The 17th-ranked Auburn Tigers rallied back from a 13-point deficit to defeat the 12th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks 35-27 Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Senior defensive back Demond Washington intercepted a pass in the end zone with 33 seconds left to secure the win for the Tigers. Washington dove for and caught the ball after Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia’s pass caromed off wide receiver Alshon Jeffery’s hands.
The Tigers took the lead for good with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter when Auburn junior quarterback Cameron Newton faked a handoff and lobbed a 7-yard pass to the left corner of the end zone, where wide-open Auburn sophomore tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen made a leaping catch for the go-ahead score.
Lutzenkirchen’s first touchdown catch of the season gave Auburn a 28-27 lead.
“I knew my time was coming,” Lutzenkirchen said. “I just had to be patient.”
Newton added a 12-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Emory Blake near the six-minute mark, extending the Tigers’ lead to 35-27. Blake caught Newton’s pass in the flat, broke through a host of Gamecocks tacklers and barreled over the goal line for the score.
Newton finished the game rushing 25 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while hitting 16 of 21 passes for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lutzenkirchen registered 3 catches for 22 yards and one touchdown and Blake had 3 for 33 and one touchdown.
True freshman running back Michael Dyer finished the game with 100 yards on 23 carries, while sophomore running back Onterio McCalebb added 55 yards on 7 carries. The 23 carries for Dyer were the most for him in a game this season.
“Surprisingly for a freshman, Mike has filled his shoes and then some,” Newton said.
Auburn racked up 29 first downs and 792 yards of total offense on 78 plays, rushing 57 times for 334 yards and passing for 158 on Newton’s 16 completions. The 334 yards on the ground by the Tigers were the most allowed so far this season by South Carolina’s defense, which entered the game ranked first in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing opponents only 59.7 yards per game.
The Auburn defense held South Carolina’s rushing attack to 79 yards on 28 carries. The Gamecocks’ true freshman running back, Marcus Lattimore, ran for just 33 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, well below his 111 yards per game average.
Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said stopping South Carolina’s running game was key because it forced South Carolina to pass, which helped Auburn create turnovers.
Netwon and Dyer credited the offensive line for stepping up to the challenge and playing more physically.
“We got a lot of guys that are relentless on this team,” Newton said, adding that he felt blessed to play with teammates that would not give up regardless of the situation.
Newton put Auburn on the scoreboard early in the first quarter. On first and 10 from the Auburn 46-yard line, Newton shed one South Carolina tackler, raced down the sideline and dove into the end zone from the 5-yard line for the touchdown. Newton’s 54-yard run and senior placekicker Wes Byrum’s extra point gave Auburn a 7-0 lead with 8:50 left in the first quarter.
South Carolina responded as QB Stephen Garcia hit Jeffery for a 30-yard touchdown pass, evening the score at 7-7.
The Gamecocks added two more touchdowns before the half, a one-yard Marcus Lattimore touchdown run with a minute left in the first quarter and a 6-yard pass from Garcia to Jeffery midway through the second quarter, which gave the Gamecocks a 20-7 lead.
A 3-yard touchdown run by Newton with 46 seconds left in the second quarter made the score 20-14 going into the half. The 12-play 76-yard drive took 5:30 minutes off the clock, making it Auburn’s longest drive of the season.
Midway through the third quarter, the Tigers regained the lead, 21-20, on Newton’s 4-yard touchdown run, which capped an 11-play 80-yard drive.
Garcia added a 3-yard touchdown pass on the following drive, giving them a 27-21 lead.
Garcia completed 15 of 21 passes for 235 yard and 3 touchdowns. The Gamecocks had 384 yards of total offense on 57 plays.
Next weekend, Auburn hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU. South Carolina has a bye-week.