No. 6 Auburn escapes Jacksonville State in overtime, 27-20

AUBURN, Ala. Sixth-ranked Auburn survived a monumental upset bid by Jacksonville State on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Peyton Barber scored from 3 yards out to give Auburn a 27-20 lead in overtime.

Auburn’s defense then stopped the Gamecocks to secure the victory.

Auburn had not lost to a non-Division I-A team since 1950 when the Tigers lost to both Wofford and Southeastern Louisiana.

Melvin Ray caught a 10-yard TD pass from Jeremy Johnson with 39 seconds left in regulation as Auburn tied the game at 20-20.

Jacksonville State had taken the lead with 5:38 left on Troymain Pope’s 5-yard run. The Gamecocks had tied the game at 13-13 on Connor Rouleau’s 26-yard field goal with 10:43 left.

The Auburn football team didn’t provide its fans many highlights worthy of its new state-of-the-art scoreboard Saturday.

Jacksonville State, an FCS school out of the Ohio Valley Conference, had the Tigers on the ropes leading 10-6 at halftime, and possession of the ball in the fourth quarter with the game tied 13-13.

It wasn’t until Johnson hit running back Roc Thomas for a 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter that fans were able to enjoy the 10,800-square-foot, crystal-clear high-definition picture.

On the ensuing drive, Auburn’s defense forced its first turnover of the game with safety Rudy Ford picking off a throw from Jacksonville State quarterback Eli Jenkins in the end zone.

Jenkins, a senior from Birmingham, Ala., was great up to that point.

He led the Gamecocks with poise, piling up 182 yards on 15-of-24 passing in the first half.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder spread the ball around the field showing great command of a no-huddle, read-option offense.

Wide receiver Josh Barge and Ruben Gonzalez helped Jenkins by showing up Auburn’s secondary throughout the game. Barge had eight catches for 86 yards with the touchdown, and Gonzalez had six catches for 85 yards at the half.

Barge caught a 29-yard pass down the Tigers’ sideline against good coverage from Blake Countess to help set up a 32-yard field goal from Connor Rouleau.

The Gamecocks’ top receiver also made a nice grab in the end zone for the lone touchdown of the first half.

Jenkins avoided pressure from both sides of the pocket on the play, but his throw to Barge was low. The senior cradled the ball, and kept it from hitting the turf.

Gonzalez caught three passes on Jacksonville State’s first drive, and displayed his toughness on a 25-yard throw from Jenkins. He caught the ball in mid-air while getting hit from behind by a defensive back.

Auburn’s defense missed injured starters Carl Lawson (hip) and Tray Matthews (shoulder). Both players spent the afternoon watching the game from the sidelines in street clothes.

Adding to the Tigers’ struggles in the secondary was Countess’ ejection in the second quarter. The starting defensive back was called for targeting trying to tackle Gamecocks running back Troymaine Pope. Officials reviewed the penalty, but upheld the call.

Auburn’s offense continued its early-season woes with Johnson throwing his fourth interception of the season in the first half, and only leading one trip into the red zone through three quarters.

The running game also stalled with Peyton Barber getting the bulk of the work. He had 44 yards at halftime, but only averaged 3.4 yards per carry with a long of only eight yards.

Daniel Carlson continued to be one of the team’s MVPs hitting two field goal attempts. He set a career-high last week with a 56-yarder, and connected from 27- and 49-yards out in the first half.

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