GAME RECAP: Auburn 53, Liberty 0

The Tigers win the final home game of the year, turn their attention to Alabama.

Senior Day was fun, easy, and the Tigers got out with a pretty solid 53-0 victory over the Liberty Flames in the final home game of the season.

Kam Martin had a 100-yard rushing day, Auburn didn’t turn the ball over at all, and held the Flames to less than 150 total yards as they improved to 7-4 and set up an Iron Bowl showdown for the final weekend of the regular season.

Auburn allowed Liberty to drive into their end of the field on the first possession of the game, but the Flames failed on a fourth down and the Tigers drove for a 53-yard field goal from Anders Carlson. On the first play of Liberty’s second series after the kickoff, Darrell Williams picked off a Buckshot Calvert pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to put Auburn up 10-0 quickly during the first quarter. Things got worse for the Flames as a quick three-and-out forced a punt, and Jordyn Peters stormed in, blocked the punt, and it rolled out of the end zone for a safety. With 6:45 to play in the opening quarter, Auburn led 12-0, but they weren’t done in the opening period. Another good drive stalled at the 3-yard line and another Carlson field goal made it 15-0 after one quarter.

As the second quarter began, Auburn forced another punt from Liberty, and the Tigers leaned heavily on Kam Martin, who carried the ball seven times on the next drive before Jarrett Stidham finished it off for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down. 22-0 Auburn with 11:01 left in the first half. Anders Carlson added his third field goal of the game on a 49-yard kick on Auburn’s next drive to increase the lead to 25-0 with three minutes to go until the break, but the Tigers weren’t done yet. A fumble recovery gave Auburn the ball at Liberty’s 33, and two plays later, Stidham connected with Sal Cannella on a 22-yard touchdown to make it 32-0 Auburn at halftime.

The third quarter began just like the second quarter ended, with Jarrett Stidham tossing an absolute dime to Seth Williams for a 45-yard touchdown in the south end zone, and Auburn quickly led 39-0 in the second half. The Tigers would add another score on Shaun Shivers 25-yard run late in the third quarter as they opened up a 46-0 lead, and the Malik Willis capped the quarter with his 16-yard touchdown off of a zone read play. The Tigers held a 53-0 edge as Gus Malzahn started to empty the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, during which the clock ran freely and Auburn cruised to a huge shutout win on Senior Day.

Up next, it’s top-ranked Alabama next Saturday with kickoff set for 2:30 pm CST in Tuscaloosa. Auburn can get to eight wins if they can beat the Tide, who struggled today with The Citadel for a half before rolling to a 50-17 win.

FINAL STATS

TEAM OFFENSE

AUBURN

• Total Yards: 531
• Passing Yards: 191
• Rushing Yards: 340
• Penalties: 3-25
• Third Down: 2-12

LIBERTY

• Total Yards: 134
• Passing Yards: 79
• Rushing Yards: 55
• Penalties: 1-5
• Third Down: 3-12

STAT LEADERS

PASSING

AUBURN: Jarrett Stidham: 12-18, 178 yards, 2 TDs

LIBERTY: Buckshot Calvert: 9-28, 79 yards, 2 INTs

RUSHING

AUBURN: Kam Martin: 17 carries, 116 yards; Boobee Whitlow: 7 carries, 48 yards; Shaun Shivers: 6 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD

LIBERTY: F. Hickson: 10 carries, 45 yards

RECEIVING

AUBURN: Seth Williams: 5 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD; Ryan Davis: 4 catches, 40 yards: Sal Cannella: 1 catch, 22 yards, 1 TD

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2018/11/17/18100241/game-recap-auburn-53-liberty-0