SPORTS

Cameron Artis-Payne powers No. 5 Auburn to 59-13 destruction of SJSU

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne had had 112 rushing yards and a career-best three touchdowns against San Jose State.

AUBURN – Cameron Artis-Payne made sure San Jose State got its money's worth.

The senior running back bulldozed his way to 112 yards and three touchdowns, a career best, to lead a Tigers rushing onslaught that finished with 358 yards and six touchdowns as No. 5 Auburn destroyed San Jose State 59-13 before a sellout crowd of 87,451 at Jordan-Hare stadium Saturday night.

"I'm going to keep improving on each thing," said Artis-Payne, whose three scoring runs all came in a 38-10 first half. "I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm doing alright."

On a night when Nick Marshall finished with one of his worst statistical passing performances, going 10-for-19 for 101 yards with a touchdown, Artis-Payne picked up the slack with the first multiple touchdown game of his career and second 100-yard outing in as many games.

Artis-Payne scored on runs from six yards, five yards and one yard out, the last giving Auburn a 35-7 lead with 7:29 to go in the first half.

"He has a good understanding of the overall offense," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "He's a good pass protector. He's getting more comfortable behind this line."

Auburn has rushed for at least 200 yards in each of its last 13 games, the longest active streak in the FBS.

The competition did not last long, as San Jose State (1-1) went from driving inside Auburn territory down 14-7 to a 35-7 hole in a matter of about eight minutes.

Tigers safety Jermaine Whitehead intercepted Blake Jurich with 31 seconds left in the first quarter and Artis-Payne scored on the ensuing drive.

After SJSU went three-and-out, Quan Bray broke free for a 55-yard punt return touchdown, the first of his career, to make it 28-7 with 10:02 to go in the second quarter.

Johnathan "Rudy" Ford picked off Jurich with 53 seconds to go in the first half, which led to a Daniel Carlson 27-yard field goal as time expired before the break.

Jurich, who left the game in the second half with bone bruise, went 16-for-27 for 218 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions with 39 yards rushing for the Spartans. The Tigers sacked him four times.

Marshall added 103 rushing yards and a touchdown, a 27-yard run with 1:18 to go in the third quarter to make it 45-13. His best play of the night, a 50-yard run on the fourth play of the game, ended with him fumbling the ball through the back of the end zone and SJSU taking over.

"It was tough because that's something we work on all week: ball security," Marshall said. "At the last minute I was just about to get ready to celebrate and the dude came behind me and punched it out. Being a quarterback you just got to have a short memory and put it out your head and ply your next play."

Marshall was off target on several throws, either throwing too high, too long, or behind his targets. Auburn's wide receivers dropped a few passes as well, but Marshall did not have his best stuff.

"I feel like I played great but I could have did some things better, maybe a couple of throws that I know that I can make," he said. "I got to make those throws that I missed tonight."

The lack of production in the passing game did not harm Auburn (2-0) against a vastly inferior non-conference opponent who is receiving $1.5 million for the shellacking it was willing to take on Saturday.

Jeremy Johnson and Roc Thomas each added rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the game's final margin.

"We've got to get better. We got to worry about us. We got to improve," Malzahn said. "We got to feel after we watch this tape that we did improve from Week 1 to Week 2.

"The key to being successful and having the chance to win championships is to improve each week, which is extremely hard to do. I haven't watched the tape but overall I feel like we've done that."