Auburn Goes to the Air for 38-21 Victory

Stop the pass and Auburn will run on you. Focus on the ground game and be prepared to get burned through the air by the Tigers.

After Stephen Davis rushed for a career-high 246 yards last week against Arkansas, East Carolina decided to stack the line and take away that facet of Auburn’s game.

But the third-ranked Tigers proved once again Saturday that they are not one-dimensional.

Frank Sanders, reaffirming his status as one of the nation’s top receivers, caught six passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns as Auburn won its 20th game in a row, defeating the Pirates, 38-21.

“They saw Stephen have a big day against Arkansas last week and stacked people at the line of scrimmage to stuff the run,” said offensive tackle Willie Anderson.

Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix was nearly flawless in a 15 for 23 performance, throwing for 261 yards with no interceptions. By contrast, Pirates signal-caller Marcus Crandell was picked off four times.

The Tigers (9-0) assured the nation’s longest winning streak would continue with an 18-point third quarter against the Pirates (5-4), who have suffered all of their losses to top-25 teams.