College Football Stories

The Auburn Tigers and the Oregon Ducks squared off in Arlington, Texas, on August 31, 2019, in a re-match of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. The game featured two future first-round NFL draft picks at quarterback: Tigers true freshman Bo Nix and Ducks senior Justin Herbert. Oregon’s Mario Cristobal was in his second year as head coach, while Gus Malzahn was entering his seventh year as the head man for the Tigers.

Auburn

The 16th-ranked Auburn Tigers looked to rebound from an 8-5 record in their 2018 campaign. Malzahn named the true freshman Nix as the starting quarterback. Nix shared the backfield with experienced running backs Kam Martin and JaTarvious “Boobie” Whitlow. Auburn also returned five redshirt-senior offensive linemen. The receiving corps consisted of Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove, Will Hastings, and Sal Cannella.

The Tigers defense, coordinated by Kevin Steele, featured some game wreckers. The 2018 Tigers ranked in the top-15 in points per game allowed. Many contributors from that team returned along with some impact freshmen. Auburn’s defensive line featured Marlon Davidson, Big Kat Bryant, and Derrick Brown. The linebacking corps was chocked full of future pros, the likes of K.J. Britt, Colby Wooden, Derick Hall and Owen Pappoe. The secondary was experienced, with Jeremiah Dinson, Noah Igbinoghene, Javaris Davis, and Daniel Thomas leading the way.

Oregon

Since their 2010 contest in the title game against Auburn. the Ducks went through a slight re-build. Chip Kelly, the man responsible for getting Oregon to the championship game, left after the 2012 season to go coach the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Helfrich, Kelly’s former offensive coordinator, took over and had immediate success. Helfrich and the Ducks returned to the national title game in 2014, after winning the first-ever College Football Playoff semi-final game against Florida State.

Two years later, Helfrich was fired after a 4-8 campaign in 2016. Former South Florida Bulls head coach Willie Taggart took over in 2017, going 7-5 in his lone season in Eugene, Oregon. After Taggart left for Florida State, the Ducks hired Taggart’s offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal went 9-4 in his inaugural season in Eugene, and the Ducks were optimistic that they would be a real contender in 2019. The hopes were no doubt due in large part to the return of quarterback Justin Herbert. The senior projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick, but decided to come back to college for his final season.

Herbert had future NFL first-round left tackle Penei Sewell protecting his blind side. The rest of the offensive line included all-Pac-12 and all-American selections Shane Lemieux, Jake Hansen, and Calvin Throckmorton. The o-line came into the game with the most career starts in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with 153. The Ducks wide receiving corps was led by juniors Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd. The running backs were C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye, who combined for over 2,000 rushing yards in 2018.

Defensively, the Ducks were led by senior linebacker Troy Dye, Travis’ brother. Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, the No. 2-overall rated recruit in the 2019 class, was Cristobal’s biggest get yet. Thomas Graham, Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir were multi-year starting cornerbacks and led one of the best secondaries in the Pac-12.

First Quarter

The game kicked off in prime time from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of more than 60,000 fans. the Ducks and Tigers went at it in Jerry’s World, however, plenty of interesting games in Week 1 had concluded. Willie Taggart’s Florida State Seminoles fell at home to Boise State. Tennessee lost a home opener to 25-point underdog Georgia State. Mike Norvell’s Memphis Tigers upset Ole Miss. Deeper in SEC country, Auburn’s chief rivals–Alabama and Georgia–rolled over Duke and Vanderbilt, respectively (but not respectfully).

Oregon received the opening kick and promptly went 74-yards in 11 plays to score the game’s first touchdown. Herbert’s 47-yard pass to Johnson got the Ducks down to the 3-yard line. Verdell punched it in from the 1-yard line on fourth down several plays later. Oregon led 7-0 with 10:13 left in the opening period. Auburn’s first drive of the game went three-and-out for a net of two yards. Arryn Siposs punted the ball 46-yards, but the Ducks’ Jevon Holland brought it back for a 29-yard return down to the Auburn 45-yard line.

With excellent field position and all of the momentum, the Ducks had an opportunity to put Auburn in a hole early on in the game. With eight and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, Herbert led Oregon to within striking distance. He found Redd and WR Bryan Addison for a combined 25-yards through the air. Travis Dye was busy on the short drive, with 3 carries for 15 yards. After Addison dropped a would-be touchdown pass on third-and-goal from inside the two-yard line, Oregon was forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal attempt. Camden Lewis’ kick sailed right as Auburn fans breathed a huge sigh of relief. With 4:42 remaining in the first quarter, the Ducks led 7-0.

Nix and the Tigers offense took over at their own 20-yard line, and immediately got things cooking. Nix hit Hastings for a 38-yard pass to get into Oregon territory. Operating with some tempo, Nix kept the ball on the read option to run for 19 more yards on the next play. After a short gain by Whitlow, Auburn had a second-and-nine from the Ducks’ 22-yard line. Nix overthrew Hastings in the end zone on second-down, and after facing pressure from the Ducks’ front, missed on a throw to Whitlow that would not have even gotten the Tigers back to the line of scrimmage. Auburn settled for an Anders Carlson 40-yard field goal. Oregon led 7-3 with 3:17 left in the first.

The Ducks brought more fireworks on their ensuing possession. Verdell gained 37-yards on first down. The play gained an extra 15-yards due to a facemask penalty on Auburn safety Daniel Thomas, pushing the ball inside the Auburn 25-yard line on a single play. After a short Dye run on the next play, Herbert found tight end Spencer Webb in the end zone for a 20-yard score. Webb outjumped Tigers defensive back Javaris Davis to come down with the ball and six points. The Ducks led 14-3 with time dwindling in the opening quarter.

Second Quarter

Auburn started their next drive with two minutes left in the first quarter. The first six plays of the drive got them into Oregon territory as the opening period expired. Whitlow was workhorse on this drive, with six carries for 23-yards, even spending some time in the Wildcat formation. Nix’s 28-yard pass to running back Harold Joiner on a wheel route got the Tigers down to the Ducks’ 12-yard line. Two plays later, disaster struck as Nix was intercepted by Ducks cornerback Thomas Graham, Jr. Auburn’s 11-play, 65-yd drive ended with no points. Oregon took over with 12 and a half minutes left before halftime.

The Tigers defense stepped up on the next drive, allowing the Ducks just one first down. Oregon’s Blake Maimone boomed a 52-yard punt to flip the field. Auburn was penalized for an illegal block in the back, wiping out a decent return by Christian Tutt. The Tigers took over at their own 13-yard line. After Nix found Cannella for 21-yards on second down, the Auburn drive stalled. On third-and-short from near midfield, Auburn was called for a false start. After a Nix miss to Williams on the sideline, Siposs was called in to punt it back to Oregon.

Siposs’ 49-yard boot was returned 81-yards by Holland. The Ducks were looking to go up by three scores halfway through the second quarter. On Oregon’s first play, Herbert mishandled the read option, and fumbled the ball five yards behind the line of scrimmage. Auburn’s 250-pound defensive end Big Kat Bryant scooped up the loose ball and ran 83-yards in the other direction. If not for Ducks WR Addison, the Tigers would have scored a huge defensive touchdown and gotten right back into this game. Addison’s hustle proved vital, as Auburn was held to a field goal after three failed attempts at reaching the end zone. The Ducks led 14-6 with 4:41 to go before halftime.

The remainder of the half saw two three-and-outs for the Ducks to go along with a huge punt return for Auburn. Tutt took Maimone’s 53-yard punt 41-yard back across midfield. After an unnecessary roughness call on Maimone–the punter–Auburn took over at the Oregon 26-yard line. Once again, however, Auburn failed to capitalize on the incredible field position. Carlson’s 42-yard attempt missed wide to the right. On Auburn’s earlier possession, Nix was intercepted for the second time of the night, this time by Holland. The score remained 14-6 in favor of Oregon at the break.

Third Quarter

Each team had an impressive touchdown drive in the third quarter. Each of their other drives ended quickly with punts. Oregon’s scoring drive came first. Herbert and company marched 53-yard in nine plays, aided by a 21-yard punt return by Holland. Herbert found Johnson for gains of 20- and 13-yards. Webb and his fellow TE Jacob Breeland each nabbed a reception. Sophomore running back Darrian Felix scored from six yards out to push the Ducks’ lead to 21-6 with 9:23 left in the third quarter.

Auburn’s scoring drive came later in the quarter, courtesy of WR Eli Stove. After two Whitlow runs to begin the drive, the Tigers had a first down at the Oregon 47-yard line. Stove went in motion and took the handoff from Nix on the jet sweep 36-yards to the Ducks’ 11-yard line. On the next play, Auburn caught Oregon napping and Stove was wide open at the snap. Nix fired a bullet at Stove, who shook the Ducks’ defender and found the end zone. Auburn now trailed 21-13 with 4:20 remaining in the third period.

Fourth Quarter

The final quarter began with more punts. Auburn took over with 12:35 to play in the game from their own 31-yard line. A 21-yard connection from Nix to Cannella on second down got things going. Whitlow broke off a 31-yard run to get inside the Oregon 20-yard line. Later in the drive, Whitlow converted a third down on the direct snap to get down to the 1-yard line. Backup QB Joey Gatewood took the snap from shotgun and dove head first from the three-yard line to score a touchdown. After Carlson’s extra point, the Tigers made it a 21-20 ball game with under ten minutes to play in the game.

Oregon went 33-yards in eight plays on their next drive. The Ducks drained over four minutes of clock but gave the ball back to Auburn after failing to convert a fourth-and-one at the Auburn 41-yard line. Herbert connected with Redd three times for 26 yards to get the Ducks near midfield. On an ensuing third-and-five, Herbert found Breeland on a five-yard gain that was inches short of the line to gain. Herbert was hit hard on the play by a Tiger defender and had to sit out a play. On fourth-and-one, Verdell was stuffed and Auburn took over with 5:30 to play in the game.

Auburn promptly went three-and-out after Nix overthrew Williams on third-and-long. The Ducks took over deep in their own end with four and a half minutes remaining. After gaining ten yards on the first two plays of their penultimate drive, Herbert took a huge sack from Big Kat Bryant and DT Tyrone Truesdell to set up a third-and-14 with 2:21 to play. Herbert’s pass to Dye on third down was well short of the first down marker and the Ducks punted it away. After Maimone’s worst punt of the night, Nix and Auburn took over at their own 40-yard line with 2:14 to go in regulation.

The true freshman quarterback led the drive that would set the foundation for his career. After finding Williams for a gain of five, and rushing for two, Nix underthrew Cannella on a comeback route near the Oregon sideline. On fourth-and-three, with 1:28 remaining, Nix took the snap from under center. Rolling to his right and looking to throw, Nix saw a narrow opening in the defense and decided to lay it all on the line. Nix dove headfirst to move the chains and give Auburn another chance. Two plays later, Nix found 267-pound fullback Spencer Nigh for 9-yards to the Oregon 41-yard line.

After Whitlow converted the third-and-short to the Ducks’ 39-yard line, Nix spiked the ball with 25 seconds left in the game. The next play was a miss to Williams on a back shoulder throw. On third-and-ten, Nix connected with Williams for a gain of 13-yards. On first-down, with 16 seconds left, Nix found Williams for a 26-yard touchdown strike that would prove to be the game winner. Malzahn and the Tigers had no intertest in this game coming down to a kick. Auburn prevailed 27-21 in Week 1’s most exciting game.

Aftermath

Oregon won nine in a row after dropping the opener to the Tigers. Despite a three-point road loss to Arizona State, the Ducks made the Pac-12 title game. Oregon took down the No. 5 Utah Utes and played in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. Cristobal went 12-2 and finished fifth in the nation in year two in Eugene. Cristobal stayed at Oregon two more seasons, going 14-4. He left to take the head coach position at Miami–his alma mater–in 2022. Herbert was the sixth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chargers. He has played six NFL seasons, and has been QB1 since Week 2 of his rookie season.

Nix stayed at Auburn for another two seasons, leaving one year after Malzahn was fired. After being benched by new Tigers head coach Bryan Harsin, Nix transferred to Oregon at the conclusion of the 2021 season. He made an immediate impact, leading Oregon to a 10-3 record in his first season in Eugene. He accounted for 44 touchdowns that season. The next year, Nix was a Heisman finalist and led the Ducks to a 12-2 record and a berth in the Pac-12 championship game. Nix was taken as the 12th-overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos.

Oregon hired Dan Lanning after Cristobal left, and have been among college football’s most consistent programs ever since. Meanwhile, on the Plains in Auburn, the Tigers have dug themselves into a pit of misery and despair. The first mistake was firing Malzahn after the 2020 season, one in which the Tigers went 6-4. Auburn’s next two coaching hires, the aforementioned Harsin, and former Ole Miss and Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze, ended in disaster. Harsin and Freeze combined to go 24-31 and cost Auburn over $30 million in buyout money. If you factor in the nearly $22 million that they paid Malzahn to leave, the Tigers have paid close to $1.9 million–just in buyouts–per football victory since 2021.