SPORTS

Auburn routs Arkansas 45-21 behind several career days

James Crepea
Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 45-21 win over Arkansas.

AUBURN – In the SEC debut of Auburn's future, it became a realization that the reigning SEC Champions are still very much a threat in the present.

In his first career SEC start, sophomore quarterback Jeremy Johnson played magnificently in the first half, completing 12 of 16 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, before returning starter Nick Marshall (4-for-6 for 50 yards and 19 rushing yards with a touchdown) took over in the second.

Cameron Artis-Payne pounded his way to a career day of 177 yards and a touchdown on the ground, junior college transfer D'haquille Williams (nine receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown) had the best performance by an Auburn receiver in over three years, and the defense made halftime adjustments to limit what was an effective Arkansas offense during the first half to just 61 yards, including two rushing, in a second half shutout.

Put together, it added up to 595 yards of offense for No. 6 Auburn in a 45-21 rout of Arkansas before a sold out crowd of 87,451 at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Johnson, who was poised beyond his years and limited experience to date, led the Tigers to three straight touchdown drives.

"We wanted to let Jeremy play regardless," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "We scripted plays for him, and he got off to an outstanding start. The first half we got stuck on third downs. Jeremy did an outstanding job. The way he handled himself was really nice."

The former G.W. Carver star and 2013 Alabama Mr. Football completed his first eight passes, finding six different wide receivers along the way.

Johnson completed passes of 49, 26 and 62 yards, with the first going to Melvin Ray for the game's opening score.

He later hit Williams on an 18-yard score with 13:20 to go in the first half to give Auburn a 21-7 lead.

"Everything was clear; it was a clear path for me to make throws I made," Johnson said. "We got playmakers round the perimeter and they did what they had to do after they made the catch."

Brandon Allen went 18-for-31 for 175 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and Alex Collins (10 carries for 68 yards), Korliss Marshall (eight carries for 45 yards) and Jonathan Williams (seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown) were effective during the first half for Arkansas (0-1), which rallied to tie the game at 21 at the break.

But Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson made halftime adjustments that proved masterful, as the Razorbacks punted four times, threw an interception and turned over on downs in the second half.

"We were able to run the football effectively, we just didn't go to it much in the third quarter, and that's something we definitely need to take a look at," Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. "Overall, obviously, two quarters of football we can live with, and two that we can't."

Safety Jermaine Whitehead had seven tackles and returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-21 with 2:39 to go in the third quarter.

Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne ran for a career-high 177 yards on Saturday.

Artis-Payne had a one-yard score in the first quarter, but hit stride in the second half. He had runs of 28 and 32 yards in the fourth quarter, the later coming after a 1:28 delay due to lightning with 9:55 to go.

"Cameron Artis-Payne really carried the load for us," Malzahn said. "I thought he did a solid job of running between the tackles. He is at his best as the game goes on."

Once Marshall, who did not start as part of the punishment for his July marijuana citation, came in, it opened up the Auburn running game. The Tigers ran for 264 of their 302 rushing yards after halftime.

"A lot of that had to do with defense, there was no doubt," Malzahn said. "Nick's one of our leaders. All of our players respond to him. But overall, I think the key the second half was our defense really stepping up."

Corey Grant added 87 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown for Auburn (1-0), which has won six straight regular season SEC games.

The Tigers are setup for the future, and the future appears to be now.