COLUMBIA, S.C. – Tank Bigsby raced past the 100-yard mark for the second straight game and scored his first collegiate touchdown Saturday but No. 15 Auburn lost 30-22 at South Carolina.
Bigsby passed the century mark in the fourth quarter on runs of 30 and 19 yards, setting up Anders Carlson’s third field goal made it a one-score game with 6:36 to play. Bigsby gained 111 yards on 16 carries.
http://gty.im/1280794768Auburn’s defense held the Gamecocks to one first down before the Tigers got the ball back with 2:15 to play, needing to go 80 yards with no timeouts.
Auburn drove to the Gamecocks’ 12-yard line with 9 seconds remaining, but on fourth-and-5, Bo Nix was tackled at the 9-yard-line, two yards short of the first down.
Auburn scored on the opening drive of the second half to lead 19-14 after marching 54 yards on 11 plays and converting two downs to set up Carlson’s second field goal, a 35-yarder.
The Gamecocks answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive, taking a 20-19 lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass. South Carolina’s attempted two-point pass was incomplete with 6:31 left in the third quarter.
Owen Pappoe’s first career interception ended South Carolina’s red zone threat late in the third quarter, but the Gamecocks regained possession with their third interception and scored on an 8-yard run on their next play to lead 27-19 with 54 seconds left in the quarter.
Auburn led 16-14 at halftime after scoring on its first two possessions. After the Tigers’ defense forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, Auburn drove 62 yards on 14 plays with Carlson kicking a 35-yard field for a 3-0 lead. Nix’s 22-yard pass to D.J. Williams on third-and-9 keyed the drive.
http://gty.im/1280775409After Auburn forced another three-and-out, the Tigers drove 56 yards on seven plays with Nix hitting Eli Stove for an 11-yard touchdown on third-and-10. Going for two, Auburn’s pass was incomplete, giving the Tigers a 9-0 lead with 4:33 left in the first quarter.
South Carolina intercepted the first play of the second quarter at Auburn’s 29-yard-line, capitalizing on the turnover and short field with a 3-yard touchdown run that cut Auburn’s lead to 9-7.
Nix and Seth Williams then combined on Auburn’s longest pass play of the season, a high arcing 44-yard gain that showcased Williams’ physicality. Tank Bigsby capped the drive with his first Auburn touchdown, a 2-yarder, to put the Tigers ahead 16-7 with 10:24 remaining in the half.
South Carolina converted another turnover into a touchdown, intercepting Nix after a deflection at midfield and scoring on a quarterback sneak with 35 seconds left in the half.
Zakoby McClain led Auburn with 13 tackles and a sack, his third straight double-digit game. Pappoe added 10 tackles.
Auburn remains on the road next Saturday when the Tigers travel to Ole Miss at 11 a.m. CT.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
