Before Saturday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium had been marked by two notable breakdowns: The roof. And Auburn.
Both malfunctions seem to be working themselves out. They say the miracle lotus-blossom roof is now fully functional. Same can be said for the Tigers, at least by the looks of Saturday afternoon’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
Breaking its two-game losing streak at the Benz – having fallen consecutively in last season’s SEC Championship game and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – the Tigers began a new season far more prosperously. Downing the Pac-12 favorite and preseason No. 6 team in the land qualifies as a clear change of fortune.
Combining a defense that arose on cue with an offense that saved one long touchdown drive for the fourth-quarter, Auburn scored a tenacious 21-16 victory over Washington. Flushed were all the Tigers’ bad memories of this fancy playground.
Trailing by one with just more than six minutes to play, it was redshirt freshman running back Jantarvious Whitlow who burst through the middle, steamrolled a safety and scored from 10 yards out to decide the game. Thus ended a 76-yard drive that saved Auburn’s day.
The Tigers’ defense then provided the punctuation with back-to-back sacks on third- and fourth-down plays to nail down the game.
As expected, the setting was basically Jordan-Hare North, there being a decided difference between a 90-minute drive and a cross-country flight. The Tigers drove. The Huskies, aside from a few thousand souls with excess frequent flyer miles, remained at home wisely enjoying their gameday spread of cedar-plank salmon and Columbia Valley sauvignon blanc.
It took the better part of a half for Washington to get comfortable with its surroundings, but when it did, a surprise awaited on the scoreboard. Despite Auburn never needing to punt in the half, despite Washington quarterback Jake Browning committing the one egregious turnover of the first 30 minutes – a woefully underthrown toss while on the move that was intercepted by Auburn cornerback Jamel Dean – the Huskies trailed by only two at the end of the half.
Would have been three, had Auburn not attempted a cutesy two-point conversion after its opening statement touchdown rather than kicking the extra point. Held up to a different mirror after the attempt failed, it turned ugly quickly.
Following that opening touchdown – defined by a 32-yard Ryan Davis punt return at the start and a 10-yard loft to 6-5 wide and tall receiver Sal Cannella at the close – the Tigers’ offense moved around a lot but accomplished little. Three Anders Carlson field goals was its consolation for the first half.
It was Washington that left the field at halftime with a bounce in its step, put there by a four-pass, 75-yard touchdown drive in the closing seconds. The closing number was a beautiful-as-a-sunset one-handed snatch by Quinten Pounds. With that, the Huskies trailed by only two, at 15-13.
The Huskies were poised to take their first lead with five minutes left in the third quarter, parked on the Auburn 3-yard line, third-and-goal. But the Tigers’ Nick Coe arrived at Browning just as he was ready to deliver a pitch, loosing both havoc and the football. The Tigers’ Darrell Williams recovered.
No matter, Washington came right back with its next possession and squeezed through a 30-yard field goal to take a 16-15 lead one minute into the fourth quarter.
Auburn won the fourth quarter, and thereby won the game.
Both teams answered some big questions along the way.
How would Auburn’s O-line hold up?
That was a question that followed Auburn from last season to this like a hungry stray. In response, Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham was sacked but twice. And that winning run was a vision of pure power.
How would the Huskies cross the cultural divide?
They’ll not play another game east of Salt Lake City this season. Auburn was the sixth SEC opponent the Huskies have ever faced, and they were but 2-11 in those games. Their last time through Atlanta was the 2016 semifinal game against Alabama, which ended as most meetings with the Crimson Tide do, in a loss (24-7). But this team was in no mood to swim in the SEC hype. They played Auburn to a statistical draw (gaining 398 yards to Auburn’s 420). But got nipped where it mattered, on the scoreboard.
Who had the prettiest quarterback at the dance?
The matchup between Stidham and Browning was marquee. Stidham finished 26-of-36 passing for 273 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. For Browning: 18-of-32, 296 yards, a couple tough turnovers. Advantage Stidham.
Is the Tigers’ defensive front as good as it thinks it is?
Auburn linebacker Deshaun Davis made a notable preseason declaration: “I do think we have the best defensive line in the country,” which would seem to suggest he doesn’t get a chance to watch many Clemson games. They didn’t exactly stonewall Washington, but certainly arose when it mattered. This is a discussion for another day.
Does Auburn have a running game?
It had no 100-yard rusher Saturday, but Kam Martin did get 80, and Whitlow had the toughest run of the day. There remains work to do in the backfield.
And finally, who would suffer the indignity of wearing the old leather helmet – a trophy, an anachronism and an awkward fashion statement all in one since 2008?
Every winning coach of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game – save one – has tried it on and all have managed to look like an extra in the 1934 Three Stooges football movie, “Three Little Pigskins.” It should surprise no one that Nick Saban declined. When they start awarding a miter to the winner of this game, maybe then he’ll consider wearing it.
Auburn’s Gus Malzahn happily modeled the leather helmet Saturday evening because why not enjoy every aspect of a win like this?
