Eugene Asante’s 12 tackles and a sack squeaks Auburn past California 14-10 in a tough road environment for the Tigers.
The Auburn Tigers had their first road trip of the season this past weekend, as they traveled to the West Coast to take on the California Golden Bears. Prior to this game, the Tigers were 0-3 in the state of California and Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze was looking to change that.
The game started off scary for the Tigers as they fumbled the ball on their own 35 yard line where the Golden Bears would take a 3-0 lead early, after a 39-yard field goal. Quarter #2 is when it really got heated, as the two teams would exchange touchdowns, making the score 10-7 California heading into the half.
Both teams were held scoreless in the 3rd quarter, but Auburn was on a mission in the 4th. With 6:31 left in the final quarter, Quarterback Payton Thorne connected with Tight End Rivaldo Fairwhether on a 5-yard touchdown pass, giving the Tigers a 4-point lead late in the 4th quarter. With the help of a late interception by Auburn Cornerback D.J. James, Auburn was able to secure a 14-10 win and end their winless drought in the state of California.
The Tigers finished the game with 4 crucial turnovers, which if not taken care of will hurt them down the line.
“You can’t win football games by turning the ball over,” Freeze stated post-game in an interview with auburnwire.
Despite the interception, Payton Thorne completed 9 of his 14 passes for 94-yards and 2 touchdowns which wasn’t impressive according to Freeze.
“We need Payton to play better, truthfully, too. Now, on the last drive, he played well. Prior to that, I think a few of the throws were inaccurate, and I thought he left the pocket early once. And look, I’m not beating up Payton. He played really well in that last possession, but we do need more consistency there throughout the whole game,” Freeze told auburnlive.
Although the Tigers have faced some issues through two weeks, their record improves to 2-0 on the season and Auburn fans couldn’t be happier.
Next up:
California (1-1) will look to bounce back from this heartbreaking loss as they take on Idaho (1-1) at home next week.
Auburn (2-0) prepares for their Homecoming game as they match up against the Samford Bulldogs (1-1) Saturday night.
