Auburn building momentum
AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn Tigers put it all together for one dominant performance against a struggling Southeastern Conference team.
Now, the 13th-ranked Tigers are trying to build on that 51-14 win at Missouri when the offense finally exploded and the defense played pretty much like it had all season. The Tigers (3-1, 1-0 SEC) get to see if that was a turning point or just taking advantage of a mismatch Saturday when No. 24 Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1) visits.
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn thinks the confidence boost “has to” carry over.
“My message to our team and to our coaches is, you look in our league, there’s a lot of teams that’ll be up high for one week or two weeks and then have a setback,” Malzahn said on Tuesday. “The teams that have a chance to win championships in this league are the teams that can figure out a way to get a little bit better each week.
“Now that’s a hard challenge in this league. But that’s the challenge that I’ve put on our coaches and our players, find a way as a team to improve, even if it’s just a little bit, each week. And if we can do that, then we have a chance.”
The good news for Auburn is that Malzahn said there’s “a high likelihood” that tailback Kamryn Pettway will return after missing the Missouri game with plantar fasciitis. Pettway practiced on Sunday, Malzahn said.
It’s a potentially big boost for an offense that has been without either Pettway or Kerryon Johnson in each of the first four games.
The offense had produced just 117 yards against No. 2 Clemson and committed five turnovers in an embarrassingly close win over FCS-member Mercer.
The Missouri game gave the Tigers something more to celebrate. Auburn rushed for 263 yards, with Johnson scoring five touchdowns. Jarrett Stidham was an efficient 16-of21 passing for 219 yards.
It was definitely a pick-me-up, particularly for the offensive players.
“The locker room was great after the win, and it’s probably the best it’s been all year,” Johnson said. “The bus ride back was shorter; practice on Sunday was easier. Everybody’s just in a better mood. So I think with that leading into this stretch we’re about to go into was a key moment.”
Washington State’s defense up for challenge
The Air Raid offense gets most of the attention at No. 16 Washington State but the Cougars’ defense is also pretty good.
They’ll find out how good when Sam Darnold and No. 5 Southern California come to Pullman on Friday night.
Darnold is easily the best quarterback the Cougars (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) have faced this year. The Heisman Trophy candidate is averaging 306 passing yards per game and has led the Trojans to 13 consecutive victories.
Yet Washington State linebacker Isaac Dotson said the Cougars will do nothing special to prepare for him.
“Nothing changes for us,” Dotson said. “We just play our defense. He’s a solid quarterback. A good player. He’s our next opponent. He’s one guy on that team. We are not preparing for one guy.”
The Trojans (4-0, 2-0) are playing Washington State for the first time since 2014, when they beat the Cougars 44-17 in Pullman. The game is sold out and excitement is high in the Palouse.
“It’s an exciting chance for us,” Dotson said.
Despite the recent loss of star linebacker Peyton Pelluer to a broken foot, Washington State ranks first in the Pac-12 in pass defense, allowing 142 yards per game. They also have 15 sacks on the year. Defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa had 2 1/2 sacks within the first six plays in last Saturday’s crushing of Nevada. He has 18 quarterback pressures so far this year.
Hokies get another crack at No. 2-ranked Clemson
Virginia Tech players say they are taking a sensible approach to their highly anticipated Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Saturday night. They say they are casting aside any thoughts of revenge.
The No. 12 Hokies (4-0) play host to second-ranked and defending national champion Clemson on Saturday night.
The Tigers (4-0, 2-0 ACC) have hardly slowed down this season as they seek to repeat. They will arrive in Blacksburg, Va., having won their last 11 road games and nine of their last 10 matchups against teams ranked in the top 15.
This year, they’ve already beaten No. 13 Auburn 14-6 at home and No. 17 Louisville 47-21 on the road.
The Hokies (4-0), unbeaten after nonconference play for the first time since 2011, toppled No. 23 West Virginia 31-24 to open the season but haven’t been tested since, outscoring their last three opponents 129-17.
Although the Hokies are stepping up in competition, they insist they aren’t putting any added meaning on the outcome. Even being reminded of their close 42-35 loss to the Tigers in last year’s ACC championship game doesn’t knock them off that narrative.
“We’re thinking of it as just another game,” redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Jackson said Tuesday. “It has everything behind it and all that, but it’s just one conference game and that’s all it really stands for.”
The Hokies acknowledge that the loss last December hurt more than most — they drove to the Tigers’ 23 late in the game, but quarterback Jerod Evans was intercepted on a fourth-down play — but they also say there’s no sense looking back.