Auburn-South Carolina: Cocks Don't Crow as Tigers Rally Behind Quarterback

Before Auburn lined up to play South Carolina this past Saturday night, the defensive secondary, including linebackers had failed to record a single interception. By game's end, all that had changed as the Tigers forced two fumbles and two fourth-quarter interceptions to seal up another come-from-behind victory.

The Auburn Tigers defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 35-27 with excellent play on both sides of the ball.

A week ago, the Tigers were sloppy and unprepared in the first half against Clemson. Tough, physical practices and a mental adjustment in the attitude department worked brilliantly. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, it was evident that Gene Chizik's team had come to play.

After South Carolina received the opening kickoff and met a stingy Auburn defense, they were forced to punt. Auburn opened up the scoring with a 54-yard scamper by quarterback Cam Newton. It would not be his last. 

On the opposing sideline, Steve Spurrier was ready to introduce his ground game, featuring Marcus Lattimore. The Auburn defense was ready for him. Lattimore finished the night with only 33 total yards on 14 attempts. Most of the time, Lattimore was on his back with two, three, or four Auburn defenders saying hello.

Although the Tigers were finding a way to stop South Carolina's run game, quarterback Stephen Garcia tied the game up with a 30-yard pass to his favorite receiver, Alshon Jeffery.

The tall, lanky South Carolina receiver corps had many Auburn fans worried before the game. Would Auburn's secondary be able to defend against the passing attack of Steve Spurrier? Early in the game, the issue did seem to be in doubt.

South Carolina took the lead after a Mario Fannin fumble set them up with excellent field position. Garcia directed his team to the 1-yard line with his efficient passing and Marcus Lattimore scored his only touchdown of the night. It would be his only highlight. 

With 6:16 left to play in the first half, South Carolina scored again after another Auburn fumble courtesy of Mike Dyer. He was hit in mid-air and began to cartwheel. The replay looked as if Dyer subconsciously let go of the ball in order to land on his hands to prevent possible injury. It didn't appear to me that the ball was knocked out by a Gamecock defender.

Nevertheless, Auburn's second turnover put South Carolina on top by a score of 20-7. The snap on the ensuing extra point was not good and the PAT attempt suffered as a result; the ball sailed low and wide to the left.

Before the first half ended, quarterback Cam Newton would again lead his team down the field for a touchdown. Auburn went into the locker room at the half down by six. The previous week, the Tigers were down by more than six and were able to bounce back. Could they do it again?

If so, they would need to keep the ball more and run out the clock. Yes, Gus Malzahn would need to play "Tuberville Ball," and that is exactly what he did. For the remainder of the night the Auburn offense was a perfect mix of run, run, pass, and run.

When the middle of the Gamecock defense swayed to the outside, Cam Newton ran the ball up the middle. When the middle of the Gamecock defense stayed home, Newton gave the ball to either Mike Dyer or Onterio McCalebb.

The battle between freshmen running backs certainly went the way of Mike Dyer. Although he did fumble early in the game, he finished the night with 100 yards on 23 carries. Before the game, Coach Chizik asked Dyer if he would be able to carry the ball 20 times.

With a small laugh Dyer simply replied, "Are you kidding?"

To South Carolina, Auburn's ability to run was no laughing matter. The Gamecock defense was simply worn down. At the end of the third quarter, South Carolina led by a score of 27-21. By this time in the game, even though South Carolina was leading, it was evident as to which was the better team. Auburn was down by six but not for long.

As the game progressed, Auburn's offense began to show more variety. For the first time all year, the Auburn offense was using all its weapons, or at least most of them.

Until the second half against South Carolina, no pass attempts to an Auburn tight end had been made all year. With 13:35 left to play in the game, Auburn tied the game with a pass play from Cam Newton to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen. The extra point put Auburn up by one.

Seven minutes later, Auburn would score another touchdown on a remarkable run after the catch by wide receiver Emory Blake. The play should have been stopped at the 10-yard line, but a second and third effort by Blake gave Auburn an eight-point lead with 6:23 left to play.

Although Auburn scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, it was the play of a stubborn Tiger defense in the waning minutes of the game that sealed up a victory.

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia played a great game, especially in the first half. Late in the game, he was replaced by freshman quarterback Conner Shaw. Why? Was Stephen Garcia woozy from all of the heavy hitting or was he being replaced because of the fumbles?

If Spurrier took Garcia out because of the fumbles, then it was a slap in the face to Garcia and the wrong thing to do. A new quarterback with the game on the line?

Garcia had fumbled the ball twice; however, you must credit Auburn's defense. One of the fumbles occurred when the ball was ripped from Garcia's grasp as he was being gang tackled. I don't know of any quarterbacks who could have held on to the ball on that particular play.

No matter what the reason, South Carolina's final two or three possessions of the game were directed by the freshman, Conner Shaw. All night long, the Auburn secondary played well against the taller Gamecock receivers. With an eight-point lead and the game on the line, the Tiger secondary would stand their ground.

The freshman Gamecock QB drove his team into Auburn territory twice, but interceptions by linebacker Josh Bynes and cornerback Demond Washington, respectively, would prevent the Gamecocks from scoring. Auburn would be content to run out the clock as the final seconds ticked away.

Quarterback Cam Newton had a stellar night, completing 16 of 21 passes for 158 yards and rushing for another 176. The junior finished the evening with five touchdowns— three through the air and two on the ground.

Darvin Adams had four receptions for 45 yards and Terrell Zachery had four receptions for 49 yards.

These contributions to the game were critical, but it was the play of Emory Blake that will have Auburn fans talking all week. Blake had three receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown, but it was his extra effort to get into the end zone that impressed football fans across the nation.

Time and time again the offense came back to score when it had to do so. Impressively, the Auburn defense stepped up when it was needed and much credit should be given to that unit for the win.

Josh Bynes did not have a single solo tackle, but he made his presence known all night long. The leader on defense assisted with six tackles, forced a fumble, assisted with a sack, and intercepted a pass. 

Mike Blanc and Zac Etheridge led all tacklers with three solo tackles each and four assisted tackles each. Zetheridge was also responsible for putting a bone-jarring hit on Ashlon Jeffery in the end zone, popping the ball loose for Demond Washinton to intercept. This was the biggest hit of the game!

Auburn's win against South Carolina gives the Tigers a 4-0 start on the year. Many Auburn fans may be tired of sitting through so many come-from-behind victories. Stock up on the Alka Seltzer. Another stretch of tough games is only two weeks away.