Auburn defeats San José State 24-16

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - The Auburn Tigers have defeated the San José State Spartans for the third time since the two teams first met in 2014.

While the first quarter was scoreless, the Spartans controlled the first half.

San José State kicker Taren Schive scored a 33-yard field goal with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter, the first points of the game.

Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter answered back when he rushed for a seven-yard touchdown with 6:31 remaining in the second quarter, briefly putting the Tigers in the lead, 7-3.

With only 58 seconds before halftime, the Spartans reclaimed the top spot as running back Kairee Robinson scored a one-yard touchdown.

San José State led Auburn 10-7 at halftime.

But the Tigers were on the prowl in the second half of the game. With 11:45 remaining in the third quarter, running back Tank Bigsby scored a one-yard TD rush. The Tigers later scored another field goal to give them a 17-10 lead over the Spartans by the end of the third quarter.

San José State was able to score a field goal within seconds of the fourth quarter of the game. Auburn quickly answered that with another score as quarterback T.J. Finley rushed for a four-yard touchdown with 12:45 remaining.

With 2:11 left in the game, the Spartans scored another field goal, but it was took late for a comeback.

The Auburn Tigers won the game 24-16 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I was proud of our team. I told them that in the locker room, just to finish and play well enough in the second half to win,” said Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin. “We didn’t do that at times on last year’s team. So that was something that we emphasized from January, and we emphasized all the way through fall camp and still into this game. And that was something we talked about in the second half. We didn’t play well like we wanted to in the first half, and then we found ways to get the job done in the second half. So overall, I was proud of our guys from that standpoint.”

Auburn is now 2-0 for the season. They will remain at home next week as they take on Penn State at 2:30 p.m. CST.

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