Knight’s 6 touchdowns power Auburn past Mercer in 62–17 win

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - After an improved Auburn offense came up just short against Vanderbilt in their first game since Hugh Freeze was fired, the Tigers had one last chance to keep their hopes of playing in a bowl game this season alive.

They didn’t let the opportunity slip.

Quarterback Deuce Knight, who made his debut as a starter for the tigers, ran for 162 total yards, threw for 239, and accounted for 6 of Auburn’s 8 total touchdowns as the Tigers dominated Mercer inside Jordan Hare 62-17.

Knight led the game, both in passing and rushing yards. He was 15 for 20 in passing attempts and scored all four of Auburn’s touchdowns in the first half.

He joins Phil Gargi in 1974, Cam Newton in 2010, and Jackson Arnold earlier this year as just the fourth Auburn quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in a starting debut.

Malcom Simmons led the game in receiving yards, including a 91-yard touchdown pass, by which time, Auburn had long surged past Mercer.

Alex McPherson gave another dominant performance and completed all of his field goal attempts, including a season-high attempt from 49 yards, for 13 total points.

The Tigers trailed only once in the first quarter before Knight lead them on two consecutive scoring drives to take back the lead, which they extended nonstop across three quarters, allowing Mercer to score only once after their initial lead.

Game Recap

A 75-yard rushing touchdown by Knight put the Tigers ahead 7-0 on their very first play. The move was answered immediately however, as Mercer’s Braden Atkinson threw for 25 yards to Adjatay Dabbs in the redzone, where CJ Miller ran the ball in to tie the game 7-7 within the first five minutes of the quarter.

After forcing Auburn to a 3-and-out drive, Mercer’s Atkinson connected with Adjatay Dabbs again inside the endzone to pull the Bears ahead 14-7.

The Tigers didn’t stay behind for long though, as Knight tied the game up with a 51-yard run, his second scoring rush, before scrambling for 9 yards into the endzone to snatch the lead back for Auburn, 21-14.

A giddy Auburn defense stopped Mercer at the 41-yard line, where Mercer opted for a field goal to get some more points onto the board, 21-17.

Knight answered with his fourth rushing touchdown, this one from 20 yards, before connecting with Cam Coleman in the endzone to send Auburn into halftime with an 18-point lead, 35-17.

The Tigers’ offense came out just as strong in the second half with an interception returned for 41 yards by Elijah Melendez, then a 91-yard rush by Malcom Simmons to put Auburn up 49-17.

After being stopped on a 7-play drive, Auburn’s Alex McPherson put Auburn even further ahead with a 47-yard filed goal, 52-17.

McPherson came back onto the field one drive later to add three more points with a 49-yard field goal, his longest attempt of the season.

Jackson Arnold, who had sat out most of the game, came in at the top of the fourth and scrambled for 56 yards to give Auburn the go-ahead score of 62-17.

Takeaways

After moving 5-6 for the year, (1-6 in conference play), the Tigers now turn their attention to the Crimson Tide (9-2, 6-1).

While their victory over Mercer puts them on track to qualify for a postseason bowl game, Auburn must defeat Alabama in the Iron Bowl to gain the six required wins to potentially receive a bowl game invitation.

The Iron Bowl kicks off next Saturday inside Jordan Hare at 6:30 p.m. It will be the first nighttime Iron Bowl game since 1996, when Alabama defeated Auburn 24-23 at Legion Field.

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