After a shaky start on the defensive end, Auburn used an offensive explosion, led by freshman quarterback Deuce Knight, to handle FCS foe Mercer, 62-17, on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
With the win, the Tigers own a 14-0 advantage over the Bears in the all-time series, and are now one win away from a bowl game appearance after missing out on postseason play last season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Deuce shines in first collegiate start
Knight wasted no time showing what he is capable of under center on Saturday after breaking loose for a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.
Knight went on to score three more rushing touchdowns in the first half, making him the first Auburn quarterback to record four rushing touchdowns in a game since Cam Newton did so against Kentucky in 2010. Again, Knight achieved this feat in the first half with touchdown scores of 75 yards, 51 yards, nine yards and 20 yards. He owned 173 of the Tigers' 218 rushing yards in the first half and threw for 120 yards and a touchdown.
On the Tigers’ first plays of each half, Knight led a one-play scoring drive after connecting with Malcom Simmons for a 91-yard bomb on Auburn’s first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, blowing the doors open with a 32-point lead.
Knight ended his first collegiate start with 239 yards through the air with two passing touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes on 15 completions. His six total touchdowns tied a program record for the most touchdowns responsible for in a single game, per Justin Hokanson of On3Sports.
Shaky first-quarter start, defensively
Auburn’s defense came out flat-footed against the No. 1 offense in the FCS and gave up 14 points on two consecutive drives to open up the game, giving way to an early 14-7 Mercer lead.
The two offensive drives from Mercer took up 145 yards on 21 plays. The Bears piled up three plays of 15-plus-yard gains and converted on all five of their third-down attempts in the same span.
They compiled 151 yards of offense, with 113 coming through the air, and tallied eight first downs on 22 total plays, and added just 74 total yards for the remainder of the half.
Tigers’ defense settles in
After the two first-quarter scores given up on back-to–back drives to open up the game, Auburn’s defense settled in nicely, as a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter was the last time Mercer put points on the board.
After the converted field goal, Auburn forced three turnovers – one resulting in a touchdown after an Elijah Melendez interception return of 41 yards – and four punts.
Additionally, after the same field goal, Auburn gave up just 131 yards on nine drives, with the longest Mercer drive compiling just 51 yards on 10 plays.
Injuries, ejections, something to monitor for next week
Auburn wanted to get out of Saturday's contest against an overmatched opponent with no injuries and certainly no ejections.
However, it did not achieve that goal.
After the first defensive drive, Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk hobbled off the field and immediately went into the injury tent. He did not return – probably precautionary – and remained on the sideline, undressed, for the remainder of the game.
On the second drive of the third quarter, defensive back Sylvester Smith was ejected for targeting, meaning he must sit out the first half of next week’s Iron Bowl. After recently receiving news of season-ending injuries to defensive back Champ Anthony and versatile linebacker Demarcus Riddick, Smith’s absence in the first half next week could prove to be troublesome for the Tigers’ defense.
Auburn will return to action next week for the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl against No. 10 Alabama in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ABC.
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