AUBURN, AL (EETV) - On Saturday, the Auburn Tigers (3-6) entered Jordan-Hare Stadium to kickoff against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (5-4) in Auburn’s final non-conference game of the 2024 season.
The Tigers are coming off of a much-needed bye-week following a loss to Vanderbilt, as they aimed to reenter the win column against a Warhawks team who entered Saturday’s game on a three-game losing skid.
As the roar of the A-10 flyover settled, the Tigers began the first half with a successful defensive stop against a struggling Louisiana-Monroe squad, providing a glimpse into what the Auburn defense was capable of accomplishing throughout the game.
Headed into the first quarter, Auburn Quarterback Payton Thorne and company looked to take care of business, forcing their way downfield and through Warhawk territory to put together a commanding offensive performance early in the half.
Running Back Jarquez Hunter and Wide Receiver Cam Coleman both found early connections with Thorne to bolster the Tiger offense, something which the Tigers have seen often throughout the season. The senior QB found Coleman for a 20-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers the early lead, once again displaying the freshman receiver’s pure offensive capabilities.
As the Tigers marched into the second quarter, it was evident that Auburn was finding rhythm, both offensively and defensively as a team. Thorne and Coleman’s connection carried on as the pair continued to eat away at the Louisiana-Monroe defense, pushing the Tigers further toward the red zone. Yet again, Thorne found Coleman for the touchdown, ending the drive with an astonishing 16 plays on 99 yards.
Auburn entered halftime leading Louisiana-Monroe with a score of 24-0.
Headed into the second half with Auburn owning a commanding lead with a score of 24-0, the Tigers looked to build off of their first-half successes as the Warhawks looked to come alive.
Louisiana-Monroe Quarterback Aidan Armenta found early success in the second half, as Wide Receiver Tyler Griffin completed the pass for 37 yards.
The Warhawk offense began to find success in both the pass and run game after getting off to an initially slow start. Louisiana-Monroe’s first drive of the second half ended in success with the offense turning to their run game to seal a touchdown and extra point, making the score 24-7, after a 76-yard drive.
Even with a Warhawk touchdown, the Tiger offense showed up and showed out as Cam Coleman completed an electric one-handed catch for another Auburn touchdown, bolstering the Tigers’ lead. Saturday’s game marked Coleman’s first career performance with 100 yards receiving, including three touchdowns.
With the spark of energy from Coleman’s touchdown reception, the Auburn defense reentered the field, as Linebacker Demarcus Riddick sacked Armenta for a loss of 10 yards. Riddick’s defensive performance solidified the Tiger defense’s presence as ULM struggled to counter.
Further into the second half, the Tiger offense continued their campaign toward an Auburn win as Jarquez Hunter hit the mark for 1000 yards rushing in the 2024 season.
Hunter spoke on his 1000 yards rushing accomplishment in a post-game press conference stating, "It is very special to me. I can add it to all the other things in Auburn. It’s very special. It helps when my offensive line, tight ends, and receivers work to get me there. It was very special today."
Even with constant pressure from the Auburn defense, Louisiana-Monroe chose not to go down silent as Quarterback General Booty entered the game in the final moments, completing a touchdown pass to Jonathan Bibbs in their final drive of the afternoon.
The theme of Saturday’s game for the Tigers consisted of big-time plays and big-time carries by the Auburn offense and timely, momentum-shifting stops by the defense to secure an assertive home win in front of loyal Tiger fans.
Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze after the game praised his team stating, “Proud of our staff and kids. It was one of our better performances in my time here, zero penalties, should have been zero turnovers. We have to take care of the football, even our young kids. Two receivers over 100 yards.”
Auburn's true capabilities were on full display, offering momentum and a sense of hope for a seemingly difficult path to a bowl game, as the Tigers will need to close out the season with two wins in two games against two rather tough opponents.
The final score from Jordan-Hare Stadium is Louisiana-Monroe 14 and Auburn 48. The Tigers improve to 4-6 on the season before welcoming the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday, November 23rd at 6:30 PM Central for SEC play, marking the final home game of the 2024 season.
