Dec 30, 2015; Birmingham, AL, USA; Memphis Tigers defensive back Chauncey Lanier (12) along with linebacker Darian Porter (29) tackles Auburn Tigers running back Jovon Robinson (29) in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Jeremy Johnson didn’t get the nod as Auburn’s starting quarterback and was rarely on the Legion Field turf in Wednesday’s Birmingham Bowl.
But that didn’t stop Johnson from putting his fingerprints on the 31-10 victory over Memphis.
Auburn announced Sean White would start at quarterback and White got the bulk of the snaps. However, Johnson, who didn’t come close to meeting preseason expectations, made two significant plays to help Auburn run away after halftime.
Johnson threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jason Smith on his first play of the game in the third quarter and added a five-yard scoring run on the first play of the final quarter.
Those two scores turned a tie game into a 24-10 Auburn lead.
Auburn running back Jovon Robinson, the game’s most valuable player, scored on a four-yard run to pad the lead to 31-10 on the following series.
But the story of most of the game was the play of the Auburn defense, which was led by interim defensive coordinator Lance Thompson.
Auburn (7-6) hounded Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch all day, limiting the standout signal caller to 104 yards passing, and didn’t allow a touchdown by the Memphis offense.
A promising offensive start by Auburn disintegrated into familiar offensive problems by halftime. The Tigers began the game by largely keeping the ball on the ground on the first two series.
The first drive included one pass –- a 37-yard completion on fourth down from punter Kevin Phillips to Kerryon Johnson. The pass gave Auburn a first down on the three-yard line but the drive stalled before Daniel Carlson kicked a 20-yard field goal.
It took Auburn 10 plays to move 70 yards on the following series with Jovon Johnson bursting to the end zone from the eight-yard line to give his team a 10-0 lead. Auburn threw only two passes on the drive.
Lynch threw for only 61 first yards in the first half, but Memphis (9-4) still managed to forge a 10-10 at halftime on a Birmingham Bowl record 53-yard field goal by Jake Elliott and a 56-yard interception return by Memphis defensive back Reggis Ball.
Ball had two of Memphis’ three interceptions in the first half.
White threw two interception and wide receiver Jason Smith, a former quarterback, threw the other interception. Auburn outgained Memphis, 197-91, in the first half but the turnovers stunted its success.
NOTES: Memphis and Auburn met only twice in football before Wednesday’s game. Memphis won both games, beating Auburn 31-20 in 1975 and 28-27 in 1976. … Wednesday’s crowd of 59,430 set a Birmingham Bowl record. The previous record was 59,135 in 2013, when Ole Miss beat Pittsburgh. … Auburn punter Kevin Phillips was game’s leading passer after a quarter, throwing for 37 yards on his only pass.
