Auburn strikes fast against Mississippi State, including long TD to Ja’Varrius Johnson
By Keith Farner
Published:
Auburn’s offense has had an up and down season, but against Mississippi State on Saturday, the Tigers struck gold early, including a 45-yard touchdown to Ja’Varrius Johnson.
Johnson made an over-the-shoulder catch on a pass from Payton Thorne to build a 14-3 lead over Mississippi State late in the first quarter.
Thorne began 8-for-9 passing for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns, as he earlier connected with Shane Hooks on a 27-yard pass play into the end zone. Hooks made a frame-worthy stretch over the goal line to convert the score.
Auburn put up 120 yards of passing offense in the first quarter alone, and tacked on 75 rushing yards to turn heads on The Plains.
Coach Hugh Freeze in recent days spoke about the frustrations of the offense as he continued to use 2 quarterbacks and looked for rhythm and consistency.
Jarquez Hunter contributed early with 7 carries for 69 yards, including a 32-yarder.
As Auburn tried to get back to .500, this is certainly a recipe to continue for the Tigers.
Offense woke up feelin’ dangerous ?@varjohnson1 ? end zone https://t.co/N3SMdZMlur pic.twitter.com/iBIOPnH8Kt
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 28, 2023
Frame it ?? pic.twitter.com/UzC5V0avLq
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 28, 2023
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
