|
|
TXAM |
AUBURN |
Williams, Auburn hold on for 13-10 victory over Texas A&M
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Carnell Williams entered the postgame interview room shoeless and clutching a game ball.
Jarquez Hunter and Tank Bigsby each rushed for 121 yards and Williams' Auburn team held on for a 13-10 victory over Texas A&M Saturday night, in a battle of teams tied for last in their division.
It was the Tigers' second game under their interim coach, who admitted he was ''scared as a puppy'' in his debut. Game 2 ended with a win and a Gatorade bath for Williams, drenching him and his shoes on a chilly night.
''I let them know I was scared, like I need y'all,'' he said. ''I've never done this.''
Now, the former Auburn and NFL running back has a win under his belt.
Colby Wooden's fourth-quarter strip-sack set up the decisive field goal by freshman Alex McPherson for the Tigers (4-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference).
Auburn and the Aggies (3-7, 1-6) had been bringing up the rear in the Western Division and both had lost five straight. The offensive woes continued, especially for Texas A&M - until the final drive.
Freshman Conner Weigman and tailback Amari Daniels quickly moved the Aggies down the field. Weigman completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Preston with 1:33 left and Daniels had a 27-yard run.
But Auburn recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to end its losing streak, which had been the final straw in coach Bryan Harsin's tenure.
''When coach (Williams) got the job, the building changed,'' Bigsby said, saying he brought an energy that had been lacking.
The 215 yards were the fewest Auburn had allowed in an SEC win since the 2011 Florida game. And Wooden delivered the biggest moment, with Morris Joseph Jr. recovering the fumble.
''Big time play by Colby,'' Williams said. ''I mean, wow. Tempers were flying. You could tell guys started barking at the offense. We kind of stalled in that third quarter.
''They had some momentum there. To get that strip fumble was bigtime.''
Before that last drive, Texas A&M had just 5 total yards in the second half. The Aggies finished with were without leading rusher Devon Achane, who was wearing a boot on his left foot, and wide receiver Moose Muhammad. Coach Jimbo Fisher said Muhammad was out because of ''internal issues.''
McPherson, who made his first career start in place of an injured Anders Carlson, made a 26-yarder with 3:02 left.
Quarterback Robby Ashford led a celebration with fans afterward and players emptied a cooler of sports drink on Williams.
Weigman, a five-star recruit, made his second start in three games but couldn't duplicate his 338-yard, four-touchdown performance against Mississippi. He was 14-of-36 passing for 121 yards and had 13 consecutive incompletions in the second half.
Weigman missed the Florida game with an illness.
''We could not get in rhythm,'' Fisher said. ''Whether we dropped the ball, whether we got a sack, whether we had a penalty, whether we had a negative run....''
The loss officially ended Texas A&M's hopes of making a bowl game.
''First time ever in my life,'' Fisher said. ''It's disappointing. But we've got to go back to work and fix it and get better.''
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas A&M: The offense sputtered even worse than usual, actually losing 16 yards collectively on five drives that started in the third quarter. It was another blow for coach Jimbo Fisher, whose team started out ranked No. 6.
Auburn: It was a cathartic moment for Auburn fans who endured Harsin's 9-12 tenure and struggles in league and other Power 5 games. Williams' first game running the show ended in an overtime loss at Mississippi State.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M hosts UMass on Saturday.
Auburn hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday.
---
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Sign up for the AP's college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
C. Weigman
15 QB 121 PaYds, PaTD, 4 RuYds |
|
T. Bigsby
4 RB 121 RuYds, 20 ReYds, 2 RECs |
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 11 | 18 |
Rushing | 6 | 13 |
Passing | 4 | 3 |
Penalty | 1 | 2 |
3rd Down Conv | 5-16 | 5-16 |
4th Down Conv | 0-0 | 0-1 |
Total Net Yards | 215 | 345 |
Total Plays | 60 | 68 |
Avg Gain | 3.6 | 5.1 |
Net Yards Rushing | 94 | 285 |
Rush Attempts | 24 | 55 |
Avg Rush Yards | 3.9 | 5.2 |
Yards Passing | 121 | 60 |
Comp. - Att. | 14-36 | 6-13 |
Yards Per Pass | 2.4 | 3.2 |
Penalties - Yards | 8-70 | 8-45 |
Touchdowns | 1 | 1 |
Rushing TDs | 0 | 0 |
Passing TDs | 1 | 1 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
Fumbles - Lost | 2-1 | 2-1 |
Int. Thrown | 0 | 2 |
Punts - Avg | 9-37.9 | 5-44.2 |
Return Yards | 0 | 7 |
Punts - Returns | 0-0 | 3-7 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Int. - Returns | 2-0 | 0-0 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
C. Weigman
15 QB
|
C. Weigman | 14/36 | 121 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
A. Daniels
4 RB
|
A. Daniels | 11 | 83 | 0 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Moss
22 RB
|
L. Moss | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Weigman
15 QB
|
C. Weigman | 8 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
J. Preston
5 WR
|
J. Preston | 9 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Price
3 WR
|
D. Price | 6 | 2 | 42 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Wright
42 TE
|
M. Wright | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
E. Stewart
1 WR
|
E. Stewart | 8 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Moss
22 RB
|
L. Moss | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
N. Thomas
9 WR
|
N. Thomas | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Smith
11 TE
|
B. Smith | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Daniels
4 RB
|
A. Daniels | 2 | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
A. Johnson
27 DB
|
A. Johnson | 8-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
L. Overton
18 DL
|
L. Overton | 7-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Richardson
26 DB
|
D. Richardson | 7-1 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Jackson
35 DL
|
M. Jackson | 6-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. White Jr.
32 LB
|
A. White Jr. | 4-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Russell Jr.
24 LB
|
C. Russell Jr. | 4-2 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Turner
5 DL
|
S. Turner | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
W. Nolen
88 DL
|
W. Nolen | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Jones
17 DB
|
J. Jones | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Mathews
14 DB
|
J. Mathews | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Chappell
7 DB
|
T. Chappell | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Harris Jr.
40 LB
|
M. Harris Jr. | 1-1 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. Cooper
45 LB
|
E. Cooper | 1-1 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
E. White
6 DL
|
E. White | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Jackson
63 OL
|
C. Jackson | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Johnson
98 DL
|
J. Johnson | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Anderson
1 DB
|
B. Anderson | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
S. Stewart
4 DL
|
S. Stewart | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
R. Bond
47 K
|
R. Bond | 1/1 | 48 | 1/1 | 4 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
N. Constantinou
95 P
|
N. Constantinou | 9 | 37.9 | 3 | 55 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
J. Preston
5 WR
|
J. Preston | 1 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
R. Ashford
9 QB
|
R. Ashford | 6/13 | 60 | 1 | 2 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
T. Bigsby
4 RB
|
T. Bigsby | 23 | 121 | 0 | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Hunter
27 RB
|
J. Hunter | 13 | 121 | 0 | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
R. Ashford
9 QB
|
R. Ashford | 16 | 47 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Alston
22 RB
|
D. Alston | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
T. Bigsby
4 RB
|
T. Bigsby | 2 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Johnson
6 WR
|
J. Johnson | 3 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Hunter
27 RB
|
J. Hunter | 2 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Fromm
85 TE
|
T. Fromm | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Deal
86 TE
|
L. Deal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Shenker
25 TE
|
J. Shenker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
C. Riley
13 LB
|
C. Riley | 4-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
O. Pappoe
0 LB
|
O. Pappoe | 3-3 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. James
4 CB
|
D. James | 3-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Simpson
36 CB
|
J. Simpson | 3-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Hall
29 LB
|
D. Hall | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Pritchett
18 CB
|
N. Pritchett | 2-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Bridges
20 S
|
C. Bridges | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Joseph Jr.
91 DL
|
M. Joseph Jr. | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Jones
99 DL
|
J. Jones | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Brooks
39 LB
|
D. Brooks | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Wooden
25 DE
|
C. Wooden | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Harris
50 DL
|
M. Harris | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Scott
6 CB
|
K. Scott | 1-3 | 0.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Burks
92 DT
|
M. Burks | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0 |