6:15
Stidham has to scramble and throw the ball away on first down, and Martin gets stuffed for a one-yard gain on second down. But on third-and-9, Stidham hangs in the pocket and finds Cox for 12 yards. Washington is then called for a face mask — the game’s 20th penalty — which moves the ball into UW territory.
Stidham starts to find his groove again. He finds Slayton for 21 yards and rushes for four yards. After three Kam Martin rushes, it’s third-and-goal from the seven, and Jatarvious Whitlow plows his way into the end zone. Touchdown. Goodness. The two-point conversion pass is broken up, though. Auburn 21, Washington 16.
9:49
After getting away with a push-off earlier, Jones is called for one on the first play of UW’s drive, setting up a first-and-25. Browning scrambles for 10 yards, then finds Baccelia for three. On third-and-12, Big Kat Bryant gets away with a helmet-to-helmet blow on Browning, who completes to Fuller for just 11 yards. A punt gives AU the ball at the 24.
12:13
Washington dodges a bullet, as a targeting penalty is overturned on a long pass attempt to Craig-Myers. Myles Bryant then sacks Stidham on a screen, and on third-and-22, Stidham throws the ball away. Siposs’ punt is fair caught at the UW 31. Only one of Auburn’s last four drives has gained more than 15 yards; their first five drives each gained at least 36. Washington 16, Auburn 15.
14:06
Yet another blown opportunity. Sheesh. A jet sweep to Chico McClatcher loses four yards, and then Darrell Williams knocks down a pass to a wide open Baccelia. An increasingly shaky Henry hits the upright on a 30-yard field goal, but it bounces in. Guh.
- Scoring opportunities: Washington 6, Auburn 5
- Points per scoring opportunity: Auburn 3.0, Washington 2.7.
Washington 16, Auburn 15.
0:00
Auburn gets sloppy. The Tigers commit four penalties to help UW move into the red zone, and the quarter ends with UW facing a second-and-goal from the AU 9.
3:59
Three-and-out for Auburn. Two Martin touches lose a yard, and a pressured Stidham can’t connect with Cannella. Arryn Siposs’ first punt of the year is a doozy, fair caught 48 yards downfield. Auburn 15, Washington 13.
5:50
After a five-yard run by Gaskin, Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene is called for pass interference. Gaskin rips off a 25-yard run, then Browning-to-Jones gains 17 yards to the Auburn 8.
And then ... another red zone failure! After an incompletion and a five-yard Gaskin run, it’s third-and-goal from the 3. Washington attempts an option for some reason, and Nick Coe nails Browning as he’s pitching. The ball hits the turf, and Auburn’s Darrell Williams recovers. Washington now blowing opportunities like Auburn did in the first half.
- Scoring opportunities: Auburn 5, Washington 5
- Points per scoring opportunity: Auburn 3.0, Washington 2.6. The national average last year was 4.4 points per opp.
Auburn 15, Washington 13.
7:30
Auburn comes out throwing after the missed field goal. Stidham completes a two-yarder to Martin (who would’ve gained more had he not slipped), then hits Cox twice for 21 yards. An 11-yard run by Martin gets Auburn back into Washington territory, but on third-and-6, Stidham can’t scramble for a first down ... and 316-pound Greg Gaines lands on him at the end. Carlson can’t hit a 54-yard field goal. On we go. Auburn 15, Washington 13.
9:57
Now that Browning has time to throw, he’s finding opportunities deep. UW’s first play of the second half is a lob to Jones for 24 yards (you could have called him for pushing off if you so chose), then Fuller makes an acrobatic 24-yard catch to the Auburn 24.
As wildcat quarterback, Gaskin hands to Ahmed around right end for 10 yards, then he gains four yards up the middle, as regular old running back, to the Auburn 8. A fade route falls incomplete, though, and on third-and-6, Washington gets called for a pretty clear pick on a touchdown pass. That makes it third-and-21, and Marlon Davidson bats a screen down. Henry badly hooks a 40-yard field goal, and Auburn holds onto the lead. Major missed opportunity. Auburn 15, Washington 13.
13:48
Shaky start for Auburn in the second half. After a slant to Craig-Myers gets the Tigers out to their 33, they gain five yards in three plays and punt for the first time. It’s almost blocked. Fair catch at the UW 37. Auburn 15, Washington 13.
Some quick stats:
- Yards: Auburn 280, Washington 215. Huskies finished the half on a 149-47 run here.
- Yards per play: Washington 7.2, Auburn 6.0
- AU’s Jarrett Stidham: 15-for-19 for 184 yards and one TD
- UW’s Jake Browning: 10-for-18 for 177 yards, one TD, and one INT
- UW’s Gaskin and Ahmed: 10 carries for 45 yards
- AU’s Kam Martin: 13 carries for 52 yards, three catches for 27 yards
- UW’s Aaron Fuller: five catches for 100 yards
0:00
Trickeration! Auburn goes into kneeldown mode, but instead, Stidham hands to Davis for 11 yards. A holding penalty pushes the Tigers back after that, though, and the drive stalls at midfield. Halftime!
0:43
PERFECT two-minute drill from Washington. Goodness.
- Browning to Fuller for 12 yards. Fuller hurdles a defender and comes down hard.
- Browning to Andre Baccelia for 14 more yards.
- Browning then fires deep for Ty Jones, who makes a lovely grab despite pass interference.
- Browning lobs to Quinten Pounds, who makes a leaping, one-handed touchdown grab.
Four plays, 75 yards, 40 seconds, two-point game. Auburn 15, Washington 13.
1:23
Washington forces a three-and-out ... and then doesn’t. A defensive holding penalty on a third-down incompletion gives Auburn new life, and the Tigers start moving. Stidham scrambles for 18 yards, then Shaun Shivers converts a third-and-3 to the Washington 31. But the UW secondary steps up, and Stidham can’t find anyone on third-and-9. Another stalled drive, another Carlson field goal, this time a 53-yard bomb. Auburn 15, Washington 6.
5:57
And the Huskies offense may have just figured some things out. On third-and-10 from the Washington 25, Browning finds Aaron Fuller for 13 yards. Then Saivon Ahmed breaks into the second level for 22 yards into Auburn territory. And after a holding penalty, Browning goes deep for Fuller, who draws pass interference and still reels in a 42 yards to the Auburn 8.
And then it’s Washington’s turn to stall out. Two stuffed runs and an incomplete fade route turn into a 29-yard field goal from Henry. Auburn 12, Washington 6.
10:35
Rinse, repeat. Auburn works the ball into the red zone with ease — this time thanks to a 19-yard Martin run on fourth-and-1 — and then stalls out. Carlson hits a 28-yarder this time. The Tigers are completely dominating but are giving the Huskies a chance to figure things out.
- Yards: Auburn 223, Washington 66
- Scoring opportunities: Auburn 5, Washington 1
- Points: Auburn 12, Washington 3.
14:41
After a quick incompletion to Gaskin, Washington has to punt. Davis rips off another huge return, but an illegal block brings it back. Auburn 9, Washington 3.
0:00
The quarter ends with Washington facing a third-and-6 from its 24. Auburn 9, Washington 3.
0:29
Goodness, Auburn is just destroying Washington through the air. Stidham finds Nick Coe for 17 yards, then throws short to Davis and Cox, who use great blocking to gain a combined 36 yards. Washington is controlling the run, though, and forces another field goal after two short runs and an incompletion. Carlson pushes a 32-yard attempt way left, and Washington dodges a bullet. Auburn 9, Washington 3.
2:59
Gaskin goes for 14 yards around the right edge, then Browning makes his first big pass of the day, a 32-yarder to Aaron Fuller. Auburn stiffens from there, giving up zero yards in three plays, but a 31-yard Peyton Henry field goal puts Washington on the board. Auburn 9, Washington 3.
5:39
Washington’s defensive line has established itself a bit, but the Auburn receiving corps is trouncing the Huskies’ secondary. Stidham finds a wide open Darius Slayton for 18 yards on third-and-12, then hits Nate Craig-Myers for 24 over the middle on third-and-6. Slayton can’t quite reel in a third-and-5 shot in the end zone, though, and The Latest Carlson (Anders, a redshirt freshman) hits a 32-yard field goal.
Current passer ratings: Stidham 214.9, Browning 15.4. Matches what the eyes have told us so far. This game has started about as poorly for the Huskies as the Fiesta Bowl did last year. Auburn 9, Washington 0.
9:42
Gaskin rushes for 10 yards on the first play, then Browning completes a third-and-9 pass to Drew Sample to the UW 46. Some positivity for Washington, but it’s brief. On second-and-9, Browning scrambles to his left and throws downfield ... directly to Auburn’s Jamel Dean. Only guy in the vicinity. Either a failed throwaway or an absolutely horrid decision. Either way, Auburn ball at its 37. Auburn 6, Washington 0.
11:45
Auburn’s offense comes out whipping the ball from side to side. Short passes to Davis and Kam Martin go for a combined 21. And on third down, after a couple of short passes, Jarrett Stidham’s first downfield pass of the year is a hitch-and-go to Sal Cannella, who makes a lovely catch for a touchdown. Auburn gets greedy and attempts a trick-play two-point conversion. It fails. But the Tigers look good so far. Auburn 6, Washington 0.
13:57
Auburn’s defensive line makes an immediate statement on Washington’s first possession. Myles Gaskin gets blown up by Daniel Thomas on first down, Jake Browning has to scramble and throw an incomplete chest pass on second, and a screen pass is erased on third. A very quick three-and-out, and Ryan Davis returns the punt 32 yards to the Washington 36. Auburn 0, Washington 0.
The No. 6 Washington Huskies and No. 9 Auburn Tigers will meet for perhaps the biggest matchup of college football’s first week on Saturday. The game is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC (live streaming via ABC), and is the only top-10 matchup of Week 1.
The Pac-12 needs a big, splashy win and the Huskies have a talented roster of veterans, but Auburn is not an easy team to beat. That’s especially true with one of the league’s best defensive fronts and Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. Saturday’s matchup from Mercedes-Benz Stadium is definitely the Week 1 matchup to watch.
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
- TV: ABC
- Streaming: ABC
- Odds: Auburn opened as 3-point favorites, though the line has narrowed, with them being favored by as little as 1.5 points on some books at the time of writing.
- Auburn released its official depth chart and there were few surprises. Notably, Aidan Marshall won the punting job and Sal Cannella is listed as a starter.
- Every single writer at College And Magnolia picked Auburn to beat to beat Washington, which is definitely not at all surprising.
- And it seems like Washington fans may be a little more pessimistic, as multiple writers at WR Dawg Pound picked Auburn as well!
- There’s a ton of buzz about the Huskies this year, and everyone knows it:
It’s that sense that the success of the program is more a factor of the program itself than the stars going through it that we all ought to be targeting. For the first time in decades, there is a real opportunity for Washington to achieve that status ... a status that is normally reserved for the truly elite programs in all of college football.
A win over Auburn tomorrow isn’t an absolute requirement if this kind of ascension is the expectation. But it sure wouldn’t hurt.
Either way, this has the potential to be a real pivot season for the program. Failure to take that next step could very well undermine the credibility of the path that the current staff is taking the program down. However, a few credible improvements over next year could build optimism around the bright talents of the great young talent that this program has in its reserves and create a real groundswell of momentum among spectators and recruits alike.
Success begets success. That’s what we all should expect.
- Auburn starting cornerback Jamel Dean practiced on Tuesday, and is expected to play against Washington on Saturday.
As far as S&P+ metrics go, Auburn has a 22.1 projected S&P+, with Washington at 23.5, a difference of just .4, which would indicate that Washington would have the advantage on a neutral field. While Auburn isn’t playing at home, they are playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, so this is a very hard one to call.
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