|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Rudi Johnson made up for a slow start with a
fast finish.
|  | | Auburn tight end Robert Johnson helped the Tigers get past Northern Illinois on Saturday. |
The Auburn tailback rambled 56 yards into the end zone with 2:47
left as the Tigers (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) survived a fourth-quarter rally to beat
Northern Illinois 31-14 on Saturday.
"Rudi Johnson comes to play in the fourth quarter. Thank
goodness," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We are 4-0 -- who
would have ever thought that?"
It's Auburn's first 4-0 start since 1997, but it didn't come
without a scare.
The Huskies (1-2) trimmed Auburn's 24-0 halftime lead to 10
points with a pair of TDs in a two-minute span of the fourth
quarter.
Then Johnson, held to 54 yards on his first 22 carries, shook
off a tackle behind the line and broke down the right sideline with
2:47 left. The 56-yarder, on third-and-2, gave him 110 yards, his
fourth straight 100-yard effort.
Johnson has scored fourth-quarter TDs in each of Auburn's games.
Northern Illinois is 0-8 against Southeastern Conference
opponents.
"We didn't come to Auburn for a moral victory, but I was proud
of the way our team came back in the second half," Huskies coach
Joe Novak said. "The only thing I told them (at halftime) was I
thought we could come in and compete and have a chance to win."
Leard was 15-of-19 for 174 yards, including TD passes to Reggie
Worthy and Ronney Daniels in the first half. He also threw his
first interception of the season.
His backup, Jeff Klein, threw a 7-yard TD pass to tight end
Robert Johnson in the first half. Damon Duval added a 43-yard field
goal on the final play of the half.
It would be the last damage Auburn's offense would do until Rudi
Johnson's run. Leard played only the first and last series of the
second half as coach Tommy Tuberville gave Klein and No. 3
quarterback Daniel Cobb action.
Leard bruised his hip in the first half and had stomach problems
at halftime.
"It's hard to keep continuity playing three quarterbacks,"
Tuberville said. "We wanted to play everybody we had no matter
what happened."
The passing connection of Chris Finlen and Justin McCareins
brought Northern Illinois back.
Finlen finished 15-of-29 for 218 yards with a touchdown and an
interception. McCareins caught 11 passes for 189 yards.
McCareins had six catches for 133 yards in the fourth, and
caught a 30-yarder to set up Thomas Hammock's 2-yard run with 12:09
left.
The ensuing onside kick try didn't go the required 10 yards, but
Auburn's Dontarrious Thomas scooped it up and lost control of the
ball. Vincent Reynolds recovered for Northern Illinois, which
cashed in with Finlen's 9-yard TD pass to McCareins with 9:53 to
play.
McCareins had a 40-yard catch and 7-yard run on the drive.
The Huskies threatened yet again on their next possession,
driving to Auburn's 24 before getting stymied by a holding penalty
and three straight incompletions.
Auburn answered with three straight carries by Johnson,
including the 56-yarder.
Leard was 14-of-16 for 164 yards in the first half, with an
interception in the end zone on his final attempt. Klein finished
5-of-8 for 38 yards with a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Robert
Johnson. Cobb came in on one series in the fourth.
The Tigers gained 289 first-half yards, even though Johnson
managed just 19 yards on 11 carries.
They actually lost yardage on five of their first 10 plays, but
still scored TDs on their first three drives. They opened the game
with Ronney Daniels' 58-yard flanker reverse and scored four plays
later on Leard's 7-yarder to Worthy.
Northern Illinois, meanwhile, had its 13-play opening drive end
in a fumble when Finlen couldn't handle a high snap. DeMarco McNeil
recovered for Auburn.
"Auburn is by far the best team that I have played against,"
McCareins said. "We came out in the second half and kept on
fighting."
|
|
ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Northern Illinois Clubhouse
Auburn Clubhouse
|
