AUBURN, Ala. — FCS member Jacksonville State has a reputation for knocking off FBS opponents, and the Gamecocks almost pulled off the biggest upset in school history when it took on No. 6 Auburn.
But it wasn’t meant to be for coach John Grass’ team as Gus Malzahn’s Tigers came from behind to capture a thrilling 27-20 overtime win.
“I don’t know if an FCS team has ever beaten a Top 10 team,” Grass said. “It would’ve have been one of the biggest wins of all time. And we almost pulled it off.”
Running back Peyton Barber scored the game-winning touchdown from 4 yards out to give the Tigers (2-0) their first home win of the season. He finished the game with 125 yards on 23 carries.
“They (Auburn) are a great football team. They are a Top 5 program. It was a tough talk with our kids after the game, but we played well,” Grass said.
Quarterback Jeremy Johnson, who once again struggled with his decision-making, connected with wideout Melvin Ray in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard score to tie the game at 20-all with under a minute to play.
Grass then elected to play for overtime by instructing quarterback Eli Jenkins to take a knee, which worked in the Tigers’ favor.
Johnson finished with 236 yards on 21-of-32 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has five picks in two games.
“I’ve got to do a better job of putting Jeremy in better position to succeed,” Malzahn said. “That’s on me.”
Jenkins, Johnson’s counterpart, played a terrific game. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior completed 26 of 43 passes for 277 yards and a score. He also added 37 yards on the ground.
“Wow! He’s really improved as a quarterback,” Grass said. “Eli’s seasoned and he’s just been making plays.”
“He played a great game,” Malzahn said of Jenkins.
Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson put the home team up 3-0 by nailing a 27-yard field goal right before the conclusion of the first quarter.
Jacksonville State tied the game at 3-3 in the early moments of the second quarter following a productive drive spearheaded by Jenkins’ passing.
Continuing the early trend of field goals, Auburn’s Carlson added a 50-yarder with 9:55 left in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead. Ray and wide receiver Ricardo Louis highlighted the scoring march by combining for four catches for 33 yards.
Jacksonville State took its first lead of the day, 10-6, when Jenkins found wide receiver Josh Barge for an 11-yard touchdown pass.
Barge was the Gamecocks leading receiver with 14 catches for 132 yards and a score. Ruben Gonzalez was also impressive, adding 8 receptions for 101 yards.
After trailing 10-6 at halftime, Auburn made a big defensive stop on Jacksonville’s opening possession of the second half. The Tigers then regained the lead when Johnson found running back Roc Thomas streaking down the sideline for a 51-yard score to put the home team back in front 13-10.
Jacksonville State would not go away, however, in the second half. The Gamecocks tied the game at 13 when Rouleau capped a 74-yard drive with a 26-yard field goal.
On Auburn’s ensuing possession, Johnson was picked off by linebacker Dawson Wells at the Gamecocks’ 44. The Gamecocks then took the lead 20-13 on a 5-yard scoring run by running back Troymaine Pope with 5:38 remaining in the game. But it wasn’t meant to be for a Jacksonville State team that gave Auburn all sorts of problems.
“We will be tough to stop to stop,” Grass said when asked about his team moving forward. “We wanted to throw it 40 or 50 times today. We got Eli out of the pocket a lot today. Their D-line is really good. I thought we executed really well.”
NOTES: Auburn unveiled the biggest scoreboard in college football Saturday. Its size: 10,000 square feet. It took nearly 800 tons of steel and 40,000 bolts to construct. … Auburn DE Carl Lawson and S Tray Matthews, two of the Tigers’ top defensive players, did not play due to injuries suffered last week … Peyton Barber started at running back for Auburn. … Auburn extended its regular season non-conference winning streak to 27 consecutive wins dating back to 2007.