter. Trailing 17-14 as they entered the 4^th quarter, Auburn a 9-play, 81-yard drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown run by All-American RB Bo Jackson giving the Tigers a 21-17 lead. Agee’s second touchdown came on a 44-yard run with just 5:19 left in the game & gave Auburn a 28-17 lead that appeared to be safe but Esiason had other ideas. Esiason’s 40-yard touchdown pass to WR Russell Davis came just 3 plays later but the missed 2-point conversion attempt left the Terrapins trailing 28-23 with 4:32 to play. Auburn ran down the clock before Tigers’ P Lewis Colbert pinned Maryland at their own 2-yard line with 0:38 left. The Terrapins’ last chance for a rally ended with Esiason fumbling while being sacked by Auburn’s DE Quency Williams & the Tigers’ All-SEC DT Donnie Humphrey fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Campbell finished with 67 yards passing with a touchdown as well as an interception, RB Lionel James rushed for 115 yards, & Jackson rushed for 105 yards with his touchdown to complement Agee. For Maryland, Esiason threw for 355 yards to set a Maryland school-record along with his 3 touchdown passes while Davis had 4 catches for 113 yards with his touchdown. Auburn finished the season 11-1; SEC Champions & ranked 3^rd nationally while the Terrapins finished 8-4 & ACC Champions. Maryland would play for The Belt again in 1986.

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This Date in College Football Belt History – October 29

Casey — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:50:43 +0000

Coach Pat Dye’s Auburn Tigers were 6-1, ranked 4^th nationally as the prepared to host 5^th ranked, 6-0-1 Florida Gators of coach Charley Pell for The Belt. Auburn’s All-American RB Bo Jackson rushed for 2 touchdowns on runs of 55 & 80 yards as the Tigers withstood a furious comeback by the Gators to claim The Belt for the first time with a 28-21 victory. Auburn scored on their opening drive when Jackson broke loose for his 55-yard touchdown run. Late in the 1^st quarter, the Tigers drove 57 yards in 7 plays with QB Randy Campbell scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, Florida’s QB Wayne Peace found WR Ricky Nattiel open for a 41-yard touchdown pass making the score Auburn 14 Florida 7. The Tigers extended the lead with another 80-yard drive with RB Lionel James scoring on a 17-yard touchdown run for the 21-7 halftime edge. The Gators appeared to score in the 3^rd quarter when RB Neal Anderson carried in from 8 yards but on the play, the ball was knocked loose & rolled out of the end zone. The officials ruled that the fumble occurred prior to Anderson crossing the goal line & awarded the ball to the Tigers. On the next snap, Jackson raced 80 yards for his second touchdown giving Auburn a 28-7 advantage. Florida’s RB John L. Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:18 left in the game. The Gators got their final score on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Peace to WR Dwayne Dixon with 2:54 to play. Florida recovered the on-side kick but was unable to move for the tying score as Auburn sacked Peace on the Gators’ final offensive play. Jackson finished with 196 yards rushing with his 2 touchdowns while the Auburn defense held Florida to just 74 yards rushing. Peace threw for 336 yards with 2 touchdowns & Dixon had 9 catches for 123 yards with his touchdown in the losing effort. The Gators finished the season 9-2-1; ranked 6^th nationally while the Tigers finished 11-1, SEC Champions & ranked 3^rd nationally. Florida would play for The Belt again in 1984.

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This Date in College Football Belt History – October 20

Casey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:36:03 +0000

AP photo / Kerry Maloney

The 18^thranked, 5-2 Auburn Tigers of coach Tommy Tuberville traveled to Baton Rouge to meet the 5^thranked, 6-1 Louisiana State Tigers with coach Les Miles. Louisiana State’s QB Matt Flynn threw 3 touchdown passes including a 22-yard strike to WR Demetrius Byrd with 0:01 as Louisiana State overcame a 17-7 halftime deficit to claim The Belt with a 30-24 win. Louisiana State came into the game having rallied to defeat previous Belt champion Florida before falling at Kentucky. This game would go a long way to determining how their season would play out. As Auburn took the opening drive, it appeared the last two games may have taken too much out of the Louisiana State defense. Auburn drove 63 yards in 11 plays with QB Brandon Cox throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to WR Montez Billings that gave Auburn a 7-0 lead 4:50 into the game. After the teams exchanged punts, Louisiana State tied the game as Flynn threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to WR Keiland Williams. Midway through the 2^ndquarter, Louisiana State’s back-up QB Ryan Perrilloux entered the game to run the offense. Miles has used this tactic many times during the season as Perrilloux is a bruising runner. This time it backfired as Auburn’s S Zac Etheridge forced a fumble from Perrilloux that Auburn’s CB Jerraud Powers picked-up & carried to the Louisiana State 3-yard line. Three plays later, Auburn’s RB Carl Stewart scored from a yard out & Auburn had a 14-7 lead. Auburn’s PK Wes Byrum finished the 1^sthalf scoring with a 22-yard field goal. Louisiana State was able to take the first drive of the 2^ndhalf 56 yards but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal by All-SEC PK Colt David that closed the gap to 7 points at 17-10. Flynn’s 58-yard pass to Byrd set-up a 26-yard field goal by David that pulled Louisiana State within 17-13 as the teams entered the final quarter. Louisiana State capped an 8-play, 85-yard drive when Flynn connected with RB Jacob Hester on a 5-yard touchdown pass that gave Louisiana State their first lead of the game at 20-17. Again the Louisiana State defense forced a punt from Auburn before the Louisiana State offense took 55 yards to set-up another field goal from David. This one came from 33 yards & put Louisiana State ahead 23-17 with 8:12 to play. Auburn’s offense finally put together another drive as they drove 83 yards in 9 plays with Cox finding WR Rodgeriqus Smith on a 3-yard touchdown pass. Leading by a point, Auburn choose to squib kick rather than risk a big return. The strategy gave Louisiana State the ball at their own 42-yard line with 3:13 to play. Using mostly the ground game, Louisiana State drove to the Auburn 22-yard line as the clock continued to run. As the clock passed 11 seconds, Flynn set-up for what most expected to be a spike to stop the clock & set-up for a winning field goal. When the clock showed 0:09, Flynn snapped the ball & dropped to pass. As the clock passed 0:07, he lofted the ball down the left sideline towards Byrd. As the clock passed 0:02 the ball passed just over the shoulder of the Auburn’s Powers & at 0:01, Byrd made a diving catch for the spectacular win. Flynn finished with 319 yards passing with 3 touchdowns as well as an interception. Cox threw for 199 yards with 2 touchdowns in the loss. The Tigers finished the season 9-4 ranked 15^thnationally while Louisiana State finished the season 12-2 as National Champions. Auburn has not played for The Belt again.

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This Date in College Football Belt History – September 29

Casey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:09:51 +0000

AP Photo/Ed Reinke

The 2-2 Auburn Tigers with coach Tommy Tuberville traveled to Gainesville to meet the 4^thranked, 4-0 Florida Gators of coach Urban Meyer. The Tigers entered the game with little confidence having lost home games to South Florida & Mississippi State after entering the season ranked 18^th nationally. Now out of the national rankings, Auburn was a 21-point underdog to The Belt holding Gators but this was an upset weekend in college football as 6 of the top 13 teams had already fallen & the Tigers were about to make it 7. Auburn’s PK Wes Byrum connected on a 43-yard field goal as time expired giving the Tigers a 20-17 upset win. After forcing a punt on Florida’s first possession, Auburn took over at their own 14-yard line. After 3 quick plays, the Tigers were ready to punt but Florida’s S Jamar Hornsby was called for a roughing-the-kicker penalty giving Auburn a new set of downs & a boost of momentum. Mixing short passes from QB Brandon Cox with inside runs, the Tigers drove to the Florida 6-yard line. Back-up QB Kodi Burns came in to run a quarterback draw & scored the touchdown that gave Auburn a 7-0 lead. The 14-play, 86-yard drive set the script for how the Tigers planned to control the game by keeping the high-powered Gators’ offense on the bench. As the 1^stquarter ended, Florida had run only 6 plays for 5 yards. The Gators started the 2^ndquarter with a 66-yard drive but the 34-yard field goal attempt by PK Joey Ijjas was blocked. Auburn’s next drive went 80 yards & was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by RB Ben Tate that put the Tigers ahead 14-0. Before the end of the half, Florida drove to the Auburn 37-yard line but another turnover ended any score chance. The 2^ndhalf started much better for the Gators as Heisman Trophy winning, All-American QB Tim Tebow connected with WR Percy Harvin on a 52-yard completion to the Tigers’ 3-yard line. Auburn’s defense stiffened & held Florida to a 24-yard field goal by Ijjas; the Gators were on the scoreboard but still trailed 14-3. Tebow tried to go deep on the first play of the next Florida drive but his pass was intercepted by Tigers’ CB Patrick Lee. The turnover started a 10-play, 52-yard drive that ended with Byrum hitting a 30-yard field goal pushing the lead to 17-3 with 6:39 left in the 3^rdquarter. Another Gators’ punt had the Tigers ready to take total control of the game but on the next play, Auburn’s RB Ben Tate fumbled after an 18-yard gain & Florida’s S Joe Haden recovered. The momentum shift seemed to put the Gators in position to dominate the final quarter as they for the score with Tebow carrying in from 6 yards on the first play for the period. The score got Florida within a touchdown but seemed to point to the inevitable outcome of a Gators win. Auburn punted to Florida after their next drive & the Gators took over at their own 11-yard line. Tebow dominated the 9-play drive rushing for 35 yards while throwing for 54 yards. His 2-yard touchdown run tied the game at 17-17 with 7:36 to play. The Gators’ defense forced a punt & Tebow had 4:49 to drive the offense from the Florida 42-yard line to scoring position but the Tigers defense had no interest in allowing the sophomore quarterback the do that. Three plays resulted in 6 yards of losses & the Gators were forced to punt. With the ball at their own 39-yard line, Cox used the same formula that had worked on the Tigers’ first possession of the game. The senior quarter threw short, quick passes while Tate gashed the Florida defense with inside runs that got the ball to the Gators’ 26-yard line where the Tigers called timeout with 0:03 to play. Byrum, a true freshman, was successful on the winning kick from 43 yards not once but twice. The Gators used their final timeout to try to “ice the kicker” moments before the snap. Byrum went through with the kick & it was just inside the right upright. The second kick was also good & this time counted giving the Tigers their first Belt reign since 1984 with the upset. Cox finished with 227 yards passing will WR Rodgeriqus Smith had 9 catches for 102 yards. For Florida, Tebow threw for 201 yards with a touchdown as well as an interception while Harvin added 7 catches for 199 yards. The Gators finished the season 9-4, ranked 13^th nationally while Auburn finished the season 9-4, ranked 15^th nationally. Florida would play for The Belt again in 2008.

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