Rushing Attack Fuels Auburn to Victory Over Kent State

Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics

Coming in to Auburn’s homecoming matchup against Kent State, analysts and fans alike had serious concerns about the offense’s ability to run the football through their first two games.

The Tigers responded to the criticism by running for 467 yards and scoring six rushing touchdowns on their way to obliterating the Golden Flashes 55-16. Saturday night was the first time since 1983, the season that Heisman winner Bo Jackson was on the roster, that Auburn had three one hundred yard rushers in the same contest.. Head coach Gus Malzahn said that he was proud of the way his team performed carrying the ball on the ground.

“When we are running the football and playing with pace, that is when we are at our best,” said Malzahn. “More than anything, it was just a commitment to run the football and that commitment helped us tonight.”

Traditionally, when the Tigers have an offense with a stout running game, they are a difficult football team to beat. Auburn’s record with a hundred yard rusher during the Malzahn era is 42-11 and his record when having two one hundred yard rushers in the same game is 13-0.

Senior left tackle Brian Sharp said it felt good to do all that hard work and focus on the microscopic details to achieve the things they wanted to do on the offensive side of the ball.

“It was awesome as an offensive unit to finally do that,” said Sharp. “After weeks of criticism, with people saying that we need to step up our game, we finally were able to do that.”

Auburn’s running backs have struggled to establish a consistent rhythm against their opponents this season, only running for 378 yards combined during the first two games of the year. However, a multitude of running backs performed well in week three, with JaTarvious Whitlow leading the way with 136 yards on the ground and two scores. Shaun Shivers pitched in 106 yards and Kam Martin zoomed around for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Sharp said it is a big advantage for the offense to have solid depth at the running back position.

“I think it is good, every running back we have in the rotation brings something valuable to the table,” said Sharp. “Whether it’s a more hard-nose running back or someone who’s more quick off the edge, having that rotation allows our guys to have an opportunity to catch their breath. That way they can come back out there and make those amazing cuts to run it into the end zone."

Another positive for the Auburn offensive was that they also saw contributions in the running game from the quarterback position. Starting quarterback Bo Nix rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown, backing up his reputation as a true dual threat. Redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood also saw time on the field and took advantage of the opportunity he was given, scoring two touchdowns and running for 106 yards on 12 attempts.

Moving forward, the Tigers will need to continue to perform in the backfield if they are to be successful heading into Southeastern conference play. Auburn currently has one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with five top 25 ranked matchups still remaining on their schedule. Next weekend, Malzahn and his team will head off to College Station to face off against Texas A&M, hoping to continue the success they experienced against Kent State running the football.