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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Rudi Johnson just kept going, shaking off would-be tacklers and dragging another into the end zone.
|  | | Auburn's Rudy Johnson looks for openings on his game-salting 70-yard TD scamper. Johnson scored three times. |
The Auburn tailback rambled 70 yards for his third touchdown with 3:24 left in the game to lift the Tigers to a 35-21 season-opening victory over Wyoming on Thursday night.
"I was just kind of wondering when he was going to get tackled," said quarterback Ben Leard, who threw for 266 yards and a pair of TDs. "It was just a spectacular run."
It capped an impressive Auburn debut for Johnson. The junior college transfer rushed for 174 yards on 27 carries for the Tigers' highest rushing total since Stephen Davis gained 186 against Georgia in 1994.
"Rudi took over, breaking tackles, making big plays," Auburn
coach Tommy Tuberville said. "When he broke that big one, he
probably broke seven or eight tackles."
The Tigers' 26th victory in their last 27 non-conference games
didn't come without a scare.
The Cowboys rallied from a 28-7 deficit on two TD passes from Jay Stoner to Ryan McGuffey in a four-minute span of the fourth quarter.
"It was a scary moment there," Tuberville said. "But
hopefully, we'll be able to look back when Rudi broke that one for
70 and say, 'That was the beginning."'
The 230-pounder shed two would-be tacklers downfield and dragged cornerback Sidney Lewis most of the final 10 yards to score.
"People just kept jumping on his back, and he was just shedding them," offensive tackle Kendall Simmons said.
Simmons said he was thinking, "Go, Rudi, Go." Johnson was
thinking: don't go down -- and don't fumble.
"I saw a couple of guys coming from the side, and I knew I had
to make one miss," said Johnson, who rushed for a 6-yard score in
the second quarter and a 33-yarder in the third, recovering from a
lost fumble on his second carry.
"Then, when I felt one of them come up behind me, I knew I just had to keep moving. They were trying to strip the ball, and I knew I didn't want to fumble on the goal line."
Johnson and most of Auburn's other starters appeared done for
the night before sub Ronnie Brown fumbled at the Auburn 12. That
set up McGuffey's 12-yarder from Stoner with 7:49 to play.
Auburn's first team returned, but Wyoming stopped Johnson for a
1-yard loss on three carries to force a punt.
Stoner then led a seven-play, 60-yard drive capped by his
8-yarder to McGuffey with 3:52 to play. Stoner was 4-of-5 for 41
yards on the drive.
Two plays later, Johnson sealed the win for Auburn.
"We fought hard, but we just have a lot of learning and growing up to do," said first-year Wyoming coach Vic Koenning. "All we ask of our guys is to do the best that they can do."
Leard, who finished 12-of-19 passing, threw touchdown passes of 66 yards to Ronney Daniels and 15 yards to tight end Robert Johnson in the first quarter. Leard was 9-of-14 for 228 yards before halftime.
Stoner finished 19-of-35 for 158 yards with an interception.
Wyoming's first score came on a perfectly executed trick play
late in the first quarter. Receiver Matt Swanson, also the backup
quarterback, took a pitch from Stoner and heaved a 55-yarder to
Brock Ralph, streaking alone down the sideline.
Auburn outgained Wyoming 443-242 and held the Cowboys to minus-9
yards on 12 third-quarter plays. It was the Tigers' best yardage
output since gaining 550 against Louisiana Tech in 1997.
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ALSO SEE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL Scoreboard
Wyoming Clubhouse
Auburn Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Rudi Johnson rumbles 5 yards for the easy TD.
avi: 1038 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Rudi Johnson goes 70 yards for the touchdown against Wyoming.
avi: 1847 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ben Leard connects with Ronney Daniels for this 66-yard TD.
avi: 913 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was pleased with Rudi Johnson's performance.
wav: 79 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
An unstoppable Rudi Johnson thanks his offensive line.
wav: 143 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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