Auburn’s offense looked lifeless in the first half against Arkansas, a sight all-too-familiar this season for the Tigers.
The offense tallied just 109 yards of total offense and three points against one of the worst defenses in the SEC. In the second half, however, Auburn began finding its groove. And it started with quarterback Byrum Brown.
“The message to him every single drive was just man,” said head coach Alex Golesh. “It's about to be your time, dude. It's about to be your time.’ I told these guys coming out of half, I'm like offensively, we're just about to get our swag back, man. You're a big play away from getting your swag back, and he's such a big part of that.”
Auburn punted five times and turned it over on downs in the first half, but in the second half, scored on every possession except one. Brown led scoring drives of 67 yards and 75 yards in the third quarter, and a 65-yard drive in the fourth quarter.
It was a stark contrast from the offensive production in the first half.
“I pride myself in doing whatever it takes to win — run, pass, hand the ball off — whatever it takes, that's what I'm in for,” Brown said. “And getting it to playmakers, that's the quarterback's job at the end of the day, and whatever it takes to win.”
His fourth quarter touchdown pass — a 28-yard connection to Keshaun Singleton — was nothing short of remarkable. Brown dodged an unblocked rusher off the edge, kept his eyes downfield and showcased the established chemistry with Singleton.
“Had some pressure, made him miss,” Brown said. “[Singleton] saw the scramble drill, he was on it very quick, got out of his break, went vertical, I saw him and we connected, got on the same page. We've been preaching scramble drill for some weeks now and to see it come to fruition is truly special.”
https://x.com/AuburnFootball/status/2119173431405187126?a=Lol9cDHfEL_zcVDgGrY&s=20
It was one of 11 big plays for Auburn, defined as passing plays of 15 yards or more and run plays of 10 yards or more. Brown was responsible for 10 of them, with eight of his big plays coming in the second half.
“He's been up and down, and I just keep telling him, man, ‘Don't listen to anybody except that voice in your head that tells you you're a badass,” Golesh said. “And he's got a lot that he's got to continue to work on, but he's a warrior, man.”
Brown finished the night 23-for-34 for 180 yards passing with two touchdowns, and led the team in rushing with 120 yards to go along with his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
“That is the Byrum Brown that I know,” said center Cole Best. “Just happy for that guy. Anytime he gets to go and just run and cut it loose, I mean, it's fun to watch, it's fun to be a part of, it's fun to play with. We get to feel his energy the entire, the whole game, but especially the second half. That guy's a winner. We all fed off his energy, he fed off our energy, and man, love when that guy gets to go and make plays.”
Despite the sluggish start, Auburn’s offense found 23 points in the second half. It included 17 points in the fourth quarter, which marked the Tigers’ most efficient quarter scoring in SEC play and tying a season-high for points in a quarter.
“Felt really good, you know, to bounce back from that first half -- shout out Defense for keeping us in it -- and go finish as a team playing cohesive football, both sides and special teams as well,” Brown said. “I felt really good to go finish. Got a lot of stuff to clean up, especially that first half, but felt really good.”
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
