2014 Auburn Tigers football team

2014 Auburn Tigers football
Outback Bowl, L 31–34 vs. Wisconsin
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 23
AP	No. 22
Record	8–5 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Gus Malzahn (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Rhett Lashlee (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Dameyune Craig (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Hurry-up no-huddle
Defensive coordinator	Ellis Johnson (2nd year) Charlie Harbison (bowl)
Base defense	4–2–5
Captain	Reese Dismukes Gabe Wright
Home stadium	Jordan–Hare Stadium
Seasons ← 2013 2015 →

2014 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 14 Missouri x		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 9 Georgia		6	–	2					10	–	3
Florida		4	–	4					7	–	5
Tennessee		3	–	5					7	–	6
South Carolina		3	–	5					7	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6					5	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					3	–	9
Western Division
No. 4 Alabama x$^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 11 Mississippi State		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 17 Ole Miss *		5	–	3					9	–	4
No. 22 Auburn		4	–	4					8	–	5
LSU *		4	–	4					8	–	5
Texas A&M		3	–	5					8	–	5
Arkansas		2	–	6					7	–	6
Championship: Alabama 42, Missouri 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * LSU and Ole Miss vacated all wins (except for Ole Miss' win over Presbyterian) due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Gus Malzahn, who was in his second season as head coach at Auburn. The Tigers played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).^[1] They finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Western Division. They were invited to the Outback Bowl where they lost to Wisconsin.

Before the season

Shortly after the season, Heisman Trophy finalist junior running back Tre Mason—who broke Bo Jackson's school record for rushing yards in a single season—as well as redshirt sophomore left tackle Greg Robinson declared their intentions to forgo their remaining eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.

Recruiting class

The Tigers notched their fifth consecutive recruiting class ranked within the top 10 nationally. Five signees enrolled prior to spring practice, while the rest enrolled in the summer.

US college sports recruiting information for 2014 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Kalvaraz Bessent CB	St. Marys, Georgia	Camden County High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	–	Dec 9, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Markell Boston S	Sharpsburg, Georgia	East Coweta High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Oct 29, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Myron Burton WR	Lawrenceville, Georgia	Peachtree Ridge High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	–	Oct 12, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Xavier Dampeer C	Mendenhall, Mississippi	Copiah-Lincoln Community College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	–	Oct 6, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
DeShaun Davis LB	Prichard, Alabama	Vigor High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	224 lb (102 kg)	–	Apr 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Rashaad Kennion DE	Jacksonville, Florida	First Coast High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	–	Jul 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
DaVonte Lambert DE	Keysville, Georgia	Georgia Military College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	–	Dec 18, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Devaroe Lawrence DT	Greenville, South Carolina	Georgia Military College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	–	Nov 23, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chris Laye TE	Cumming, Georgia	Lambert High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	–	Apr 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jakell Mitchell TE	Opelika, Alabama	Opelika High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	May 25, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Derrick Moncrief S	Prattville, Alabama	Gulf Coast Community College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	226 lb (103 kg)	–	May 10, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kamryn Pettway RB	Prattville, Alabama	Prattville High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	–	Mar 30, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stephen Roberts S	Opelika, Alabama	Opelika High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	–	Nov 20, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Nicholas Ruffin CB	Duluth, Georgia	St. Pius X Catholic High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	–	May 25, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dontavius Russell DT	Carrollton, Georgia	Carrollton High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	298 lb (135 kg)	–	Dec 12, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Braden Smith OL	Olathe, Kansas	Olathe South High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	–	Feb 5, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Racean Thomas RB	Anniston, Alabama	Oxford High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	–	Aug 2, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Justin Thornton DE	Prichard, Alabama	Vigor High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	May 12, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Stanton Truitt WR	Monroe, Georgia	Monroe Area High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	177 lb (80 kg)	–	Dec 18, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Joseph Turner CB	Sacramento, California	College of San Mateo	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Feb 12, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Sean White QB	Boca Raton, Florida	University School of Nova South	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	–	Jul 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Andrew Williams DE	McDonough, Georgia	Eagle's Landing Christian Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	–	Feb 5, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
D’haquille Williams WR	Laplace, Louisiana	Gulf Coast Community College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Jul 21, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tre Williams LB	Mobile, Alabama	St. Paul's Episcopal School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	May 8, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8   Rivals: 9  247Sports: 6  ESPN: 8
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Auburn Signee List 2014". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Aubun". Scout.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014. "2014 Player Signees – Auburn". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014.

Spring game

The Tigers spring game 'A-Day' was held on Saturday April 19. The Blue team defeated the White team 58-3 with quarterback Nick Marshall and linebacker Kenny Flowers earning offensive and defensive MVP honors respectively. 70,645 fans attended the game, the second most in school history after the previous year's A-Day, which had 83,401 in attendance.

Fall practice and preseason

Auburn lost starting DE Carl Lawson and reserve defensive end Keymiya Harrell to ACL injuries as well as starting OG Alex Kozan to a back injury. DT Tyler Nero's career is likely over after he collapsed during spring practice. OL Shane Callahan transferred to the University of Colorado, while Auburn added two transfers in former Ole Miss starting OG Austin Golson and former Georgia starting SS Trey Matthews—both will have to sit out the 2014 season per NCAA transfer rules before regaining eligibility for the 2015 season.

Auburn had a league high 13 players make it on the all SEC list. The 1st team players included QB Nick Marshall, WR Sammie Coates, C Reese Dismukes, DT Gabe Wright. The 2nd team players included TE CJ Uzomah, OG Alex Kozan (out for season) and ST Robenson Therezie. 3rd team selections were RB Cory Grant, OG Chad Slade, DT Montravius Adams, DE Carl Lawson (out for season), LB Cassanova McKinzy and CB Jonathan Mincy.

• QB Nick Marshall is a finalist for the Maxwell (Best Player), Davey O'Brien (QB) and Walter Camp Award (QB)
• WR Sammie Coates is a finalist for the Maxwell(Best Player) and Blietnekoff Award (WR) and AFCA's Good Works Team (off field award)
• TE CJ Uzomah is a finalist for the Mackey Award (TE)
• C Reese Dismukes is a finalist for the Rimington Award (C) and Lombardi (top lineman or LB)
• LB Kris Frost is a finalist for Butkus Award (LB)
• ST Robenson Therezie is a finalist for the Bednarik Award (top defensive player)

Senior starting CB Jonathan Mincy was arrested for 2nd degree marijuana possession and senior starting QB Nick Marshall was cited for possession of a small amount of marijuana (under once ounce) during the off-season. It was both players' first drug-related offenses. Mincy is currently going through a pre-trial diversion after his arrest. Both players did not start for the first game against Arkansas (however they would both see the field later in the game) and served some other undisclosed punishment.

Senior starting ST Robenson Therezie faced an undisclosed eligibility issue during fall camp, however he would be cleared to play just prior to the season opener against Arkansas.

Personnel

Roster and staff

2014 Auburn Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 D'haquille Williams Jr WR 3 Dominic Walker  Fr WR 4 Quan Bray Sr WR 5 Ricardo Louis Jr QB 6 Jeremy Johnson So WR 8 Tony Stevens So RB 9 Roc Thomas Fr WR 10 Stanton Truitt  Fr TE 11 Brandon Fulse Sr QB 12 Jonathan Wallace Jr QB 13 Sean White Fr QB 14 Nick Marshall Sr QB 16 Tucker Tuberville So QB 17 Ben Durand Jr WR 18 Sammie Coates  Jr RB 20 Corey Grant  Sr RB 25 Peyton Barber  Fr RB 30 Damien Lewis So WR 31 Mark White So TE 31 Jakell Mitchell Fr TE 32 Wade Norberg Jr RB 36 Kamryn Pettway Fr TE 37 Hunter Wood  Fr WR 39 B.J. Trimble Jr FB 40 Gage Batten  So RB 41 Patrick Lymon  Sr WR 42 Blake Chapman  Fr TE 43 Spencer Smith So RB 44 Cameron Artis-Payne Sr RB 46 Lawyer Tillman Jr TE 47 Chris Laye Fr TE 48 Kyle Sitzler  Fr FB 49 Patrick Young Jr C 50 Reese Dismukes Sr OT 51 Patrick Miller Jr C 52 Xavier Dampeer Jr G 53 Devonte Danzey Jr OT 56 Avery Young  So G 62 Chad Slade  Sr G 63 Alex Kozan   So OL 66 Kevin Austin  Fr G 70 Robert Leff  So OT 71 Braden Smith Fr OT 72 Shon Coleman  So OL 73 Austin Golson So OT 74 Will Adams  So G 75 Deon Mix  Fr G 76 Jordan Diamond   So OL 79 Joshua Thompson  Fr WR 80 Marcus Davis So TE 81 C. J. Uzomah Sr WR 82 Melvin Ray Jr TE 83 Michael Clifton So WR 84 Myron Burton Fr TE 85 Wirth Campbell Jr WR 87 Gray King  Fr WR 89 Jaylon Denson  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 1 Montravius Adams So CB 3 Jonathan Jones Jr CB 6 Jonathan Mincy  Sr LB 8 Cassanova McKinzy Jr S 9 Jermaine Whitehead Sr DE 10 LaDarius Owens  Sr S 11 Markell Boston Fr DB 12 Mack VanGorder Jr S 14 Stephen Roberts Fr S 15 Josh Holsey Jr LB 16 JaViere Mitchell  So LB 17 Kris Frost  Jr ST 19 Nick Ruffin Fr ST 21 Mackenro Alexander So LB 22 Khari Harding So S 23 Jonathan Ford So S 24 Derrick Moncrief Jr CB 25 Trovon Reed  Sr ST 26 Justin Garrett  Jr ST 27 Robenson Therezie Sr CB 28 T.J. Davis  So S 29 Brandon King Sr LB 30 Tre Williams Fr DB 32 Nosakhere Griggs Jr DB 33 Niko Anthony Sr LB 33 Kenny Flowers Jr CB 35 Joseph Turner Jr DB 36 Michael Sherwood  Fr CB 37 Kamryn Melton So DB 38 Adam Dyas Sr S 39 Tray Matthews So LB 40 Daniel Pond Jr CB 41 Kalvaraz Bessent Fr DE 42 Gimel President  So LB 43 Anthony Swain  Jr DE 45 Keymiya Harrell   Jr LB 47 Cameron Toney  Fr DT 50 Ben Bradley Sr DT 54 Jeffery Whitaker   Sr DE 55 Carl Lawson  So LB 57 Grant Smith  Fr LB 57 DeShaun Davis Fr LB 58 Josh Shockley  Fr DE 59 Raashed Kennion Fr DL 60 Alec Brown  Fr DL 67 Chase Robinson So DL 68 Kyle Bolstad So DE 79 Andrew Williams Fr DE 86 DaVonte Lambert  Jr DT 90 Gabe Wright Sr DE 92 Justin Thornton Fr DE 93 JaBrian Niles  Jr DT 94 Devaroe Lawrence So DT 95 Dontavius Russell Fr DL 96 Aaron Garrison  Fr DE 97 Elijah Daniel So DT 98 Angelo Blackson Sr DL 99 Brian Walsh Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 27 Rice Logan  Fr P 28 Jimmy Hutchinson  Fr P 29 Tyler Stovall  Fr K/P 38 Daniel Carlson  Fr K 39 Alex Kviklys Jr DS 48 Forrest Hill Sr DS 58 Zach Wade  Fr K 64 Duncan McKinney Jr DT 69 Ike Powell So P 84 Jack Bjork  Fr P 85 Matthew Shiel  Fr K/P 91 Jarrod Fuqua  Fr	Head coach Gus Malzahn – 2nd year Coordinators/assistant coaches Rodney Garner (Associate head coach / Defensive Line) – 2nd year Rhett Lashlee (Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks) – 2nd year Dameyune Craig (Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers) – 2nd year Ellis Johnson (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers) – 2nd year Charlie Harbison (Co-Defensive Coordinator / Safeties) – 2nd year Scott Fountain (Special Teams / Tight Ends) – 2nd year Tim Horton (Running Backs) – 2nd year J.B. Grimes (Offensive Linemen) – 2nd year Melvin Smith (Cornerbacks) – 2nd year Bobby Bentley (Offensive Analyst) – 1st year Ryan Russell (Strength and Conditioning) – 2nd year Jonathan Brewer (Graduate Assistant) – 2nd year Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 26, 2014

Returning starters

Depth chart

As of November 4, 2014

Injured/Suspended

• DE Carl Lawson (ACL: Season)
• OG Alex Kozan (Back: Season)
• OG Jordan Diamond (Shoulder: Season)
• WR Stanton Truitt (Shoulder: Season)
• DL Jared Kennett (Shoulder: Season)

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	3:00 p.m.	Arkansas	No. 6	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama (SEC Nation)	SECN	W 45–21	87,451
September 6	6:00 p.m.	San Jose State*	No. 5	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama	ESPN2	W 59–13	87,451
September 18	6:30 p.m.	at No. 20 Kansas State*	No. 5	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, Kansas	ESPN	W 20–14	53,046
September 27	3:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*	No. 5	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama	SECN	W 45–17	87,451
October 4	6:00 p.m.	No. 15 LSU	No. 5	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama (Tiger Bowl)	ESPN	W 41–7	87,451
October 11	2:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Mississippi State	No. 2	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, Mississippi (College GameDay)	CBS	L 23–38	62,945
October 25	6:30 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 5	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama	SECN	W 42–35	87,451
November 1	6:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Ole Miss	No. 3	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, Mississippi (rivalry)	ESPN	W 35–31	62,090
November 8	2:30 p.m.	Texas A&M	No. 3	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama	CBS	L 38–41	87,451
November 15	6:15 p.m.	at No. 15 Georgia	No. 9	Sanford Stadium Athens, Georgia (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)	ESPN	L 7–34	92,746
November 22	6:00 p.m.	Samford*	No. 14	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, Alabama	ESPNU	W 31–7	87,451
November 29	6:45 p.m.	at No. 1 Alabama	No. 15	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Iron Bowl) (College GameDay)	ESPN	L 44–55	101,821
January 1, 2015	11:00 a.m.	vs. No. 18 Wisconsin*	No. 19	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida (Outback Bowl)	ESPN2	L 31–34 OT	44,023
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 28) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source: "2014 Auburn Tigers Football Schedule". FBS Schedules. Retrieved January 4, 2014.

Game summaries

Arkansas

Jeremy Johnson started in place of Nick Marshall, and played until halftime. The defense was steamrolled at the beginning of the game, allowing 21 points in the first half, and the offense in the first half scored 21 points. Nick Marshall, who was suspended for the entire first half for a drug related citation, led Auburn's offense to 24 second half points. Auburn's defense improved greatly in the second half allowing 0 points in that period, forcing several dropped passes to wide open receivers. Auburn won its season debut.

A nearby thunderstorm caused a delay of one hour and 28 minutes in the 4th quarter at 9 minutes, 55 seconds remaining. Auburn now leads the all-time series 13–10–1.

San Jose State

The second game of the season was against the San Jose State Spartans. The Tigers and Spartans had previously never met on the gridiron before. The Tigers now lead the series 1–0–0.

Auburn struggled on defense early, giving up some big plays, most notably a 75-yard touchdown pass from Blake Jurich to Tyler Ervin. On Auburn's first possession Nick Marshall ran 39 yards but lost the ball in the end zone resulting in a touchback. Auburn only gave up one touchdown and two field goals against the Spartans. Quan Bray had Auburn's first punt return for a touchdown since Chris Davis against Tennessee in 2013. Jermaine Whitehead also became the first Auburn player to record interceptions in back-to-back games since 2007. Roc Thomas got his first carries as an Auburn Tiger late in the game, and his first carry was a touchdown. This was also Cameron Artis-Payne's first multi-touchdown game. Auburn is now 2-0 and 1-0 in SEC play. The 2004 undefeated team was honored during the pregame ceremony.

Kansas State

In a rare Thursday night game, Auburn traveled to Kansas State. Auburn struck first with a field goal after a fumble by Kansas State was recovered by Auburn. Kansas State scored a touchdown in the second quarter. Auburn, however, struck back with a touchdown pass from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis. Auburn then scored the next 10 points, all during the fourth quarter. Kansas State then scored a touchdown with less than 5 minutes to go. Then, Auburn's last drive ended up in a 3rd and 9, and Nick Marshall threw the ball to Duke Williams who made an impressive reception to seal the win for Auburn. After this game, the Tigers lead the all-time series 4-0-0.

Louisiana Tech

The fourth game of the season was against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Auburn was up 24–0 late in the second quarter before Louisiana Tech scored a field goal to end the half. There was a time when it was somewhat close early in the third quarter as Auburn only led 24–10. Auburn's offense then started scoring more points, especially Quan Bray who had two touchdowns in the second half and three touchdowns overall including two touchdown receptions and one punt return for a touchdown. Auburn ended up with a great homecoming victory 45-17. Auburn now leads the all-time series 12-0-1.

LSU

Auburn struck first with a 46-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson which was his longest so far this season. The offense then lit up scoring 17 points in the first quarter. The defense only allowed one LSU touchdown, taking advantage of Les Miles's decision to have true freshman QB Brandon Harris have his 1st career start on the road at night in JHS. In the second quarter, Auburn scored 14 more points and the defense held LSU scoreless in that period. At halftime, the score was Auburn 31, LSU 7. Daniel Carlson got a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. LSU did not convert a single third down, they were 0–13. Auburn stopped LSU on fourth down three times. It was a big conference win for Auburn. The win improved Auburn's all-time record against LSU to 21–27–1.

Mississippi State

College GameDay was in town for a road test against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In their weekly "Saturday Selections" segment, David Pollack, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso, and special guest picker Jonathan Papelbon all picked Mississippi State. Kirk Herbstreit picked Auburn and moderator Chris Fowler did not pick. Two turnovers on the first 2 offensive plays of the game for AU were costly for Auburn as Mississippi State scored 14 points off the turnovers. Mississippi State had four turnovers in the game which led to 13 points for Auburn. The game-changing play was when Ricardo Louis fumbled on a kickoff return leading to a Mississippi State touchdown. The Tigers now lead the all-time series 61–25–2.

South Carolina

In a game that proved to be a harder challenge than many expected, South Carolina took Auburn down to the wire before the Tiger defense stepped up at the end. An offensive battle took place as neither defense could stop the opposing offense. Each team only punted once during the game and when South Carolina punted Quan Bray fumbled on the return and the ball was recovered by South Carolina. That was the Tigers' only turnover of the game. South Carolina turned the ball over three times (all interceptions) including one inside the twenty yard line, and two in the end zone, which included one on the hail mary attempt as time expired. Cassanova McKinzy had one interception and Jonathan Jones had two interceptions. The Tigers had won a shootout 42-35. An interesting note is that Steve Spurrier "went for it" on 4th down several times, converting all of them except 1. The win was the sixth win of the season for Auburn, which meant they were bowl eligible. With the victory, Auburn's all-time record against South Carolina moved to 10-1-1.

Ole Miss

Auburn struck first after an incomplete pass (the official said Duke Williams bobbled it as he was going out of bounds) was reviewed and overturned. As a result of the review, the ball was placed at the 3-yard line. Nick Marshall then ran into the end zone for the touchdown. Ole Miss started with a punt on offense. Ole Miss struck next after a big run by Bo Wallace. Penalties cost Auburn greatly and they had a season high number of penalties. Nick Marshall also had a turnover in the red zone that also cost the Tigers greatly. Ole Miss was threatening to score with six and a half minutes to go, but Kris Frost knocked the ball out of Bo Wallace's hands resulting in a turnover for Auburn. Later, Auburn recovered a fumble in the end zone after it was ruled a touchdown, but review gave Auburn the ball. At the very end, Auburn came up with one last stop as time expired giving Auburn a 35-31 win. With the win, Auburn is now 29-10 all-time against Ole Miss.

Texas A&M

Auburn allowed a Texas A&M touchdown early putting the Tigers down 7-0. On the Tigers' first offensive possession, Cameron Artis-Payne fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Texas A&M leading to another Aggies score. Cameron Artis-Payne scored twice in the first quarter making the score 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. Auburn could only muster up a field goal in the second quarter while the defense allowed two A&M touchdowns. On the final play of the second quarter, a Daniel Carlson field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown making the halftime score Texas A&M 35, Auburn 17. Auburn started to come back in the third quarter, holding A&M to a field goal and scoring a touchdown. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Auburn scored again making the score 38-31 Texas A&M with plenty of time to play. Auburn allowed an A&M field goal, but scored quickly reducing the deficit to three points. With Auburn near the goal line and with less than two minutes remaining, Auburn's Nick Marshall fumbled the ball, and Texas A&M recovered. Auburn's defense then forced a three-and-out with only a little over a minute to play. A field goal would have tied it and a touchdown would have given the Tigers the lead, but a botched snap was recovered by Texas A&M. The Aggies then ran out the clock to upset Auburn 41-38. A&M now leads the series 4-1 all-time.

Georgia

The Tigers struck first on the very first possession of the game, but were shut out for the rest of the game. Penalties, turnovers, man defense in the secondary, an all-in quarterback spy, and the inability to stop Georgia's offense contributed to a 34-7 loss. The series is now tied 55-55-8. This game marked the end of Todd Gurley's suspension.

Samford

After a scoreless first quarter, Samford scored first in the second quarter. However, Auburn scored 31 unanswered en route to an easy 31-7 win on Senior Night. Samford coach Pat Sullivan played at Auburn, and was the Tigers' first Heisman Trophy winner. Auburn now leads the series 27-0-1. Auburn kept star receivers Duke Williams and Ricardo Louis out of the game so they could nurse injuries before the Iron Bowl rivalry game against Alabama.

Alabama

In the twelfth and final game of the regular season, Auburn traveled to Tuscaloosa to face their arch-rival Alabama. Alabama now leads the overall series 43–35–1. College GameDay was in Tuscaloosa for this game, making it the second time the traveling show was live from the location of an Auburn game this season (October 11 vs. Mississippi State). Every analyst picked Alabama to win. On the first play from scrimmage, Auburn turned the ball over on a failed lateral from Nick Marshall to Roc Thomas and Alabama scored on the drive after the fumble. Alabama scored again after Auburn got to the three yard line, but had to settle for a field goal. Auburn then scored ten unanswered points before the defense allowed a late Alabama drive for a touchdown on 4th and goal. Auburn then scored ten more unanswered points after the touchdown and after a Blake Sims interception. The halftime score was Auburn 26 and Alabama 20.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Alabama scored a touchdown and completed a two-point conversion to take the lead at 42-36. Auburn regained possession of the ball, but Nick Marshall was unable to make a 3rd-down conversion and the ball was punted back to Alabama. The Auburn defense was unable to prevent Alabama from rapidly progressing downfield and scoring with a touchdown pass to DeAndrew White. This made the score 48-36 Alabama. Saban opted to attempt another 2-point conversion to widen the gap, but this failed when Blake Sims was pushed out of bounds.

Upon repossession of the ball, Auburn successfully completed passes downfield but was unable to make a first down. Alabama regained the ball.

Wisconsin

On December 7, it was announced that #19 Auburn and #18 Wisconsin would meet in the Outback Bowl. Auburn fired defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson prior to this game and it was announced that Charlie Harbison would be the interim defensive coordinator for this game. Wisconsin's coach Gary Andersen left for Oregon State so the Badgers' athletic director Barry Alvarez will coach the Badgers in this game. The all-time series is tied 1-1-1 and Wisconsin won the last meeting 28–14 in the 2006 Capital One Bowl. With the win, Wisconsin takes the series lead 2-1-1.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	6	5	5	5	5	5	2 (23)	6	5	4	3	9	16	15	20	19	22
Coaches	5	5	5	5	5	5	2 (16)	8	6	4	3	9	17	16	21	19	23
CFP	Not released									3	3	9	14	15	19	19	Not released

2015 NFL Draft

Name	Position	Round	Pick	Team
Sammie Coates	WR	3	87	Pittsburgh Steelers
Angelo Blackson	DT	4	100	Tennessee Titans
Gabe Wright	DT	4	113	Detroit Lions
C. J. Uzomah	TE	5	157	Cincinnati Bengals
Cameron Artis-Payne	RB	5	174	Carolina Panthers

Undrafted free agents

Name	Position	Team
Reese Dismukes	C	Pittsburgh Steelers
Nick Marshall	CB/QB	Jacksonville Jaguars
Corey Grant	RB	Jacksonville Jaguars
Jermaine Whitehead	S	San Francisco 49ers
Chad Slade	OG	Houston Texans
Quan Bray	WR	Indianapolis Colts
Trovon Reed	CB	Seattle Seahawks
Patrick Miller	OT	San Francisco 49ers
Robensen Therezie	S	Atlanta Falcons
Johnathan Mincy	CB	Atlanta Falcons
Brandon Fulse	TE	Chicago Bears
Brandon King	LB/S	New England Patriots

References