Auburn vs Arkansas Plays and Players of the Game

Let's see... When you have a game like that, just about the whole team is a player of the game. So I'll go with two breakout players who I couldn't be happier for.

Offensively, Stanton Truitt, who's seemingly been the "breakout candidate" at WR for the last few years, racked up his first (I think) three touchdowns Saturday night. And yes, he had them as a running back. With all the new talent coming in at WR, this was basically the year he had to make it as a WR, and that didn't appear to happen. And with the sudden lack of depth at RB, especially when Kerryon went down, Truitt has all of the sudden become the lightning to Pettway's thunder. He's overcome a lot of disappointment at WR to become an electric back, and Saturday was his coming out party.

Defensively, Byron Cowart. I don't know what his stat line was at the end of the game, but I know several times I caught myself trying to see who made a great stop or tackle, and it was Byron Cowart. The whole defensive front played great, but Cowart's been the subject of a lot of "bust" talk lately. He could just be a late bloomer, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him become a star next year as a junior once Adams and Lawson leave. Not everyone can become an all-SEC talent at 18 years old, and even as a 5 star it's nothing to be ashamed of if it takes a few years. People took notice of him against Arkansas, though. This could be the start.

Play of the game? I guess Eli Stove's long touchdown run to start the game? It set the tone pretty quick that the MSU game was no fluke. However, the best part of the game might have been Bo's video announcing Charles Barkley's (Chuck? Food truck? #1?) statue coming to Auburn. The way Auburn's legends stay in touch with the place is a huge part of why I love Auburn, and I think it really just exemplifies the way we all actually feel about Auburn already. We love Auburn. Auburn loves us. It doesn't matter if we're everyday people with everyday jobs, or A-list celebrities like Charles Barkley, Auburn has a huge part of our hearts.

Player(s) of the game: Darius James, Alex Kozan, Austin Golson, Braden Smith, Robert Leff. 57 runs and not a single one lost a yard. That's unreal.

Play of the game was Stove's run. It set the tone. Good call, great execution, and Stove is lightning quick.

Play of the game: Stove's run/ Truitt on the wheel route. Since they were the same play, just different options, and BOTH scored touchdowns.

Players of the game:

On offense Stanton Truitt scored running and catching which is nice and Eli Stove went from the bench to being a household name in auburn homes, but I think pettway, steady grinding pettway, is the choice here. You have a guy who can make defenders hate football by the end of the game. That's special. Also, when did we start calling him bubba? Did that become a thing without me knowing about it?

Offense-I gotta go with Stanton Truitt.  This young man has fought through injuries and has made it back into the spotlight.  Very happy for him.  Honorable mention goes to Pettway, who reminds me of Ron Dayne more and more.

Defense-Take your pick really.  Collectively I don't remember a dominant performance like that against a good SEC team (maybe Georgia in 2004?).  I guess I'll give the game ball to Tre Williams.

Offensive Player of the Game: Chandler Cox. A strange pick but here me out. We knew Pettway was great, we knew the O-Line was great, but we hadn't seen Cox put together a game like he did this past Saturday.

Defensive Player of the Game: Montravious Adams. I call him Gandalf cause every play he's standing dead center and screaming "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" His presence affects everything else on field.

Play of the Game: I have to go with Stove's opener. Early scores mean a lot. The earlier you can deliver the knockout, the better.