It wasn’t pretty for the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, but it was a win. Following a crushing 14-6 defeat against Clemson in Week 2, Auburn returned home for the second time this season.

It was a rough first half for Auburn — three fumbles will do that — which led at halftime only 10-3 against FCS opponent Mercer. Despite putting the ball on the ground two more times in the second half (including one lost fumble), the Tigers somewhat bounced back and pulled out a 24-10 win over the Bears.

Giving up five turnovers wasn’t a good sign for Auburn after it struggled on offense against Clemson the week before. But it did seem like the offense — especially quarterback Jarrett Stidham — got into a nice rhythm at times.

Here are three players who improved their stock, and three who saw their stock fall in Week 3.

Stock Up

1. Derrick Brown, DT: Auburn’s defensive line is quickly turning into one of the best in the country. Marlon Davidson was held out against Mercer for undisclosed reasons, but Brown helped make up for his absence. Brown had no sacks but the sophomore recorded three tackles, one pass deflection and one quarterback hurry.

At 6 feet 5, 316 pounds, the former 5-star recruit is surprisingly athletic and there’s no doubt he is going to continue to emerge as one of the SEC’s best interior defensive linemen. Once Davidson returns, he will continue to team with Brown and Buck linebacker Jeff Holland to give Auburn a formidable trio of impact players along the front.

2. Kamryn Pettway, RB: Pettway lost a fumble in his second game of the season, but he was impressive overall. The 3.8 yards per carry could cause some concern, but the usage is the main factor. The power back continued to be the Tigers’ workhorse, rushing 34 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns.

In just two games this season, Pettway has averaged 28 carries and 101 yards per game. With him continuing to be the lead back for the Tigers, it’s a continued step toward allowing him to exceed last year’s 1,224-yard, seven-touchdown performance.

3. Jarrett Stidham, QB: Stidham wasn’t perfect in this contest, but he was as efficient as he has been this season. In fact, he was the second-most efficient quarterback in SEC history against Mercer. The Baylor transfer threw for 364 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and completed 86.5 percent of his passes.

It was a step in the right direction for a quarterback that has all the physical tools needed to be one of college football’s elite. He has continued his development and gained comfort in coordinator Chip Lindsey’s offense, so Stidham’s stock should continue to rise after he made the “stock down” list in Week 2.

Stock Down

1. Kyle Davis, WR: Davis is still showing some consistency issues in his second year on The Plains. Sure, his stat line against Mercer wasn’t bad — three receptions for 62 yards for an impressive 20.7 average — but he was also the reason for one of Auburn’s five turnovers.

Between the fumble and inconsistent play, Davis’ stock has taken a hit since the beginning of the season. The 6-2, 213 sophomore is a physical specimen capable of becoming Auburn’s next elite receiver, but until he has shown the ability to do that with any sort of consistency, his stock will continue to fall.

2. Sean White, QB:

White leaves Auburn with 2,845 career passing yards, 15th in school history.

Well, it can’t get much worse for the former starting quarterback. After being suspended for the first two games of the season for undisclosed reasons, White was arrested for public intoxication early Sunday morning. Auburn later announced that he would be dismissed from the team.

It’s an unfortunate development for a once-promising player. True freshman Malik Willis will step in the backup quarterback role.

3. Ryan Davis, WR: Two fumbles (one lost) will get you on this list every time. Davis did lead the team in receptions (nine), but only for 68 yards — a 7.6 average.

There’s no doubt Davis will continue to be a part of both the offense and special teams, but he needs to work on improving his ball security if he doesn’t want to cost the team against an opponent that can fully take advantage.

It should be noted that his lost fumble was on a punt return.