AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn football welcomed the 15th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies to Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday for a senior night SEC showdown. A back-and-forth game eventually saw the Tigers emerge victorious in the fourth overtime, securing an incredible 43-41 victory.
The first 20 minutes of the game were all Auburn. The Tigers drove methodically down the field on the first drive of the game, capping the 10-play trip with a two-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Jarquez Hunter. The second drive was much quicker, as Payton Thorne uncorked a 63-yard pass to freshman wideout Cam Coleman on just the second play of the drive.
The third Auburn drive started courtesy of an interception thrown by A&M quarterback Marcel Reed right to senior safety Jerrin Thompson. The Tigers then went 88 yards on just six plays, capping the drive with Cam Coleman’s second touchdown of the day from 15 yards out. Still in the first three minutes of the second quarter, Auburn held a 21-0 lead and appeared to be dominating the game.
However, the Aggies did not go quietly. Following Auburn’s third score, Texas A&M mounted a 15-play, 77-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown rush by wideout Terry Bussey. The next scoring would come after the halftime break in a third quarter that was completely owned by the team from Texas.
Texas A&M opened the second half with a 10-play, 76-yard drive capped off by a 14 yard touchdown pass from Marcel Reed to wideout Noah Thomas. Auburn then went three-and-out, quickly giving the ball back to the Aggies. They instantly capitalized, Reed finding Thomas again for a one-play 73-yard touchdown to tie the score at 21.
Auburn responded though, as senior wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in an incredible catch on the sideline to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jarquez Hunter.
From that point, the Aggies seemed to remember their fading playoff hopes and turned up the heat. They quickly responded with a 32-yard field goal by Randy Bond and then a touchdown drive capped by an 8-yard rush by running back Amari Daniels.
After the Daniels touchdown, just four minutes remained on the clock, and the Jordan-Hare crowd could feel that familiar feeling of the game slipping away despite only trailing 31-28. Both teams quickly went three-and-out, and the Tigers got the ball back with just 2:33 left to play. It was just enough time for Auburn though, and new kicker Ian Vachon drilled a 29-yard field goal to tie the game at 31 and send it to overtime.
Texas A&M took the ball first in overtime and quickly found the end zone, Marcel Reed completing a 12-yard touchdown pass to wideout Jahdae Walker. Auburn responded in kind, Jarquez Hunter punching it in from two yards out to tie the game at 38.
Double overtime tested each team’s kicker, both having to drill from 40 yards or more. Ian Vachon was up first after two controversial decisions from the officials set the Auburn offense back behind the chains. Vachon made from 41 yards out and then handed the ball over to the Aggies. The Auburn defense forced a three-and-out, and A&M kicker Randy Bond’s 42 yard field goal was good to send the game to triple overtime.
Starting at the third overtime, both teams are required to attempt successive two-point conversion tries, and A&M was up first. Marcel Reed tried to connect with Tre Watson, but the pass fell incomplete. Moments later, the same happened to Payton Thorne and Cam Coleman, and off to quadruple overtime both teams went.
Auburn took first possession, and Payton Thorne found KeAndre Lambert-Smith. On senior night, the senior wideout made an incredible juggling catch to give the Tigers a 43-41 lead. Jordan-Hare erupted, but the Auburn defense still needed to hold. And hold they did. Marcel Reed tried to find Amari Daniels in the end zone, but the ball glanced off of Daniels’s hands and fell to the ground. Game over. Auburn secured a 43-41 win, its first ranked win under Hugh Freeze.
The win felt like a breath of fresh air into a program that had lost so many close games over and over, seemingly unable to finish. The Auburn student section stormed the field, overjoyed to finally have something to celebrate after four seasons of heartbreak and even hopelessness. The relief and joy was palpable: from the fans, to the players, even to Head Coach Hugh Freeze.
“Well, thank you Lord,” Freeze said. “He’s good in wins and losses, but it sure does feel better when you win.”
The feel-good vibes were enhanced by the performance of one of the team’s seniors and a true cornerstone of the program, Jarquez Hunter. The senior running back is the only member of Auburn’s 2021 recruiting class to remain on the plains, and he turned in a performance of the ages to end his career in Jordan-Hare. Hunter racked up 130 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries, a fitting home sendoff for one of the star Tigers of 2024.
“It’s a great feeling,” Hunter siad. “Last game, going out with a win. That’s a great feeling for anybody on this team. It just feels great.”
Hunter’s performance was a gritty one, his 28 carries being the highest total of not just the season, but also his career. Despite being worn out near the end of the game, he kept fighting, something that didn't go unnoticed.
“He’s a fighter, a workhorse,” Coach Freeze said. “He’s an Auburn man who has represented a program, in the way you practice and prepare and play.”
The good feelings from the win will have a chance to be magnified tenfold next week in Tuscaloosa as Auburn takes on Alabama in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide are coming off a stunning 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on the road and will be looking to bounce back and potentially save their playoff chances. A win for Auburn on the road would mean a 6-6 record and bowl eligibility, something that felt like a pipe dream just two short weeks ago.
