Birmingham Bowl: Johnson lifts Auburn past Memphis, 31-10

In the process the Auburn defense throttled the high-powered Memphis team that was averaging 42.3 points per game.

Jake Elliott connected on a 53-yard field goal and Reggis Ball returned an interception for a touchdown, tying the game at 10 at halftime.

The first interception he threw was on a fourth and two play where he was trying to hit the running back out of the backfield.

Jeremy Johnson and Auburn found a measure of redemption and, finally, something to celebrate in their season finale.

“Well, I thought they started out kinda slow but got it going in the second half a little better”, says fan Mason Gaston. Auburn (7-6) avoided the first losing season of coach Gus Malzahn’s 11-year college career. “In our mind, we were just thinking about getting in the end zone”.

A defense without a coordinator didn’t allow an offensive touchdown for Memphis (9-4) and star quarterback Paxton Lynch.

Not only did Auburn win the game, it announced Kevin Steele as its new defensive coordinator. He ran 17 yards on his 2nd play from scrimmage & opened the fourth quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run on his 3rd. “Marcus made two big plays for us on punt returns”. It certainly showed as they put on their best performance of the year by shutting down the projected number one quarterback in the upcoming National Football League draft. “After this game, I’m going to talk to my coaches, my family and then I’ll make a decision after that”.

Auburn rushed for 254 yards on the afternoon, led by 121 yards and a touchdown from Jovon Robinson, but the defense was the story.

“This game is special because it’s personal”, Robinson said. “I know a lot of guys that play for Memphis”.

A few hours after the incident, Memphis released a statement regarding the incident, saying that Ball has been removed from the team.

Not enough can be said about Auburn’s defense against Lynch (I’ve never given out the double-plus on a grade). “Our secondary just really locked down the receivers, didn’t give them much room”. Auburn defenders got in Lynch’s face and in throwing lanes all afternoon and Lynch had the worst game of his season.

According to The Ledger-Enquirer, the Auburn equipment staff was warned that if Ball were to get an interception, he has a history of attempting to steal a ball from the opponent after the game. As a team, it racked up 252 yards and three scores on 56 carries. It was a rocky season for Johnson, who was benched after three games, but the junior went out in style. He went 8-of-14 passing with 103 yards and two picks.