Hank Brown threw four touchdown passes and Jarquez Hunter rushed for 152 yards and scored two touchdowns as host Auburn held off New Mexico for a 45-19 nonconference victory on Saturday night.
Brown replaced Payton Thorne, who threw four interceptions in a loss to Cal last week, as the Tigers’ starting quarterback and completed 17 of 25 passes for 235 yards. Hunter caught one of Brown’s TD passes and rushed for another score for the Tigers (2-1).
Devon Dampier completed 22 of 44 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown to lead the Lobos (0-3). Dampier was picked off twice.
Auburn received the second-half kickoff and drove to Brown’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Micah Riley that gave the Tigers a 24-13 lead.
Brown’s 14-yard scoring pass to Hunter increased the lead to 31-13 by the end of the third quarter.
Dampier threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Medford to pull the Lobos within 31-19 early in the fourth. Four plays later, Brown threw a 26-yard TD to Rivaldo Fairweather to increase the Auburn lead to 38-19.
New Mexico missed a scoring opportunity later in the fourth after Auburn muffed a punt and the Lobos gained possession at the Tigers 32, as the visitors ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Auburn’s Damari Alston soon ran 22 yards for a touchdown that completed the scoring with 5:51 remaining.
On the first possession of the game, New Mexico drove to Luke Drzewiecki’s 33-yard field goal, and Auburn answered on the ensuing drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Camden Brown for a 7-3 lead.
NaQuari Rogers’ 3-yard scoring run gave the Lobos the lead before Hunter’s 2-yard touchdown run gave Auburn a 14-10 edge at the end of the first quarter.
Towns McGough kicked a 24-yard field goal for the Tigers, but Drzewiecki’s 21-yard field goal trimmed Auburn’s lead to 17-13.
Drzewiecki missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt and Auburn blew a scoring opportunity when it lost a fumble at the Lobos 15, keeping the score at 17-13 at halftime.
–Field Level Media