(15) Auburn crushes Mizzou for Mizzou’s third straight loss

COLUMBIA – Many players on the Mizzou team called Purdue a must win. For Mizzou, the Auburn game was an attempt to save a season that fell woefully short (15) Auburn cruised to a 51-14 victory.

Following the loss, Mizzou falls to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in the SEC.

The Mizzou defense struggled all game long giving up 482 yards including allowing Auburn to convert nearly half of its third downs.

Mizzou’s defense got off to a poor start in the first half as Auburn led a six play, 80-yard drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown rush by Kerryon Johnson. Johnson’s score put the Tigers of Auburn ahead 7-0 with 10:44 left in the first quarter.

Things continued to get worse for Mizzou on the ensuing drive as Drew Lock fired a pass to Jason Reese on a slant route. The pass hit Reese’s hands and deflected into the hands of Carlton Davis of Auburn.

Following the interception, Johnson punched in a two-yard rush into the end zone for his second of the game to put Auburn ahead 14-0. Mizzou trailed by two scores under seven minuted into the contest.

In the second quarter, Auburn’s offense continued to click as Jarrett Stidham launched a 47-yard pass hauled in by Will Hastings deep in Mizzou territory. Johnson capped the drive off three plays later with another short rushing touchdown to give Auburn a 21-0 lead.

As if things were not bad enough, disaster struck on Mizzou’s next drive as Drew Lock stepped back to pass. With pressure on him, it appeared Lock got the ball off as it was deflected. Instead, the officials ruled it was a fumble recovered by Auburn on the Mizzou 20-yard line.

Johnson took the feed on Auburn’s next drive in a wildcat formation for his fourth touchdown of the half. Johnson finished with five touchdowns on the day.

It took 129 minutes and one second, but the Tiger offense scored a touchdown for the first time since the first half against South Carolina.

True freshman running back Larry Rountree injected some life into the Mizzou offense in second quarter with 32 yards on four carries. Lock then dumped a pass off to Damarea Crockett who scampered 19 yards into the end zone making it 28-7 Auburn.

Auburn tacked on a field goal late in the half to take a commanding 31-7 lead into the break.

Out of the half, it was much of the same as Johnson scored his 5th touchdown of the game early in the third quarter while Nate Craig-Myers scored shortly after. The pair of touchdowns by Auburn made it 45-7 and put the game firmly out of reach for Mizzou despite a touchdown reception by J’Mon Moore in the fourth quarter.

Mizzou gets a much needed bye week and will be back in action on the road against Kentucky Oct. 7.