KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee football took on the Auburn Tigers inside Neyland Stadium Saturday afternoon. The first half was a defensive battle with solid work by the Vols’ punt team and defense. Auburn however took a 7-3 lead to the half. If you missed the first-half, here is a recap.
Faizon Brandon completed an 8-yard pass to tight end Trent Thomas on the first play of the game. The offensive line gave Brandon great protection on that play. However, after DeSean Bishop ran for six yards and the first down, the drive stalled. That marked the first time this season that Tennessee failed to score on the opening drive.
With the injuries on the offensive line, the starting set up front was LT David Sanders Jr., LG Nic Moore, C Sam Pendleton, RG Donovan Haslam and RT Jesse Perry.
Joel Wyatt did a great job by beating the gunner on the punt to force a fair catch inside the 10. Auburn’s drive went minimal yards and Tennessee got the ball back with good field position. On third-and-3, a false start by Stanton Ramil backed the Tigers up to third-and-8.
Auburn’s defense threw different looks at Tennessee on the next drive and sacked Brandon twice. The first sack may have been caused by Brandon being a little unsettled. The second was schemed up perfectly and no one was there to block pressure up the middle, as Da’Shawn Womack twisted around from the edge. Pendleton washed down on the guy lined up over him, and that left a massive hole with no one there.
Tennessee’s special teams played a solid role, and punter Jackson Ross gave his gunners time to pin Auburn deep in its own territory again. Auburn did nothing with it and the Vols took it right back. Ross averaged 50 yards on his first two punts.
The Vols’ offense had trouble early and often. D.J. Durkin dialed up pressure and the inability to adjust proved to be a nuisance for Brandon and Tennessee. Auburn, on the other hand, shot itself in the foot with pre-snap penalties, and that gave Tennessee the freedom to pressure Byrum Brown effectively. Carson Gentle picked up his first sack of the season to force a three-and-out.
Just when Tennessee looked like things were moving in the right direction, the drive stalled to a punt. Bishop began with 21 yards on two plays before the drive went on a downward spiral. Ross and Wyatt once again pinned Auburn deep, this time on the 1-yard line. The Tigers went on to a three-and-out. That forced a punt from the back of the end zone, and Tennessee got the ball back in Auburn’s territory.
Daune Morris took the carry load on the next drive, and Tennessee went into 12 personnel. Morris gained 29 yards on six carries. The Vols were moving with momentum until Pendleton snapped it before Brandon was ready. That loss of seven yards put the Vols in third-and-long, and the drive ended with a 36-yard Cooper Ranvier field goal to give them a 3-0 lead.
Tennessee created its first break of the first half on third-and-5, when Brown was sacked by Mariyon Dye, who forced a fumble that Arion Carter recovered. However, Tennessee could not take advantage. Bishop appeared to race for a 40-yard touchdown on the drive, but a blindside block called on Braylon Staley wiped it off the board. Then on third-and-1, Morris lost the ball and Auburn’s Jared Smith recovered.
The Vol defense once again did its job and forced Auburn to punt. Brown tried a screen on third-and-5, but Carter and JJ Finch read it perfectly to shut the play down. But the Tigers got the ball right back as Brandon threw his first interception of the season. Xavier Atkins was right on the spot for the turnover.
That gave Auburn an 11-yard field to work with, but an illegal snap pushed the Tigers back five yards before the drive started. Auburn had several pre-snap penalties in the half, and it helped the Vols out tremendously. But on third-and-7, Brown fended off pressure and shed Vol defenders to run for a touchdown. Auburn took a 7-3 lead after the Alex McPherson extra point.
With 3:42 left in the first half, Tennessee went to George MacIntyre at quarterback for the next drive. However, he started at the 2-yard line after Morris fielded the kick and his knee touched the ground. Tennessee opened the drive with three consecutive runs by Bishop for 12 yards before MacIntyre hit Mike Matthews on a short throw that went for 13 yards.
MacIntyre made some quick pass decisions and moved the ball up the field and into Auburn territory. He went 5-for-5 on the drive but the clock ran out before the Vols could clock it and get the field goal team on the field.
