No. 21 Auburn runs over No. 17 Arkansas, 56-3

From the first snap, Auburn's running game couldn't be stopped.

The result was an unexpected rout that made the Tigers look like SEC contenders and left Arkansas coach Bret Bielema searching for answers.

Eli Stove broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run on Auburn's first play, giving the No. 21 Tigers momentum they never lost in a dominant 56-3 victory over No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday night.

Even with starting running back Kerryon Johnson held out with an ankle injury, Auburn ran for 543 yards, a school record for a Southeastern Conference regular-season game. With former Auburn star Bo Jackson watching, Kamryn Pettway had 192 yards rushing with two touchdowns.

"We played a complete game," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said.

The Arkansas defense was overmatched, even against Auburn's backups. Freshman Kam Martin had a 51-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter.

Auburn (5-2, 3-1) has won four straight.

"It seemed like every play we were calling was just working," said Auburn quarterback Sean White, who ran for 61 yards, including a 41-yarder. "... Everybody was contributing. It was just a fun day."

Auburn's fun produced shock and embarrassment for Arkansas.

"I am just at a loss for words at what happened," said Razorbacks receiver Keon Hatcher. "I don't know what to tell you. We had a great week of practice. Everyone seemed prepared."

The Tigers held Arkansas (5-3, 1-3) to 215 total yards, including 25 yards rushing. Rawleigh Williams ran for only 22 yards one week after he set a career high with 180 yards in a 34-30 win over No. 23 Mississippi.

Bielema said he and his staff "have got to take a really serious look at some of the things we're doing, how we are making guys play and what we are asking them to do. ... Tomorrow's gonna be a long day, and it won't be one that will be a lot of fun but it's got to happen."

Auburn provided strong evidence it can avoid a repeat of last season's disappointing finish that included a four-overtime loss to Arkansas.

Stanton Truitt had scoring runs of 20 and 31 yards and added a 45-yard touchdown catch.

Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen was helped off the field with an apparent right knee injury in the second quarter. He returned with a black sleeve on his knee on the next possession.

Bielema said Allen was pulled late in the game after "it started swelling up on him and getting a little tight."

Adam McFain kicked a 54-yard field goal for Arkansas, the longest of his career, to close the first half.

Johnson joined pregame warmups but "wasn't 100 percent," according to Malzahn, after hurting his right ankle against Mississippi State on Oct. 8.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The impressive win could send the Tigers close to the top 15. The Razorbacks could take a sharp fall in the next Top 25 poll.

UNBROKEN CIRCLE

There was confusion on the field before the game when it appeared Arkansas players didn't want to move away from the midfield AU logo so Auburn players could make a circle for their prayer.

"We've never had that happen before in our prayer circle," Malzahn said, adding he didn't think it gave his players added incentive. "We were already plenty motivated."

THE TAKEAWAY

Arkansas: The Razorbacks showed the effects of their eighth straight game, including third in a row against a ranked opponent, without an off week. It was added embarrassment for Bielema that the Razorbacks were even overwhelmed by Auburn's backups.

Auburn: The Tigers made a case to be Alabama's top competition in the SEC West. The strong defensive performance is especially encouraging to Auburn's hopes of recovering from early season losses to Clemson and Texas A&M.

UP NEXT

Arkansas: The Razorbacks finally have a week off before their fourth straight game against a Top 25 team when they play No. 15 Florida on Nov. 5.

Auburn: The Tigers will visit No. 23 Mississippi on Saturday in another important SEC West game.

Pettway, Auburn beat Mississippi State 38-14

Auburn's Kamryn Pettway has big, broad shoulders and a knack for finding room to run.

So when the 6-foot, 240-pound sophomore had some early success against Mississippi State, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn made sure he got the ball again and again and again.

The end result was a career day for Pettway and an easy 38-14 victory for the Tigers over Mississippi State on Saturday. Pettway finished with career highs in rushing yards (169), touchdowns (3) and carries (39).

Auburn quarterback Sean White threw for 204 yards and a touchdown, but the most effective thing he did all day was simply turn and had the ball to Pettway, who ran over, around and through an overmatched Mississippi State defense.

"He's a beast of a running back," White said. "He's just a tough runner. He'll get the tough yards. It might not always be pretty, but he's a really good asset for us to have."

Pettway thrived despite the heavy workload, running for 125 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Auburn built a 35-0 lead.

His role increased after starting running back Kerryon Johnson suffered a right ankle injury in the first quarter and didn't return. Malzahn said he hoped Johnson's injury wasn't serious.

Auburn (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) has won three straight and now gets two weeks to rest before facing Arkansas on Oct. 22.

"We really like the momentum we have," Malzahn said. "We've talked about getting better each week and we've done that. We're in a good spot."

Mississippi State (2-3, 1-2) actually had a little momentum in the game's opening minutes when Kivon Comanintercepted a deflected pass to give the Bulldogs' great field position at the Auburn 19. But five plays later,Westin Graves missed a 28-yard field goal.

It only got worse for Mississippi State.

Auburn scored touchdowns on five of its next seven drives to take control of the game. By late in the second quarter, boos could be heard from the home crowd as Mississippi State's struggling offense took the field.

Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald threw for 181 yards and two touchdowns, but almost all that damage came in the second half when Auburn already had control of the game.

"I wish there was one thing I could point my finger to and say that was it," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "But there's not. It was a lot of things."

Fitzgerald also led Mississippi State with 61 yards rushing. Mississippi State faces a quick turnaround - the Bulldogs have to play at BYU on Friday.

"Losing is never fun and that kind of loss is pretty depressing I guess," Fitzgerald said. "But have your pity party now and tomorrow get back to work."

THE TAKEAWAY

Auburn: The Tigers showed they might be a factor in the SEC Western Division race after an impressive win. Even after Johnson's injury early in the game, Pettway was able to anchor the running game. White might not be flashy at quarterback, but he's consistent and makes good decisions.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs' streak of making the postseason in six straight seasons appears to be in serious jeopardy. The offense doesn't have many playmakers and the defense was overwhelmed by Auburn's power running game.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Auburn: The Tigers received 46 votes in last week's rankings and could jump into the top 25 after an impressive road SEC win.

UP NEXT

Auburn: The Tigers get a week off to rest before a home game against Arkansas on Oct. 22.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel to face BYU in a non-conference game on Friday.

Auburn steamrolls Louisiana-Monroe, 58-7

Sean White threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns, Kerryon Johnson rushed for 146 yards and a pair of scores, and Auburn steamrolled Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday 58-7.

Auburn (3-2) kept the momentum from last week's win over LSU going, as the Tigers scored touchdowns on eight of their 11 drives against the overmatched Warhawks (1-3). Auburn raced out to an early 28-0 lead behind White's 3-yard rushing touchdown, his 48-yard pass to freshman Kyle Davis, and Johnson's two short-yardage runs. Louisiana-Monroe got on the board with a 2-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half, but didn't score again.

White finished 14-of-17 in two-and-a-half quarters of action with a quarterback rating of 239.3 before giving way to backup John Franklin III midway through the third quarter. Franklin scored on his second play, an 80-yard dash up the middle, to extend Auburn's lead to 49-7.

The Tigers outgained Louisiana-Monroe 688-251. Auburn racked up 309 yards in the third quarter alone, the same amount it gained in the entire first half.

THE TAKEAWAY

AUBURN: The red zone issues that plagued Auburn against LSU were nonexistent. The Tigers scored touchdowns on four out of the five trips inside the 20, and the only trip they didn't score on came from the backups with less than a minute remaining.

LOUISIANA-MONROE: The Warhawks drop their third consecutive game, but will get a chance to right itself against Idaho on a more level playing field.

UP NEXT

AUBURN: Travels to Starkville to play Mississippi State next Saturday.

LOUISIANA-MONROE: Returns home to host Idaho next Saturday.

Carlson's 6 field goals lift Auburn past No. 18 LSU 18-13

 Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals and Auburn beat No. 18 LSU 18-13 on Saturday night after officials ruled Danny Etling's apparent last-gasp scoring pass came after time expired.

Etling rolled to his right and found D.J. Shark in the back of the end zone on a 15-yard pass, setting off a celebration by LSU players. Officials ruled time expired before Etling took the snap.

"I don't know if I've ever come as close to winning a game and finishing second as today," LSU coach Les Miles said.

The celebration shifted to the Auburn sideline when officials announced the decisive ruling.

It was an important win for Auburn (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) and coach Gus Malzahn, who faced increased criticism following losses to Top 25 opponents Clemson and Texas A&M.

An illegal shift penalty against LSU (2-2, 1-1) left the Tigers with a fourth-down play from the 15. There was only 1 second on the clock before officials huddled, and Miles said officials put 3 seconds on the clock, setting up the final-play drama.

Malzahn said he knew the clock expired before the snap.

"I was pretty confident time had expired," Malzahn said. "It was just a matter of going to the booth and confirming it."

Malzahn gave play-calling responsibility to offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and also sported a new look, shedding his visor for a white Auburn baseball cap - thanks to fashion advice from his concerned daughters.

"My daughters said something about me wearing a visor and I need to put on a hat because I'm getting bald," he said. "I saw a replay and it looked pretty bad so that's the reason I'm going to wear a hat."

Carlson kicked a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give Auburn a 15-13 lead. He added to the lead with a 29-yarder with less than 3 minutes remaining before LSU began its desperate, final drive.

Carlson is 12 for 12 on field goals this season.

LSU star running back Leonard Fournette had 16 carries for 101 yards.

Auburn linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.

There was no flag after Williams' helmet-to-helmet hit knocked quarterback Danny Etling out of the game for a play. The hit sent Etling's helmet to the ground and left him with a cut.

A review by the officials determined Williams led with the crown of his helmet on the hit.

THE TAKEAWAY

LSU: The LSU offense must improve if the Tigers are to realize their preseason expectations. LSU was held to 338 yards, including 118 yards passing by Etling.

Auburn: Defense continues to be Auburn's strength, but struggles by the offense drew sporadic boos from impatient fans throughout the game. Improvements will be needed; it will be difficult to pull off more SEC wins without reaching the end zone.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the loss to unranked Auburn, LSU could fall out of the Top 25 with its second loss in four games. The Tigers were No. 5 when they lost to Wisconsin in their opener.

UP NEXT

LSU: The Tigers will face another SEC Western Division rival when they play Missouri in a home game next Saturday night. It will be only the second meeting between the teams and the first as SEC rivals. In the only other meeting, Missouri won 20-15 in the 1978 Liberty Bowl.

Auburn: Auburn will take a break from its SEC schedule when it tries for its 10th straight win over Louisiana-Monroe. It will be the last of five straight home games for the Tigers.

Trevor Knight, No. 17 Texas A&M overpower Auburn, 29-16

 Trevor Knight and No. 17 Texas A&M won the matchup of teams trying to defy modest expectations, and the Aggies did it mostly three points at a time.

Knight passed for 247 yards and Daniel LaCamera kicked five field goals to lead No. 17 Texas A&M to a 29-16 victory over Auburn Saturday night and get off to a good start in the competitive Southeastern Conference's Western Division.

"It was a question mark game for our team since we came into the season not being picked very high," Knight said. "There were all kinds of questions about who we were going to be and what our identity would be. We came on the road to a team that I think has one of the better defenses in the country.

"We played very well, and it was a big win for us."

Knight also ran for 42 yards and several first downs for the Aggies (3-0, 1-0 SEC), who are off to another fast start. Myles Garrett had two sacks and Texas A&M's defense harassed quarterback Sean White enough to minimize big-play chances for Auburn (1-2, 0-1).

Texas A&M kept its hopes of a higher division finish firmly intact with a 478-yard offensive performance. FreshmanTrayveon Williams weaved through Auburn defenders for an icing-on-the-cake 89-yard touchdown run with 6:52 left and gained 127 yards on eight carries.

The Aggies are 3-0 for the third straight year, a run they haven't had since 1939-41.

Knight kept the Aggies moving even if though they struggled to find the end zone. He completed 20 of 40 passes but led one 92-yard drive in the first half and another march for three points in the fourth quarter.

Auburn couldn't cash in on defensive stops with any points in the third quarter.

"I really thought the third quarter was probably the key to the game," Tigers coach Gus Malzahn said. "It was a dogfight, and then in the third quarter I thought our defense played very good, gave the offense a lot of opportunities, and the offense just couldn't seize the moment."

Auburn drove deep into Texas A&M territory with runs by speedy backup quarterback John Franklin III and hard running Kamryn Pettway. Then Daeshon Hall stuffed Franklin behind the line on fourth down from the 12. Williams put it away with his sprint to the end zone, though Franklin did lead an Auburn scoring drive in the final minutes.

"I wasn't happy with how we finished the game," Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said. "To really kind of let down on defense and give up the score and then not close out things the way we needed to in the final 5-6-7 minutes. We've got to improve there."

Knight gave Texas A&M a 16-7 first-half lead with the long second-quarter drive. He completed all four attempts for 86 yards, including a dead-on 51-yard strike to Josh Reynolds. That set up Reynold's 5-yard touchdown catch.

LaCamera had kicks of 46, 35, 31, 37 and 26 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas A&M: The Aggies sputtered at times offensively - mostly in the red zone, but also going three-and-out on their first three drives after halftime. Converting 2 of 15 third-down attempts won't always get the job done. The defense produced four sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

Auburn: The Tigers are still plagued by inconsistent offense and are just 2-10 over the last 12 SEC games. Sean Whitehit some third-down passes but nothing downfield and was 18-of-27 passing for 126 yards. The Tigers did rush for 236 yards after piling up 462 against Arkansas State .

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Aggies could make some headway in the rankings with the win and face tougher games ahead.

UP NEXT

Texas A&M faces No. 24 Arkansas in Arlington, Texas after winning in an overtime thriller last season.

Auburn hosts SEC West rival LSU, which won the last meeting 45-21.

Auburn jumps on Arkansas State early, dominates 51-14

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn's puzzling quarterback rotation against Clemson didn't work out at all like he had hoped. The offense sputtered and gave away chance after chance to topple one of the best teams in the nation.

For the Tigers' second game against Arkansas State, that plan was scrapped. Malzahn gave Sean White the reins, and White - along with the rest of the Auburn offense - took advantage.

He threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing, and the Tigers picked up 462 yards on the ground en route to a 51-14 demolition of Arkansas State on Saturday night.

The 706 total yards Auburn gained is the second-highest in school history, behind only the 712 the Tigers racked up against Western Carolina in 2013.

"We came out and we looked like an Auburn offense for the first time," Malzahn said. "Just looking at it, without looking at the film, I can tell they definitely improved."

Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway each tallied over 100 yards on the ground, the first time two Auburn players have eclipsed the century mark in a game since 2014.

Johnson added a pair of touchdowns, the first of which was a dazzling, cross-field, electrifying run that included a hurdle over an Arkansas State defender and a dive across the pylon.

"KJ, he's got some unique abilities," Malzahn said. "He can do some things that can kind of wow you at times, and of course, that was really impressive. There were some good blocks, too, but he really made something out of nothing on that one."

That was one of a handful plays that elicited flashbacks to the explosive Auburn offense of 2013 and 2014. The most impressive one, however, came from a freshman.

Receiver Kyle Davis hauled in a falling, one-handed catch that bore a striking resemblance to New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham's similar catch, one that has become iconic.

Arkansas State managed to scrape across a pair of touchdowns to go with the Red Wolves' 326 total yards, but they couldn't find much room to maneuver against a vastly improved Auburn defense.

"We felt like if we could hang close, stay close, keep it a game, that potentially third or fourth quarter some of our quickness out in space might give us a chance to be in the mix," said Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson. "You had to make it a 60-minute game and the second quarter just got away from us, and at that point it just not the same conversation anymore."

The Tigers tacked on points in 10 of their 12 drives, and at one point scored a touchdown on five consecutive possessions. One of those touchdowns came on a fake field goal, which holder Tyler Stovall and kicker Daniel Carlsonexecuted to perfection.

THE TAKEAWAY

Auburn rights the ship and quiets steadily rising concerns about the Tigers' offensive woes and, perhaps more importantly, Malzahn's job security.

Arkansas State's troubles in the secondary - and the defense as a whole - continue to plague the Red Wolves, who have now been outscored 82-24 in their first two games this season.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

With the way SEC teams have been struggling against inferior opponents, a wire-to-wire victory for Auburn might be enough to bump them into the Top 25.

QUOTABLE

"It was good to go out there and ball out with my teammates," said Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson. "I'm glad we got a team win today. We need to keep improving, but I'm so happy we got a win for Auburn today."

UP NEXT

Auburn hosts No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Arkansas State travels to Utah State on Friday.

No. 2 Clemson, Watson survive 19-13 scare against Auburn

Clemson's Dabo Swinney kept his kicker on the sideline and put the game in star quarterback Deshaun Watson's hands.

The decision worked in the second-ranked Tigers' 19-13 win over Auburn on Saturday night, but not without a few more anxious moments in an opener filled with them.

Swinney opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the 17 instead of kicking a field goal, and Wayne Gallman was stopped short by Tray Matthews - a failed call that could have backfired.

"We just didn't want to take a shot at the field goal right there," he said. "We felt like as good as we had played defensively, with them having no timeouts, it was going to be very difficult for them to go score."

Greg Huegel's extra-point attempt earlier in the quarter had hit the upright. Gallman had been knocked out of bounds on the previous play, stopping the clock to help leave Auburn more time.

"Unbelievable," Swinney said. "And now we're fighting for our life there at the end."

Watson passed for 248 yards, including 174 to Mike Williams in his return from a neck injury in last season's opener. Gallman carried 30 times for 123 yards.

Clemson dominated the stat sheet in the first half - with a 233-38 advantage in total yards - but led only 10-3 and both scores came after defensive penalties on third-down plays.

"That is one of the best teams in college football," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Holding those guys to 19 points was really unbelievable as far as the effort."

Clemson struggled to put the opener away even though Auburn produced little offense for much of the game while swapping three quarterbacks in and out. Finally, Watson hit former walk-on receiver Hunter Renfrow in the back of the end zone on third and goal from the 16 with 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.

That was a lifetime in this game.

Ben Boulware's subsequent goal line interception only provided a temporary reprieve for a team that made the national championship game last season and is among the favorites to win it this time. Auburn finally got a touchdown with 3:22 left on a 9-yard direct snap run by Kerryon Johnson, and Clemson's failed fourth-down try deep in Auburn territory set up another shot with 40 seconds and 85 yards to go.

Sean White drove the offense to the Clemson 40, but two desperation heaves into the end zone fell incomplete, with the second getting batted around.

THE TAKEAWAY

CLEMSON: If Watson didn't exactly pick right up from his 478-yard bonanza in the national championship game against Alabama, he was still good enough. And Williams provides Clemson's offense with yet another threat.

AUBURN: Auburn's offensive problems continued from last season, with three quarterbacks attempting passes on the first six plays. The defense made some big stops and held Clemson to 6 of 17 on third downs. Daniel Carlson's 53-yard field goal was the Auburn-record sixth of 50-plus yards.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Barring a dominant win by No. 4 Florida State over No. 11 Mississippi on Monday night, Clemson seems likely to stay put right behind Alabama. No. 3 Oklahoma was upset by 15th-ranked Houston earlier in the day. The close score does make it a question mark, though.

QUOTABLE

Watson: "We knew they were going to be good. We knew we weren't going to come in here and blow these guys out."

UP NEXT

Auburn: hosts Arkansas State, where Malzahn was head coach in 2012, on Saturday.

Clemson: like Auburn, hosts a Sun Belt Conference team on Saturday when Troy visits.