Touchdown Auburn: Ducks Caught Sleeping

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Bo Nix goes off script and Auburn scores its first touchdown of the season

Auburn scored 53 touchdowns in 2019 and over the coming weeks we are going to breakdown each one.

Things weren’t going well in Dallas. Auburn’s vaunted defense struggled to contain Oregon’s offense early, surrendering two first quarter touchdowns and another on the opening drive of the 2nd half. Offensively, nothing seemed to be going right. The few promising drives ended in an interception and a missed field goal. Auburn couldn’t even find paydirt after Big Kat Bryant returned a fumble 80+ yards down the field. It looked like the Tigers were about to be embarrassed to open the 2019 campaign.

But as my good friend Lee Corso likes to say, not so fast my friends.

Late in the 3rd quarter Auburn broke through. After some hard running by Boobee Whitlow, Auburn punished Oregon’s over aggressive defense.

Auburn is in an unbalanced line. Prince Tega Wanogho flipped over to the right side with Spencer Nigh lined up behind him at H-Back. Auburn is running a jet sweep with Eli Stove to the field. Auburn purposefully leaves the interior of Oregon’s defense unblocked. They come screaming through but Eli Stove is long gone, allowing the right side of Auburn’s offensive line to get down field.

Three great blocks spring this play. Tega does a great job washing the edge player out the way. Jack Driscoll makes a tough block in space to keep the scraping linebacker from running this down and Sal Cannella locks up the safety long enough for Stove to get the corner. Shout out as well to Spencer Nigh for coming all the way around to smack the corner in the head.

As Gus likes to do following a big gain, Auburn went fast and snapped the ball quickly on the ensuing play. But instead of the running the patented Inside Zone up the gut for no gain, Auburn’s freshman QB in his collegiate debut decided to go off script.

The Ducks try to substitute and it doesn’t go well. Nix notices that Eli Stove is left uncovered and upon receiving the snap, fires it out to the senior. Honestly, Nix’s throw is high and it would have been nice if this throw had been a yard less far so as not to give that DB a chance but it works nonetheless. Stove snags it, dodges the confused defender and Auburn is in the endzone for the first time in 2019.

War Eagle!

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