San Jose State vs. Auburn: Game Grades, Analysis for the Tigers

It may have taken them nearly half a quarter, but once the Auburn Tigers got scoring they never stopped.

Backed by a superior rushing attack, the Tigers made beating San Jose State look easy. It was such a dominant effort, the final score of 59-13 doesn’t even do it enough justice.

Check out the game’s final stats here and take a look at first- and second-half game grades as well as analysis below.

Position Unit	First-Half Grades	Second-Half Grades
Pass Offense	B-	C+
Rush Offense	A+	A+
Pass Defense	B	B+
Rush Defense	A+	A+
Special Teams	A+	A+
Coaching	A+	A+

Pass Offense

This was never going to be a strong suit for Auburn. But when you have such a talented rushing attack, who could blame you?

Quarterback Nick Marshall only threw for 101 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-19 passing. Sure, he rarely had to pass, but when he did, it was typically off target. Backup Jeremy Johnson looked like a more comfortable passer in his short cameo in garbage time.

Rush Offense

Michael Chang/Getty Images

What more could be said about this unit?

The Tigers racked up a whopping 358 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 50 carries. Cameron Artis-Payne (16 CAR, 112 YDS, 3 TD), Marshall (11 CAR, 102 YDS, 1 TD) and Corey Grant (10 CAR, 89 YDS) all topped 80 yards rushing. Even true freshman Roc Thomas looked strong in his collegiate debut, finishing with 51 yards on nine carries, including a touchdown on his first touch.

This is a unit that truly can’t be stopped. 

Pass Defense

Overall, the secondary was very solid. 

Yes, the unit had its rough patches early in the first quarter and early in the second half. But when all was said and done, Auburn held the Spartans to just 254 yards and one touchdown on 19-of-32 passing while intercepting three passes.

Quarterback Blake Jurich was pressured all night and spent a lot of time on his back.

Rush Defense

Who said the Tigers struggled on the defensive line?

The unit stifled San Jose State all night, leaving running lanes nearly impossible to find. The Spartans only managed 65 rushing yards on 45 attempts (1.4 YPC). It was so tough to run that only once did a running back manage to crack a rush for over 10 yards, and it only went for 13.

This is a unit that will surprise a lot of people.

Special Teams

john bazemore/Associated Press

After dominating last season on special teams, Auburn was back to its old tricks. 

This time, Quan Bray returned a punt, juked several defenders and took it back to the house for a cool 55 yards. It wasn’t a play that will be replayed on ESPN for weeks, but it was impressive in its own right.

Place kicker/punter Daniel Carlson connected on his only field goal and kicked two punts for a total of 80 yards.

Coaching

The Tigers appeared out of it from the beginning, but that quickly changed. 

Head coach Gus Malzahn refocused his troops, and Auburn never looked back. Defensively, Ellis Johnson had his defense step up to make key stops in pivotal moments.

The unit bent on several plays, but it made the big plays that snuffed out the Spartans’ drives.

All stats courtesy of NCAA.com.

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