SEC football in Kansas on a Thursday night just feels strange.
Thursday nights are for NBC comedies, NFL football, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. USC in its glory years would always drop a Thursday night game in Oregon or at Cal, and MAC football makes its money on mid-week games, but Thursday nights feel like they’re suited for teams who play on bizarrely colored turf, rather than two top-20 teams, one of which plays in the best division in the best conference in college football.
But in spite of the weirdness, Auburn managed to escape from Manhattan, Kansas with a 20-14 victory.
And in keeping with the theme, this game really was pretty strange all around.
Kansas State’s kicker caught a case of the Cade Fosters, missing three field goals.
Auburn’s lauded rushing attack was stifled, leading to Nick Marshall having to win the game with his arm. That wasn’t easy, though. Auburn’s receivers appeared to have Flubber on their hands initially, dropping pass after pass before suddenly deciding to reel in everything their quarterback threw their way late in the game.
Auburn’s defense had to manage without safety Jermaine Whitehead, apparently out indefinitely, and the offense couldn’t even manage a single rushing touchdown. Kansas State is used to Big XII offenses that mimic Auburn’s speed and confusion. They knew what to expect, and even though they were mostly walk-ons, the Wildcats and their crowd came prepared.
There was apparently even a large contingent of Alabama fans who traveled just to root against Auburn and wear “Roll Snyd” shirts, giving a whole new meaning to “disposable income.”
Adding to the weirdness, Auburn backup quarterback Jeremy Johnson was randomly put into the game midway through the fourth quarter, sometimes even lining up at wideout with Auburn in the wildcat formation. But it didn’t really matter. Marshall came back on strong and led the offense with his passing, even though Auburn only amassed 128 total yards rushing.
Kansas State conjured up all the Tornado Alley Plains Magic it could, but it was just a matter of time before the Wildcats’ defense broke down and Auburn’s offense got into gear.
When the game was on the line, Auburn put the ball in the hands of its biggest playmakers. Wide Receivers Duke Williams and Sammie Coates — when they caught the ball — were the reason for Auburn’s victory.
Prior to Thursday night, the last time Auburn beat a ranked non-conference opponent on the road was 1984 when Malzahn was a freshman walk-on wide receiver at Arkansas, per Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
“Our guys find a way to make plays, just like last year,” Malzahn told Sam Ponder of ESPN after the game. “I’m glad it was tough, it will help us in the long run. We faced a lot of adversity. I think our guys grew up.”
Even on a weird Thursday night, Auburn was able to outlast the crowd and get out of Manhattan as a 3-0 team.
Auburn is not invincible by any means, nor were they last year. But they always seem to find a way to win, eking out a victory even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Nick Saban may have this game tape on repeat to try and stop Auburn’s run game, but if Thursday night was any indication, stopping one facet of Malzahn’s scheme apparently only opens another one up.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles
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