Chris Todd threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns as the Auburn Tigers recorded a hard-fought, 41-30 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers in a non-conference battle.
Darvin Adams made six catches for 80 yards and three touchdowns for Auburn (3-0), which is playing with tremendous confidence under the guidance of first-year head coach Gene Chizik.
Noel Devine rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns in defeat for West Virginia (2-1).
Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, Auburn took its first lead of the game on the third touchdown connection between Todd and Adams. The 17-yard strike put the Tigers ahead by a 34-30 margin.
West Virginia had a chance to drive down the field and win the game, but quarterback Jarrett Brown was intercepted on his own 15-yard line by Craig Stevens, who returned that pick for a score. That play brought the score to its final of 41-30.
Devine opened the game's scoring with a one-yard touchdown run, and followed that short plunge with a 71-yard touchdown scamper. Just 4:41 into the contest, the Mountaineers owned a 14-0 lead.
Auburn cut its deficit to 14-10 with a 46-yard field goal from Wes Byrum and a 16-yard touchdown pass from Todd to Adams.
An action-packed first quarter yielded more points when Brown tossed a six- yard scoring pass to Jock Sanders to extend the Mountaineers' advantage to 21-10 with 2:01 showing on the clock.
The second quarter was dominated by Auburn, which cut its deficit to 21-20 on the strength of a 42-yard Byrum field goal and a four-yard toss from Todd to Adams.
Devine found paydirt for the third time with 8:51 left in the third quarter, as he raced 12 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed, however, making the score 27-20 in favor of WVU.
Auburn then tied the score less than a minute later when Todd and Mario Fannin hooked up for an 82-yard pitch and catch.
The Mountaineers embarked on a 14-play drive to break the tie, and Tyler Bitancurt did so with a 28-yard field goal that made the score 30-27.
West Virginia lost the game despite racking up 509 total yards.
Game Notes
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