Auburn vs. Memphis: Score and Reaction for 2015 Birmingham Bowl

Auburn (7-6) put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season en route to a 31-10 victory over quarterback Paxton Lynch and Memphis (9-4) in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl.  

Lynch, a junior, is currently projected as one of the top signal-callers in the 2016 NFL draft, should he decide to forgo his senior campaign, per CBSSports.com. He failed to showcase that game-breaking talent Wednesday, however, finishing with just 104 total yards and no touchdowns.

Auburn leaned heavily on its rushing attack to finish the job. Eight different players combined to carry the ball 56 times for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Jovon Robinson led the Tigers' charge with 121 yards and a score.

Here's a look at the quarter-by-quarter scoring recap of the Birmingham Bowl:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Auburn	10	0	7	14	31
Memphis	0	10	0	0	10

Much of the focus on the Auburn side coming into the game centered around head coach Gus Malzahn at the end of an often frustrating campaign. Athletic director Jay Jacobs added to the firestorm by stating in an interview Tuesday on WJOX-FM (via FoxSports.com): "There's no excuse for going 6-6 at Auburn."

The third-year coach tried to downplay the talk and turn the focus back to the players, as noted by James Crepea of AL.com: "We've had a lot of ups and downs this year but really the only thing (I'm) focused right now is our bowl game and winning this bowl game and getting some momentum for next year. Probably more importantly is to get these seniors out (with) a victory and that's really the only thing on our mind."

Perhaps all of the talk provided some added motivation as his group came out fired up. Auburn was the far more aggressive team in the first quarter as it raced out to a 10-0 lead, thanks in large part to a couple of quick stops by the defense.

After a Daniel Carlson field goal put the Tigers up by three, Kerryon Johnson scored from eight yards out for the first touchdown of the game. ESPN showcased the terrific individual effort:

Memphis finally came to life in the second quarter for interim coach Darrell Dickey, even with Lynch struggling to find a rhythm against Auburn's tight coverage. Instead, the team's defense provided the spark with a pick-six to level the score, following a season-long, 53-yard field goal from Jake Elliott.

ESPN College Football highlighted the interception return for a touchdown by Reggis Ball:

It marked the first of two interceptions thrown in the first half by Sean White, who got the starting nod over Jeremy Johnson. One of the main reasons for that selection was his ability to protect the ball, which ESPN Stats and Info pointed out:

That said, the best stat to sum up the opening half was the fact punter Kevin Phillips was Auburn's leading passer with 37 yards on a fake punt. Offense didn't come easy for either side.

The trend continued after the break with the first three possessions featuring two punts and an interception. Auburn's Tray Matthews picked off Lynch in the end zone after a poorly thrown ball got deflected high in the air for the easy turnover.

With the passing game faltering, Auburn started to lean even more heavily on its ground game, and it started to wear down the Memphis defense.

It took control of the game with back-to-back touchdown drives that used 17 total plays, including 11 runs. Johnson came into play quarterback near the goal line both times, tossing a TD pass to Jason Smith and running one in himself from five yards out.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com commented on the strong finish to the season by Johnson:

Robinson added another touchdown for Auburn early in the fourth, and it was elementary from there, as Memphis couldn't mount any type of comeback bid. Full marks to the Tigers' defense for rising to the occasion across all four quarters in a tough matchup with Lynch and Co.

Auburn celebrated the impressive season-ending triumph:

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com summed up the day for Lynch:

All told, it's exactly the type of performance Auburn needed. The Tigers never seemed to find a comfort zone during the regular season, but as Malzahn suggested beforehand, getting this win sends them into the offseason with some much-needed positive vibes.

Memphis continues to trend in a positive direction despite the bowl loss. It's now won 19 games over the past two seasons after winning just 12 over the previous five years. That's a strong foundation for head coach Mike Norvell to build off as he takes the reins from Justin Fuente, who left for Virginia Tech.

In the short term, the focus shifts to Lynch. He must decide whether to turn pro and, if he does, one of the key questions will be how much his lackluster outing against Auburn could impact his draft stock.

Postgame Reaction

ESPN passed along comments from Malzahn, who praised his team's work on defense:

Dickey also talked up the Auburn defense from the opposing perspective, per Tom Green of the Opelika-Auburn News:

Lynch opted against making any definitive statements about his future after the game, but admitted his frustration over the bowl performance, as noted by John Martin of ESPN Radio Memphis:

One game isn't enough to completely make or break Lynch's draft stock. That said, the outing may have given him some additional pause before making a final decision. He didn't look comfortable standing in the pocket and trying to deliver strikes against a fast, athletic secondary.

He has until Jan. 18 to make a choice, per Brugler. He may now take all of that time just to ensure there aren't any surprises concerning his stock after the bowl loss.