No. 6 UW Falls To No. 9 Auburn, 21-16

Saturday, September 1

Atlanta, GA

12:30 PM

University of Washington

0-1

Auburn

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Washington

Auburn

September 01, 2018 | Football

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ATLANTA (AP) — Jatarvious Whitlow ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 6:15 remaining and the Auburn defense came through at the end, leading the No. 9 Tigers a 21-16 victory over No. 6 Washington that provided a big boost to their resume in the very first game of the season Saturday.

Trailing 16-15 after missing a two-point conversion on their opening drive of the game, Auburn drove 76 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Jarrett Stidham kept the drive going early with a 12-yard pass to Chandler Cox on third-and-9.

Then, facing third-and-7 deep in Washington territory, Auburn handed off inside to Whitlow, who knocked over a Washington defender as he smashed into the end zone.

Washington drove to the Auburn 37 with plenty of time to pull off the comeback, but Myles Gaskin was thrown for a 3-yard loss and Jake Browning was stymied by a fierce pass rush on back-to-back plays to preserve the Tigers' victory.

Stidham was 26 of 36 for 273 yards for Auburn, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Sal Cannella, who made a leaping grab in the end zone before landing flat on his back.

Browning, looking to bounce back from a disappointing junior season, completed 18 of 32 for 296 yards. He was picked off once but connected with Quinten Pounds on a 13-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half.

Peyton Henry put the Huskies ahead for the first time with his third field goal, a 30-yarder that clanked off the right upright but ricocheted through with 14:06 remaining.

Both teams squandered scoring chances.

Anders Carlson, taking over from older brother Daniel as Auburn's kicker, connected on three field goals — including a 53-yarder — but also missed from 33 and 54 yards.

Washington was kicking itself after coming away from a first-and-goal with no points. On third down at the 3, Browning rolled right looking to make a pitch only to be smacked by Nick Poe. The ball squirted free and Auburn's Darrell Williams fell on it at the 20.

Another chance was wasted when Henry shanked a 40-yard field goal attempt.

THE TAKEAWAY

Aaron Fuller addressed what was perhaps the biggest question mark on the Huskies roster, showing he had all the makings of a No. 1 receiver with seven catches for 135 yards. But Washington will have to overcome an early blemish on its record to get into the playoff mix.

UP NEXT

The Huskies return to Seattle to host FCS opponent North Dakota, which opened its season with a 35-7 victory over Mississippi Valley State.