Auburn can catch its breath and study what has taken it to its 3-2 record before playing again at Kentucky on October 15.
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With running back Tyler Ervin rolling up 164 yards and a score on 27 carries, San Jose State (2-3) maintained possession for almost 34 minutes and collected 406 yards to Auburn’s 342.
Peyton Barber’s five-touchdown game stole the headlines in Saturday’s 35-21 win over San Jose State, but Auburn’s head coach found other things, including those elusive big plays, that he can build on as the Tigers enter a timely off week.
In the span of a week, Auburn has turned Sean White from “program changer” to the game manager. The Tigers are 20-point favorites and won last season’s meeting 59-13, but that Auburn team was ranked fifth.
The onside kick failed and Barber scampered for touchdown No. 5 after four short ones. Auburn fans, on Saturday, have hit the point where they are doing said weird things. Auburn’s average starting position was around midfield.
“The coaching staff told us all week that the running game was going to have to come through”, White said. “We had a few good momentum, but a few things just didn’t happen to go our way”.
Those short fields made it easier. “We have a good idea of who we are moving forward”.
Quarterback Joe Gray completed 21 of 33 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown for San Jose State while running for a score, but also tossed two interceptions.
The Spartans deepened the Tigers’ angst with an 80-yard touchdown drive aided by a pass interference call against Blake Countess in the end zone.
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“We knew what to expect, we’ve been watching film all week and we knew that this game was a very winnable game”, Ervin said. We had a few short fields that had something to do with that, too.
