AUBURN 22, APPALACHIAN STATE 15
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - Ben Leard threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to
Ronney Daniels with 38 seconds to play Saturday to help Auburn
beat pesky Appalachian State 22-15 in a season opener.
Leard, who replaced starter Gabe Gross midway through the third
quarter, pump-faked once then tossed the ball to Daniels, who was
streaking down the left sideline.
Larry Casher sealed the victory by intercepting a pass by
Appalachian State's David Reaves in the end zone as time expired.
It also made coach Tommy Tuberville's Auburn debut a success.
The Tigers, coming off a nightmarish 3-8 season that was their
worst since 1952, were supposed to open the season at No. 1
Florida State. But in an effort to prevent embarrassing
themselves, the Tigers paid $500,000 to get out of the game.
The move almost backfired as Auburn struggled all night with
Division I-AA Appalachian State.
Appalachian State beat the Tigers up and down the field,
outgaining them 323 yards to 288. The Mountaineers also had the
ball almost five minutes longer than Auburn did.
The Mountaineers, who led 15-7 until late in the third quarter,
had several chances to extend the lead but failed when Stuart
Jones missed two field goals and an extra point.
Auburn struggled throughout the first half. The Tigers had only
54 yards and two first downs through the first two quarters --
and trailed 12-7 at halftime.
Gross, who threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Daniels in the first
quarter, couldn't generate any offense after that. He was 5-of-14
for 25 yards and two interceptions when Leard replaced him.
Leard, who started five games last season before losing his job
to Gross, immediately ignited the Tigers. He led a nine-play
drive that ended in Rusty Williams' 1-yard TD plunge. Leard's
2-point conversion pass to Markeith Cooper tied it 15-15 with
2:23 to play in the third.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead on their next
possessions, but Jones missed a 27-yard field goal and Auburn's
Robert Bironas failed on a 31-yard attempt.
Leard finished 10-of-19 with 159 yards and a touchdown. Reaves
was 22-for-36 with 196 yards and a touchdown, with an
interception.
AUBURN 22, Appalachian State 15
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH FINAL
--- --- --- --- -----
Appalachian St. 0 12 3 0 15
Auburn 7 0 8 7 22
First Quarter
Aub-Daniels 15 pass from Gross (Bironas kick), 8:14
Second Quarter
App-Cornatzer 1 run (kick failed), 13:51
App-Overman 13 pass from Reaves (pass failed), 4:52
Third Quarter
App-FG Jones 27, 10:05
Aub-Williams 1 run (Cooper pass from Leard), 2:23
Fourth Quarter
Aub-Daniels 33 pass from Leard (Bironas kick), :38
APP AUB
--- ---
First downs 16 16
Rushes-yards 31-127 34-104
Passing 196 184
Comp-Att-Int 22-38-1 15-33-2
Return Yards 113 142
Punts-Avg. 8-37.6 9-37.8
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 5-33 4-40
Time of Possession 32:24 27:36
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Appalachian St. Jeremiah 4-41, Razzak 12-31, Reaves 7-25,
Cornatzer 6-25, Albea 2-5. Auburn, Williams 21-98, Evans 5-14,
Leard 1-5, Gross 1-5, Owens 1-2, Cooper 4-6.
PASSING-Appalachian St. Reaves 22-36-1-196, Jeremiah 0-2-0-0.
Auburn, Leard 10-19-0-159, Gross 5-14-2-25.
RECEIVING-Appalachian St. Skinner 9-98, Slade 4-23, Razzak 3-11,
Manuel 2-22, Wilcox 2-17, Overman 1-13, Cornatzer 1-12. Auburn,
Daniels 4-73, Worthy 4-50, Cooper 2-26, Willis 2-22, Williams
1-7, Hooker 1-5, T. Robinson 1-1.
A-78,123.
Copyright: Infobeat Sports - 1999