PHENIX CITY, Alabama -- Auburn quarterback Jackson Kilgore threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns as the #2 Auburn Tigers defeated the #1 Central-Phenix City Red Devils 38-33 in a Class 7A, Region 2 showdown at Garrett-Harrison Stadium on Friday night. Both teams had the lead in the game, but the Tigers got a couple of key stops on defense in the second half for the big region victory. Auburn running back Omar Mabson scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one in the air.
Auburn had the ball with four minutes left in the game, leading 38-33, and decided to go for a fourth and one at their own 38-yard line; that could have been trouble if the Central defense could have made one more play, but Kilgore gets the two yards for the first down, and the Tigers run out the clock for the win. "We never quit tonight," said Tigers head coach Keith Etheredge. "They have a great football team. It came down to the last drive, and we had to get the first down. It was fourth and inches; our offensive line got a big push, and Jackson did the rest. If we don't get that right, they will get all the momentum and a short field. I am really proud of our guys."
Auburn (6-0, 4-0) scored first in the game and took an early lead. With 8:48 left in the first quarter, Mabson scored on a 10-yard touchdown run, and the Tigers took a 7-0 lead. With 4:36 left in the first quarter, Andrew Alford connected with Darion Bennett on a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the extra point was missed. Auburn still led 7-6 early in the game.
With 2:47 left in the first quarter, Kilgore connected to speedy Petyon Plott on a 24-yard touchdown pass play over the middle of the field, and the Tigers led 14-6 late in the first quarter. Central game right back, though, and with 9:14 left in the second quarter, Tristan Williams scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the Auburn lead to 14-13.
The big plays that happened a lot to Auburn in the two games last year with Red Devils wide receiver Cam Coleman for Central were turned in by Plott as he and Kilgore connected on a 76-yard touchdown pass play, and the Tigers led 21-13 with 7:40 left in the second quarter. With only 1:22 left in the first half, Donovan Crow scored on a 3-yard touchdown run. With the score, Auburn led 21-20 going into halftime.
In the second half, Central (5-1, 3-1) scored first, and it looked like they had turned the momentum because the Red Devils defense forced two three-and-outs for the Auburn offense to start the second half. With 8:50 left in the third quarter, Williams scored on a 30-yard touchdown run after he hurdled a defender and turned it into a touchdown. With the score, Central led 27-21. But the Tigers, on the next possession with 6:46 left in the third quarter, Kilgore found a wide-open Mabson on a 50-yard touchdown pass play down the right side of the field, and Auburn took back the lead at 28-27.
With 3:00 left in the third quarter, Auburn kicker Joseph Daniel kicked a 34-yard field goal, and the Tigers took a 31-27 lead late in the quarter. The Tigers' defense rose to the challenge again, forced a punt, and then drove the length of the field. With 6:28 left in the game, Mabson took a handoff and raced around the right end for a 14-yard touchdown run, and the Tigers led 38-27 late in the game.
The Central offense responded as they drove the field, and Williams scored on an 18-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed at the goal line, as defensive back La'Mychael Gunn turned away the Red Devils runner to keep the score Auburn 38-33 with only four minutes left in the game. The Auburn offense ran out the clock with the big fourth-and-inches play, sealing the win for the Tigers.
Next, Central will host Carver-Montgomery, while Auburn will host Smiths Station.
