Cox, Auburn Get Much Needed Boost of Confidence in Win Over Aggies

The Auburn Tigers came into last Saturday night against New Mexico State reeling after two straight losses at home. A non-conference opponent that the Tigers could handle was exactly what they needed to right the ship.

Auburn continued the youth movement on offense, as they started three true freshman on the O-line. Kodi Burns, another true freshman, also got the start at quarterback—but it was Cox this time who would come in and be the leader on offense. 

For the first quarter, the offense was inconsistent with Burns at quarterback. The defense had their share of problems as well, giving up 20 first half points and some big plays to the Aggies pass-happy offense. It was looking like another game where Auburn would play to the level of their opponent.

Cox came in though, and led the Tigers to 41 unanswered points to route the Aggies, putting Auburn back on the right track. Cox finished 13 for 19 passing, with 135 yards and a touchdown in only two quarters of work.

After a tough two weeks, it was a much needed performance for Cox to get his confidence back before starting a tough stretch of SEC games. The Auburn running game was also sucessful, with sophomore Ben Tate rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown and freshman Mario Fannin rushing for 105 yards and three touchdowns.

The defense also had a great second half, holding the Aggies—who average over 500 yards a game on offense—to 0 points and 110 yards. They also produced six turnovers in the game, including two by cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, who was playing his first game back from an injury.

So after a good win and a confidence boost for Auburn, it's back to reality this week with a trip to Gainesville to take on the #4 Florida Gators. This will be Auburn's first road game of the year, and it doesn't get any tougher than this. Auburn has been one of the SEC's best road teams throughout the past five seasons, but Florida has won 18 straight home games and Urban Meyer hasn't lost a home game in his career at Florida.

Something has to give this Saturday.