WVU Scores 31 Unanswered To Beat Auburn Tigers, 34-17
It was a wild and crazy Thursday night football game as the West Virginia Mountaineers welcomed the Auburn Tiger to Mountaineer Field. After falling behind 17-3, WVU used its duo of Pat White and Noel Devine to get 31 unanswered points to beat the Tigers 34-17 on Oct. 23.
Auburn picked off a Pat White pass after WVU drove deep into the Tigers’ end of the field. With two minutes to go in the first period, the Tigers got a 19-yard field goal to take a 3-0 Tiger lead. Auburn once again intercepted a White pass, but the Mountaineers held. The Tigers got a 16-yard TD run early in the second period to take the wind out of WVU’s sails for a 10-0 lead.
But, two big runs by Devine and a personal foul penalty took the ball inside the Tiger 10-yard line, which led to a Pat McAfee 23-yard field goal.
A big 69-yard kick return set the Tigers up at the WVU 31. Three plays later, Auburn got a nine-yard TD run. It looked like it was going to be a long night in Morgantown. But, as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friends”. Back came the ‘Eers.
After Auburn recovered an onside kick, West Virginia strapped down their helmets and went to work and forced a punt.
WVU’s Devine got a 20-yard run to the Tiger 45, setting up a pass from White to Alrick Arrnett for a 44-yard TD pass. McAfee kicked the extra point to close the gap 17-10, midway through the second. The score was the same at the half.
After an Auburn punt started the third quarter. McAfee kicked a 42-yard field goal 17-13 Auburn. With a little under 11 minutes to go in the third, White hit Dorrell Jalloh for a three-yard TD pass to give the ‘Eers a 20-17 led after the McAfee point after.
In the fourth period WVU really put the game away as White connected again with Jalloh on a 32-yard TD pass for a 27-17 WVU lead early in the fourth.
The Mountaineers and the Tiger defenses stood tall for the next few drives, but the Mountaineers took it to the house from 30 yards out to put the game away and make the final score WVU 34 Auburn 17.
The leader on the ground was Devine as he rushed for 207 yards on 17 carries and found pay dirt once. He also came away with an average of 12.2 yards per carry.