UL Monroe Warhawks vs Auburn Tigers Box Score on Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

Sophomore quarterback Jarrett Stidham passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 6 Auburn to a 42-14 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday in nonconference play at Auburn, Ala.

Junior Kerryon Johnson rushed for 137 yards and one touchdown as the Tigers (9-2) won their fourth consecutive game. Sophomore Kam Martin rushed for one score and caught another as Auburn overcame a shaky start.

The victory leaves Auburn in position to make an upward move in the College Football Playoff rankings next Saturday when it faces top-ranked Alabama in the annual Iron Bowl.

Senior receiver Brian Williams scored two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing) for the Warhawks (4-6), who pushed the Tigers in the first half before fading. Louisiana-Monroe was outgained 552-333.

Auburn was sluggish for the first 28 minutes before the offensive unit found its flow.

The contest was tied late in the first half when Auburn navigated 96 yards on four plays to take a 14-7 lead. Sophomore wideout Darius Slayton ran a fly pattern down the right sideline and got past Warhawks true freshman cornerback Corey Straughter and made the 50-yard scoring catch with 1:27 remaining in the half.

The Tigers added to the lead in the third quarter when they traveled 95 yards on 10 plays. Martin capped the excursion with a 1-yard run to make it 21-7 with 9:33 left in the third quarter.

Martin scored another touchdown less than seven minutes later when he sneaked out of the backfield and into the left flat. Stidham found him on the left sideline and Martin meandered his way down the field to make it a three-touchdown margin.

Auburn had an opportunity to tack on another score early in the fourth quarter from the Warhawks' 1-yard line but Stidham fumbled the snap and it was recovered by Louisiana-Monroe safety Traveion Webster.

But the Tigers got their touchdown on defense instead as senior free safety Nick Ruffin intercepted junior backup quarterback Garrett Smith, broke a through a soft tackle attempt by Williams around the 20, and finished off the 45-yard return to make it 35-7 with 7:09 to play.

Williams was on the scoring end less than 90 seconds later as he took a short pass from Smith and turned it into a 70-yard touchdown. He caught the pass in the middle of the field at the Warhawks' 40, headed toward the left and then outraced the Auburn secondary.

Redshirt freshman Malik Miller scored on a 1-yard run to give the Tigers a 42-14 advantage with 2:58 to go.

Auburn received an opening kickoff and navigated 80 yards on nine plays with Johnson scoring on an 8-yard run. The Warhawks tied the score on a 2-yard run by Williams with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.

NOTES: Tigers junior DT Dontavius Russell recorded 3.5 tackles for losses, including a sack. ... The Warhawks fall to 0-3 in nonconference play, the other defeats coming against Memphis and Southern Mississippi. ... The Tigers improve to 11-0 all-time against Louisiana-Monroe, including the scare in 2012 when Auburn was forced into overtime before prevailing 31-28. ... Warhawks sophomore QB Caleb Evans was just 9-of-25 passing for 86 yards before being replaced.