Brown throws 4 TD passes in Auburn's 45-19 Homecoming win

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by Jeff Shearer
Brown throws 4 TD passes in Auburn's 45-19 Homecoming winBrown throws 4 TD passes in Auburn's 45-19 Homecoming win
Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. – Making his first start, redshirt freshman quarterback Hank Brown threw for four touchdowns to lead Auburn to a 45-19 victory over New Mexico Saturday at sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tigers’ 33rd consecutive Homecoming victory.

"For his first start, Hank was really solid," Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. "Something we can build upon."

Leading 17-13 at the half, Auburn opened the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown drive that began with Jarquez Hunter’s 31-yard run and ended with Brown’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Micah Riley

Hunter logged his ninth career 100-yard game, gaining 152 yards on 20 carries, an average of 7.6 yards per rush. 

Brown completed 17 of 25 passes for 235 yards, completing 68 percent of his attempts, including nine consecutive completions in the second half. 

Antonio Kite then intercepted New Mexico quarter Devon Dampier’s pass on fourth-and-5, giving Auburn possession at midfield after a personal foul penalty on the Lobos on the return. 

Two plays later, Brown hit Hunter out of the backfield for a 14-yard touchdown to give Auburn a 31-13 lead with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

"We were efficient in the third quarter, and most of the second half," Freeze said. 

Early in the fourth quarter, New Mexico pulled within two scores on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dampier to Caleb Medford on fourth down. The Tigers forced an incompletion on the two-point attempt and led 31-19.

Brown connected with Rivaldo Fairweather for his fourth touchdown, a 26-yard catch-and-run that increased Auburn’s lead to 38-19 with 12:08 to play.

Damari Alston closed out the scoring with a 22-yard touchdown run with 5:51 remaining.

After New Mexico kicked a field goal to cap the game’s opening possession, Jeremiah Cobb returned the ensuing kickoff a career-long 66 yards and Auburn scored on Brown’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Camden Brown to take a 7-3 lead. 

The Lobos responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, benefiting from a pass interference penalty on third-and-19, then gaining 41 yards on a deep pass and scoring on a 3-yard NaQuari Rogers run to go ahead 10-7.

Brown found KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 50-yard gain that led to Hunter’s 2-yard touchdown, helping the Tigers regain a 14-10 lead. 

Late in the opening quarter, Jerrin Thompson intercepted New Mexico’s pass at the Lobos’ 33-yard line, Auburn’s first takeaway of the season, leading to Towns McGough’s 24-yard field goal early in the second quarter. 

"The takeaways were great to see," Freeze said. "We've got to win that turnover battle."

New Mexico answered with its second field goal to trim the Tigers’ lead to 17-13 with 10:01 remaining in second quarter in what turned out to be the final points of the first half. 

Late in the half, Alston delivered a 29-yard pickup and the Tigers drove to the Lobos’ 18-yard line but a fumble ended the drive.

Auburn (2-1) opens Southeastern Conference play next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT when the Tigers host Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

"I think we can play better than we played tonight," Freeze said. "All of these SEC games are going to be battles. They'll be fun to see how we respond to them."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer

Highlights

GAME NOTES

>> Captains: Eugene Asante, Luke Deal, Jerrin Thompson, Champ Anthony
>> Coin Toss: New Mexico wins the toss and will receive
>> Eagle Flight: Independence from section 46 ramp
>> Attendance: 88,043 (10th consecutive sellout at Jordan-Hare Stadium)
>> Miss Homecoming: Helen Talmadge (Dothan, AL)

TEAM NOTES
>> First-time starters for Auburn: Hank Brown, Robert Lewis, Percy Lewis, Sylvester Smith
>> Auburn has scored in 145 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in school history
>> Auburn has won 33 consecutive Homecoming games 
>> The Tigers scored 45 points against the Lobos to mark the ninth-most points scored (132) in the first three games of a season (73 vs. Alabama A&M, 14 vs. Cal and 45 vs. New Mexico). It was the most since 2021 (142)

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - OFFENSE
>> Camden Brown scores his first receiving TD of the season and third of his career; it was Hank Brown’s third TD pass of the season
>> Jarquez Hunter is now 13th among Auburn career rushers with 2,445 yards, passing Michael Dyer (2,335 from 2010-11 and Stacy Danley (2,427 from 1987-90); next is Kerryon Johnson (2,494 from 2015-17)
>> This is Hunter’s first 100-yard rushing game of the season and ninth of his career
>> Hunter scores his second rushing TD of the season and 19th of his career; his TD catch was the fourth of his career
>> Micah Riley scored his first touchdown of the season and his second career score
>> Hank Brown is the first Auburn QB with 4 TD passes in his first start since Jeremy Johnson (4 TD) vs. Western Carolina in 2013. He ended the night with 17 completions on 25 attempts for 235 yards.
>> Rivaldo Fairweather’s TD catch was his first of the season and his seventh at Auburn
>> Damari Alston’s 22-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was his second of the season and fourth of his career

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - DEFENSE
>> Jerrin Thompson’s interception was Auburn’s first of the season
>> Antonio Kite’s interception was the first of his Auburn career

INDIVIDUAL NOTES - SPECIAL TEAMS
>> Jeremiah Cobb’s 66-yard kickoff return was a career long and the longest by an Auburn player since a 72-yard return by Nehemiah Pritchett in 2021 vs. Georgia State
>> Auburn has converted 130 consecutive point-after kicks dating back to the second kick of the 2021 season; freshman Towns McGough is now 17-17 on PAT
>> Oscar Chapman is now third among Auburn career leaders with 210 career punts; next is Damon Duval (227 from 1999-2002)

Postgame Press Conference