Brandon Fulse hauls in first touchdown in career game

AUBURN – Brandon Fulse hadn't appeared in a box score in a long time, so his contributions on Saturday were nothing short of shocking.

Auburn's starting H-back had the best game of his career, with two receptions for 27 yards, including his first career touchdown, to help the No. 5 Tigers defeat South Carolina, 42-35, at a sold out Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday night.

Fulse caught Auburn's first touchdown, a three-yard strike on a play-action pass by Nick Marshall on third-and-goal to tie the game at 7 with 1:33 to go in the first quarter.

"I was thinking, 'no one's ripping it out and I'm not dropping it,'" Fulse said. "We had been practicing that play all week so I was very confident and wasn't scared. I knew I had to get open and Nick hit me and I said I'm going to catch it or no one else is."

Fulse, who hadn't caught a pass since Oct. 5, 2013 against Ole Miss, added a 24-yard catch down the left sideline later in the first half for the first multi-catch game of his career and more yards than he had in three seasons (four receptions for 25 yards.)

"That is what they were giving us. They were rolling an extra safety down," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "We caught them on a wheel route and hit Sammie (Coates) early. We saw that he was open, so we came back and checked that, and he had a good touchdown catch."

Fulse, a 6-foot-4 258 pound senior, has been much maligned for his play compared to former Auburn H-back Jay Prosch, who was one of the best to ever play the position in Malzahn's Hurry-Up, No-Huddle offense.

"I know I'm not Jay, I won't be Jay," Fulse said. "Jay is a physical blocker. I'm a great blocker, not as good as Jay. I'm not worried about what other people say because I know I'm not Jay, I'm Brandon Fulse, I can't be Jay Prosch."