AUBURN, Ala (EETV) — Auburn opened its first home game of the season against Ball State with all eyes on Jackson Arnold and the passing attack. Arnold entered the night as the SEC’s leading rusher, but fans were eager to see more from him and his offensive arsenal in Week 2.
After a stalled first drive that included two sacks, the Auburn offense clicked into gear when junior running back Jeremiah Cobb broke loose for a 46-yard touchdown. Cobb carried the load in the first half, finishing with 63 yards on just seven attempts.
The Tigers kept rolling on their next possession, as Arnold connected with junior wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr for a 30-yard touchdown. Later in the half, Arnold found senior wideout Horatio Fields in the end zone to push the Tigers further ahead.
“We knew we had the weapons," said Singleton Jr. "Last week, we just weren’t getting the right coverage to show it. This week, we put on a little show."
On the other side of the ball, the DJ Durkin-led defense looked to rebound after surrendering 419 passing yards to Baylor — and did just that. Auburn held Ball State to just 34 total yards in the first half, with sophomore linebacker Xavier Atkins wreaking havoc in the backfield, collecting two sacks and a tackle for loss in the opening two quarters.
In the second half, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas, with Cobb once again powering his way into the endzone with a 46-yard house call on the second drive of the half. Ball State found some momentum later in the third after forcing a fumble on first-year tight end Ryan Ghea. But the defense stood tall, holding the Cardinals to just a field goal.
Auburn continued to dominate through the air, opening the fourth quarter with a nine-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass to Singleton Jr, his second of the game. After a near-perfect night, Arnold exited early, finishing 24-of-28 for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
"It took a lot, and I think the draw from last game was seeing how patient we had to be in the run game, and not being able to throw the ball a ton kind of helped us out this week," Arnold said. "We know to take the little wins into five and six-yard hits and keep on moving chains. I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
With the game in hand, Auburn’s younger talent got a chance to shine. Highly anticipated freshman quarterback Deuce Knight made his collegiate debut, but it was sophmore running back Durell Robinson who stole the show, breaking loose for a 54-yard touchdown run to close the scoring.
Auburn's defense was just as dominant, finishing with six sacks and 4 tackles for loss. The unit allowed only 68 total yards - the fewest ever surrendered in school history - while holding Ball State to negative 3 rushing yards and just 71 passing yards.
Other standouts included Cobb, who carried 11 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, and Cam Coleman, who led all receivers with seven catches for 77 yards. Xavier Atkins and Keyron Crawford also chipped in with two sacks apiece.
The Tigers' next contest will be back in Jordan-Hare Stadium as Auburn hosts in state opponent South Alabama. The Jaguars suffered a tough 33-31 loss to Tulane in Week 2. Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. CDT on Sept. 13.
