Johnson lifts Auburn past Memphis 31-10 in Birmingham Bowl

The fourth quarter proved to be a game changer for Auburn as the team downed Memphis 31-10 in the Birmingham Bowl Wednesday.

KEY PLAYERS: USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has taken 85 catches for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and comes in as one of the main contributors for his team, despite slowing down a bit over the last few weeks of the regular fixtures. Considered one of the top National Football League draft prospects, the Auburn defense was humbling to say the least.

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. He completed 16-of-37 passing for 108 yards – his lowest total ’cause the opener against Missouri State – with an interception in the long run zone off a deflected pass. Led by interim coach Darrell Dickey, Memphis had been gunning for a program first: back-to-back 10-win seasons.

“We’re embarrassed about the actions that occurred after the game and that is definitely not the standards or expectations the Memphis football program stands for”, Norvell said in a statement.

Memphis rallied with 10 points of it’s own in the second quarter.

It doesn’t help Auburn that starting quarterback Sean White has been trying to overcome a knee injury since October and is questionable to play. “So we will certainly look into what went on, what happened and get the facts squared away”. Not only did they struggle to get leadership from their quarterback their defense gave up more yards than their offense registered in nine of 12 games, which included being out-gained by the offenses of Jacksonville State, San Jose State, and Idaho. The play – Ball’s second interception of the game – occurred shortly after second-team All-America kicker Jake Elliott had a field-goal attempt blocked.

The Auburn Tigers and the Memphis Tigers are tied at 10-10 after two quarters in the Birmingham Bowl. If this was any sort of job interview for any head coaching openings in the future, he failed miserably. That’s a remarkable turnaround considering their overwhelming losing record the past five seasons.

The Auburn Tigers were 6-6 this season and finished 7th in the SEC West Division standings. He leads the team with 113 tackles this campaign. Ultimately, this game was decided on Auburn’s ability to control the clock and score on the ground.

“He got his opportunity”, Malzahn said of Johnson, who had three carries for 26 yards and his only pass was the touchdown. Memphis lost three of their final four games after beginning the season a flawless 6-0.