It’s a day on the plains.
After spring football was put on ice last year due to the pandemic, Auburn returned to Jordan Hare Stadium today for its 2021 A-day spring game – the first of the Bryan Harsin era for the Tigers.
Team Auburn (the first team attack / defense) unleashed a 17-3 victory over Team Tigers (second team attack / defense). Quarterback Bo Nix completed 12-of-20 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 29 yards. Tank Bigsby had 64 yards and a touchdown on seven runs, including a 46-yard touchdown in the second quarter, while wide receiver Elijah Canion had six receptions for 51 yards and a score.
Bigsby took home attacking MVP honors, while Trey Elston (six tackles, one breakthrough) was the defensive MVP and Anders Carlson (2-for-2 on field goals) was the special teams MVP.
Below is a quarter-by-quarter overview of the action Saturday at Jordan Hare Stadium. Check out al.com/auburnfootball for more coverage of the day’s events.
END: Auburn 17, Tigers 3
– Chayil Garnett is now in QB with the second team unit.
– Trey Lindsey goes deep to the end one on fourth-and-1. Eric Reed Jr. breaks it up and almost comes down with the choice. This one is almost over.
– Trey Lindsey is now in the quarterfinals for Auburn, so it looks like Bo Nix’s day is over. He finishes the 12-of-20 pace for 112 yards and a touchdown.
– Chandler Wooten thwarts the second-team offense with a pass break on the fourth. Wooten almost had the interception.
– Dematrius Davis goes under the center and then beats Malcolm Johnson Jr. for a pace of 42 meters. Nice over-the-shoulder grip from Johnson in cover.
END THIRD: Auburn 17, Tigers 3
– Brodarious Hamm is back in the right tackle with the attack on the first team.
First-year Dematrius Davis is now in the quarterfinals with the second-team attack. Davis shows he has a bit of a move after his game.
Elijah Canion grabbed a dive with a short pass, but he limped up to the play.
Offense of the first team turns a fourth-and-1 into a Tank Bigsby carry around the chains move.
Brenden Coffey is in the right tackle with the first team offense to open the second half. The rest of the offensive line remains the same.
HALF TIME: Auburn 17, Tigers 3
Above Nix was 10-out-13 for 89 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Tank Bigsby had three runs for 55 yards and a touchdown, but he also committed the only turnover of the match today.
Auburn’s first team offense had four possessions in the first half. The first ended in a whisper, but the next three all yielded points. The attack on the first team was 226 meters and averaged 7.3 meters per game. The attack on the second team had only 37 yards and 1.9 yards per game, while going up against the defense of the first team. It should come as no surprise that the defense of the first team (and the defense in general) is at the stage before the attack.
– Auburn 17, Tigers 3: Otherwise Carlson drills a 34-yard field goal for the attack on the second team to end the half.
– Auburn 17, Tigers 0: Bo Nix completed a four-yard pass across the middle to Elijah Canion for a touchdown. Strong driving force for Nix, who completed 5-out-7 passes for 47 yards and completed a score. It also picked up 23 meters on three loads.
Above Nix with a scramble that is initially a touch, but it is recalled and he is inside the 5-yard line. Auburn then tried a bit of trickery, with a handover to Tank Bigsby, who then handed it over to Kobe Hudson, who tried to throw it back to Nix. The pass falls incompletely.
– Above Nix with a good scramble to move the chains. Then he goes deep to Malcolm Johnson Jr., but Trey Elston breaks it up to save a touch.
– Attacks from the second team switch off for the first time after a pass from Grant Loy to Caylin Newton. Offense then fell, and Aidan Marshall hit a penalty kick again.
– Auburn 10, Tigers 0: Tank Bigsby is here. The second consecutive time put off a 46-yard run with 5:31 left in the first half.
– After the attack on the second team, Bo Nix first goes deep. Kobe Hudson, however, was held by Marco Domio.
Shaun Shivers also housed a kick-off for a touchdown, but the points were taken off the board. Kicks off today apparently only for representatives.
– Auburn 3, Tigers 0: Otherwise Carlson opens the second quarter with a field goal of 28 meters.
END END: Auburn 0, Tigers 0
– First quarter ends with Bo Nix slipping into the backfield for a loss after scrambling to buy time. This is fourth and fifth from the 11-yard line for the attack on the first team.
– Shaun Shivers is now starting the attack on the first team. He gets 12 yards with his first carry, to midfield. He gets three rows in a row, which is a total of 31 meters.
– The second-team offense goes three-and-out. Aidan Marshall is now on point with Ja’Varrius Johnson deep.
The attack of the first team’s attack ends in a turnover after Tank Bigsby took the ball to the catch near the sideline.
The starting line-up of the first team today, from left to right, is Austin Troxell, Tashawn Manning, Nick Brahms, Keiondre Jones and Brodarious Hamm.
– The first game of the first team’s opening run is a 15-meter finish from Bo Nix to Tyler Fromm. Yes, Auburn sat at the end.
The offense of the second team, led by Grant Loy, is three-and-out in his first possession after a bag by Derick Hall. Ja’Varrius Johnson is deep in the point of receiving the point from Oscar Chapman.
– Tank Bigsby puts the starting head off, bounces it and then sends it back completely. But there are no points on the board.
PREDICTION
The following players were not in uniform for exciting matches: attacking linebacker Brandon Council (shoulder), wide receiver JJ Evans, defensive tackle Jeremiah Wright (knee), linebacker Cam Riley and defensive lineman Daniel Foster-Allen.
Four players were in the yellow non-contact jerseys during the foreplay: wide receiver Shedrick Jackson, linebacker Desmond Tisdol, safety Ahmari Harvey and defensive back Zion Puckett.
During the warm-up during the match, Kobe Hudson, Ja’Varrius Johnson, Devin Guice, Roger McCreary and Ladarius Tennison worked on the points ladder. Tank Bigsby and Shaun Shivers both worked on returns, as did McCreary and Tennison.
AL.com will update this post.
Tom Green is an Auburn reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.