Auburn football: Keys to Tigers' win over Utah State

KEY PLAYER

Barrett Trotter handled himself well for his first career start, completing 17 of his 23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns and engineering two scoring drives in the final 3½ minutes to lead the Tigers to a win.

KEY MOMENT

Down 38-35 with two minutes left, Auburn needed to recover an onside kick. Backup senior kicker Chandler Brooks struck the ball perfectly, getting it to bounce about 20 feet into the air, right into the arms of Emory Blake, setting up the Tigers’ game-winning drive.

KEY DECISION

Auburn rotated in defensive personnel at will, trying to find the right combination. The Tigers used at least 24 players on defense, occasionally subbing out the entire defensive line. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s goal is to create depth by giving everyone playing time. He hopes it pays off by the end of the year.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

“All the credit goes to Utah State. They played us real well. We were wrong for thinking coming in that they might be a cupcake team, and they really ran it down our throat the first half. We got lucky with this one.” -- Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen

BY THE NUMBERS

16

Straight wins for the Tigers, the nation’s longest current streak and the third-longest in school history.

78

Rushing yards for Auburn. Its SEC-best rushing offense last year failed to reach 200 yards just twice, going only as low as 108.

21

Players on Auburn’s 54-man participation chart who were making their college debuts.

13

Number of true freshmen who played for the Tigers.

0

Times Auburn kicker Chandler Brooks had been on the field in his college career prior to his successful onside kick in the fourth quarter.

-- Andy Bitter