Against a much inferior opponent, Auburn handled business on its home turf, cruising to a 42-3 win over Ball State on Saturday night.
Auburn’s offense totaled 495 yards while holding the Cardinals to just 68 yards of total offense in front of a rowdy crowd of orange and blue, excited to finally see football on the Plains.
Here are some stats and tidbits from the Tigers’ win:
Miscellaneous
– Auburn has now won 18 of its last 20 home openers (107-16-3 overall) with Hugh Freeze remaining perfect in that department during his tenure.
– Under Freeze, Auburn has outscored its opponents in home openers 174-20. Auburn has also outscored Ball State 190-36 in four meetings, all of which resulted in Auburn wins.
– There were three players who saw their first game action in orange and blue: James Ash, Connor Gibbs and Caleb Wheatland
– Auburn has scored in a school-record 156 consecutive games, dating back to the first game of 2013
– Saturday marked the 16th straight sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium dating back to the beginning of the 2023 season; it is the second-longest sellout streak in program history and one shy of tying the record of 17 straight games from 2013-16
Game Specifics
– Saturday marked the first time Auburn has held an opponent to under 100 yards since holding Georgia Southern to 78 total yards in 2017. It was also the fewest yards allowed since holding Ole Miss to nine yards in 1985
– Ball State’s -3 yards rushing were the fewest allowed in a game for Auburn since holding Akron to -3 in 2021
– Jeremiah Cobb recorded his first 100+-yard rushing performance of his career, ending his night with 121 yards and two scores. His 46-yard rushing touchdown in the first was the fourth of his career and his longest career rush.
– Jackson Arnold, who threw for 251 yards and three scores, notched his first passing touchdowns at Auburn. His 85.7% completion rate was the highest completion rate since Bo Nix (20-22; 90.9%) vs. Akron in 2021 and the highest since Jarrett Stidham (32-37; 86.5%) vs. Mercer in 2017 when attempting at least 25 passes
– Eric Singleton Jr., who scored on a 30-yard reception, has caught a pass in 26 games; every game of his college career.
– Sylvester Smith et a career high with six tackles and recorded the first tackle for loss of his career in the first quarter.
– Keyron Crawford matched his career high with two sacks; he upped his season total to three and his career total to 9.5
– Xavier Atkins recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss in the game, setting career highs; his four TFLs were the most since Jalen McLeod had 4.0 at Arkansas in 2023> his five total tackles matched a career high.
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