Auburn Tigers-2000


Auburn v.s. Wyoming

	Auburn's Rudy Johnson looks for openingson his game-salting 70-yard TD scamper.Johnson scored three times.

The year 2000 started on a warm raining night at Jordan hare stadium when the tigers opened the season against the upset minded Wyoming Cowboys. Auburn started off well with an opening scoring drive. Then again on a Ronney Daniels and Rudi Johnson Auburn went up 14 between the cowboys scored a td and was only down by 7. Auburn went up 21-7 and Looked they were going to coast. Little know to anyone Wyoming made a comeback but Auburn put it out of reach with another Rudi Johnson touchdown. Many fans were impressed with the rising star and he was voted as the Southeastern Conference player of the week. Also he was the first running back to gain 100 yards in the first game in 5 years, when Stephen Davis made that feat. This was the first of three straight Auburn games on National Television, Espn which ironically Auburn has the most wins on that network of any other university.








Auburn v.s. Ole Miss

	Tailback Rudi Johnson is the first Auburn runner since Stephen Davis in 1995 to have back-to-back 100-yard games.

With thousands among thousand of screaming Ole Miss Fans Coach Tommy Tuberville returned to the University in which he basically raised from the dead. From the beginning of the game until the end you could hear boos even on the TV whenever Tommy was put on the "Rebel-Vision". To be frank, he probably could care less what the ole miss fans had to say about him. To the game, which was well played on both parts. Ole Miss scored first on a long drive that probably could have been stopped but a pass interference call on an Auburn player gave them new life. After a couple of possessions, Auburn got their first touchdown from a Run by Rudi Johnson ----->Picture above. Mississippi seemed to gain momentum at the end of the half only to give it away later in the second half.














Auburn v.s. LSU

	Auburn wider receiver Ronney Daniels was part of his club's potent passing attack Saturday in a victory against LSU.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn tailback Rudi Johnson had another big day on the ground against LSU, but it was passing and a huge return that won the game for the No. 24 Tigers. Ben Leard threw two touchdown passes and Tim Carter ran back a kickoff 100 yards for a score as Auburn beat LSU 34-17 on Saturday night. "It got to a point where they didn't know who was going to get the football," Leard said. The game was the first SEC win at home for the Tigers (3-0, 2-0 SEC) since 1997. They did it before a record crowd of 85,612 at a rollicking Jordan-Hare Stadium. Coach Tommy Tuberville said coaches didn't make a big deal about the losing streak in practice, but it was still on the players' minds. "I know they're happy to get it off them," he said. The loss was a step back for LSU (2-1, 0-1), which had outscored non-conference opponents 86-13 in its first two games and was looking for a sign it can once again compete in the SEC. LSU has won only three league games in two years. After struggling for years to find a consistent rushing threat, Auburn has relied this year on the bulldog-tough running of Johnson, who gained 339 yards and scored five touchdowns in two games. Johnson gained 139 yards on 36 carries, making him the first Auburn back to run for more than 100 yards in three straight games since Stephen Davis did it in 1994. Johnson scored on a 2-yard run with three seconds remaining. Leard's arm and Carter's speed made the difference against LSU, however. Standing deep in the pocket with little pressure, Leard threaded the defense for touchdown passes of 20 yards to Robert Johnson and 19 yards to Clifton Robinson. Leard went 21-of-30 for 225 yards with no interceptions. It was Carter's return that knocked the wind out of LSU for good. After LSU pulled within three at 20-17 on a 45-yard pass from Josh Booty to Josh Reed, Carter took the kickoff at the goal line and cut right. He raced the length of the field and was still pulling away when he crossed the goal line. "I thought that was the deciding blow," Tuberville said. "He's been getting closer for two years, and he finally broke one." Booty, under heavy pressure most of the game, got LSU on the board first with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Reed. Booty, who led the SEC in passing efficiency headed into the game, completed only 13 of 29 attempts for 214 yards with an interception. LSU coach Nick Saban said his offense couldn't stop the Auburn defensive pressure. "That was our biggest mistake," he said. John Corbello had a 22-yard field goal for LSU, but he missed on a 51-yarder. Auburn's Damon Duval added field goals of 42 and 32 yards. On his 45-yard touchdown, LSU's Reed beat Travaris Robinson, a sophomore in at cornerback after senior Larry Casher suffered a neck injury while making a tackle one play earlier. Casher was strapped to a back board and taken off the field in an ambulance as a precaution. School officials said Casher had a concussion, but X-rays did not show any fractures. The injury delayed the nationally televised game about 10 minutes.







Auburn v.s. NIU

	Robert Johnson

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Rudi Johnson made up for a slow start with a fast finish. The Auburn tailback rambled 56 yards into the end zone with 2:47 left as the Tigers (No. 22 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) survived a fourth-quarter rally to beat Northern Illinois 31-14 on Saturday. "Rudi Johnson comes to play in the fourth quarter. Thank goodness," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We are 4-0 -- who would have ever thought that?" It's Auburn's first 4-0 start since 1997, but it didn't come without a scare The Huskies (1-2) trimmed Auburn's 24-0 halftime lead to 10 points with a pair of TDs in a two-minute span of the fourth quarter. Then Johnson, held to 54 yards on his first 22 carries, shook off a tackle behind the line and broke down the right sideline with 2:47 left. The 56-yarder, on third-and-2, gave him 110 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard effort. Johnson has scored fourth-quarter TDs in each of Auburn's games. Northern Illinois is 0-8 against Southeastern Conference opponents. "We didn't come to Auburn for a moral victory, but I was proud of the way our team came back in the second half," Huskies coach Joe Novak said. "The only thing I told them (at halftime) was I thought we could come in and compete and have a chance to win." Leard was 15-of-19 for 174 yards, including TD passes to Reggie Worthy and Ronney Daniels in the first half. He also threw his first interception of the season. His backup, Jeff Klein, threw a 7-yard TD pass to tight end Robert Johnson in the first half. Damon Duval added a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the half. It would be the last damage Auburn's offense would do until Rudi Johnson's run. Leard played only the first and last series of the second half as coach Tommy Tuberville gave Klein and No. 3 quarterback Daniel Cobb action. Leard bruised his hip in the first half and had stomach problems at halftime. "It's hard to keep continuity playing three quarterbacks," Tuberville said. "We wanted to play everybody we had no matter what happened." The passing connection of Chris Finlen and Justin McCareins brought Northern Illinois back. Finlen finished 15-of-29 for 218 yards with a touchdown and an interception. McCareins caught 11 passes for 189 yards. McCareins had six catches for 133 yards in the fourth, and caught a 30-yarder to set up Thomas Hammock's 2-yard run with 12:09 left. The ensuing onside kick try didn't go the required 10 yards, but Auburn's Dontarrious Thomas scooped it up and lost control of the ball. Vincent Reynolds recovered for Northern Illinois, which cashed in with Finlen's 9-yard TD pass to McCareins with 9:53 to play. McCareins had a 40-yard catch and 7-yard run on the drive. The Huskies threatened yet again on their next possession, driving to Auburn's 24 before getting stymied by a holding penalty and three straight incompletions. Auburn answered with three straight carries by Johnson, including the 56-yarder. Leard was 14-of-16 for 164 yards in the first half, with an interception in the end zone on his final attempt. Klein finished 5-of-8 for 38 yards with a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Robert Johnson. Cobb came in on one series in the fourth. The Tigers gained 289 first-half yards, even though Johnson managed just 19 yards on 11 carries. They actually lost yardage on five of their first 10 plays, but still scored TDs on their first three drives. They opened the game with Ronney Daniels' 58-yard flanker reverse and scored four plays later on Leard's 7-yarder to Worthy. Northern Illinois, meanwhile, had its 13-play opening drive end in a fumble when Finlen couldn't handle a high snap. DeMarco McNeil recovered for Auburn. "Auburn is by far the best team that I have played against," McCareins said. "We came out in the second half and kept on fighting."


Auburn v.s. Vandy

	Auburn CB larry casher takes the breath away of the Vandy player as Au wins 33-0

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Auburn began the season hoping to win a few more games than last year, while Vanderbilt planned to go to a bowl. Things sure have changed since then. Ben Leard threw two touchdown passes and Rudi Johnson ran for 128 yards as Auburn (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) beat Vanderbilt 33-0 on Saturday. Auburn (5-0 overall, 3-0 SEC) beat Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-3) every way it could. In addition to Leard's touchdown throws of 48 yards to Marcel Willis and 7 yards to Deandre Green, the Tigers scored 19 points off special teams, including a fake punt and a blocked punt. Auburn held the Commodores to 152 yards offense, only 65 on the ground. "I'm really disappointed in our basic overall effort. We made a lot of mistakes," said Vandy coach Woody Widenhofer, who had high hopes for a bowl trip and even talked about the Commodores winning the SEC. "We're not this bad." Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said he doesn't have a great team, just one that's working together. "I don't think there is anybody in this conference playing as well as a group of players," Tuberville said. Auburn's last shutout was in 1998, 17-0 over an Ole Miss team coached by Tuberville, who led the Tigers to a 5-6 record last season in his first year at Auburn. Johnson, the SEC's leading rusher with 147 yards per game, ran for more than 100 yards for the fifth straight time, becoming the first Auburn back to do that since Brent Fullwood in 1986. Vanderbilt played the entire first half on its own side of the 50, and the Commodores never penetrated beyond the Auburn 41. That third-quarter drive ended in a punt. Auburn so dominated that many fans weren't paying attention by early in the fourth quarter, cheering instead for a mock fight between the team mascots on the sideline. The Tigers won that battle, too. Already up 3-0 early in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Damon Duval, Auburn lined up for what would have been a 29-yard field goal by Duval. But Duval took the snap and looked downfield for a 12-yard pass to Lorenzo Diamond, who had the right side of the end zone all to himself. "I wasn't nervous, we ran the fake last year," Duval said. "With coach Tuberville you never know. There's always something in the game plan." After swapping punts, Auburn backed up Vanderbilt on its own 8, forcing Joe Webb to punt from his own end zone. Reggie Torbor blocked the kick, and Casinious Moore fell on the ball for the touchdown. Auburn added 2 more points on special teams late in the game, when Vanderbilt was again forced to punt from its own end zone. The snap sailed over Webb's head, giving Auburn the safety. Playing with a bruised hip, Leard -- the SEC leader in passing efficiency -- completed 14 of 27 pass attempts for 202 yards with no interceptions. Backup Jeff Klein pulled mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-5 for 13 yards and one interception. Playing under heavy pressure all day, Vanderbilt starter Greg Zolman completed 11 of 25 passes for 66 yards and no interceptions. Backup Tim Olmstead was 4-of-9 for 21 yards, also with no interceptions. Vanderbilt's Dan Stricker, the nation's second-leading receiver with an average of nearly 20 yards a catch, wasn't a factor. He caught only two passes for 10 yards. "Football is a humble sport. You can come from an emotional high to an emotional low," Stricker said. "Emotionally, this was our worst loss."


Auburn v.s. MSU

	Poor defense caused Auburn to lose number two in a row.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) --Auburn lost 17-10

















Auburn v.s. UF

	Auburn losses second straight, due to poor defense.

Gainsville, Florida (AP) --Auburn lost 38-7, Poor defense, lack of offense.













Auburn v.s. La. Tech

	Rudi's Record Run puts la tech away.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) _ Rudi Johnson rushed 33 times for 249 yards and four touchdowns as Auburn overcame a record-setting day from Louisiana Tech freshman Luke McCown for a 38-28 victory Saturday. The Tigers (6-2) broke open a 24-21 game with Johnson's two TD runs in the final four minutes of the third quarter, including a zigzagging 78-yarder on the last play. Coming off losses at No. 13 Mississippi State and No. 8 Florida, Auburn secured its first winning season since 1997. McCown added his fourth TD pass in the final quarter for the Bulldogs (2-6), who entered as 32-point underdogs. He finished 47-of-65 for 433 yards and was intercepted twice, completing his first 10 passes. McCown set a Louisiana Tech record for completions, and also broke the mark for an Auburn opponent. He has 10 TD passes in the past two games. Auburn countered with Johnson, the first Auburn back to eclipse 200 yards since Stephen Davis had 246 against Arkansas in 1994. He also became the first Auburn back to post a 1,000-yard season since Davis in 1995. It was Johnson's seventh 100-yard effort of the season. McCown wasn't done until late in the fourth quarter. He capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 3-yard TD pass to Delwyn Daigre with 7:15 to play. The Bulldogs' final drive ended with 2:10 left on a failed fourth down play after a long pass was called back by offensive pass interference. That enabled Auburn to run out the clock. The Tigers rushed for 301 yards on 48 carries compared to Louisiana Tech's 17 carries for 36 yards. The Bulldogs' James Jordan caught 15 passes for 100 yards and Sean Cangelosi added 100 yards on eight catches. Mistakes quickly canceled out two McCown first-quarter TD passes and a 14-7 Louisiana Tech lead. Auburn took over deep in Bulldog territory on consecutive drives off an interception and a 10-yard punt, twice cashing in with 4-yard Johnson TD runs. A fumbled snap halted a promising drive at the Auburn 15. The second half began much the same, with a McCown interception on the first play setting up a Damon Duval field goal. McCown hit Faheem Ali on an 18-yard score to make it 24-21. Johnson answered with a 5-yarder and the 78-yarder.








Auburn v.s. Arkansas

	Auburn running back Rudi Johnson scored a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter to help hold off Arkansas.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Clifton Robinson saw the end zone and took off in the air. He didn't care that it was nearly 5 yards away. I didn't want to be denied, so that's why I dove," said Robinson, whose 13-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter made the difference in No. 25 Auburn's 21-19 victory over Arkansas Saturday. The Tigers' defense made Robinson's acrobatic play stick, picking off two passes in the final two minutes from hobbled backup quarterback Zak Clark. Auburn (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) also got big plays, big days and big mistakes from quarterback Ben Leard and tailback Rudi Johnson. Leard was 19-of-30 for 240 yards and a touchdown, but was picked off twice. Johnson rushed 29 times for 114 yards and a TD, but his fumble late in the fourth was negated only by Rodney Crayton's interception on the next play. "We are just trying so hard to make a play," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "It seems like sometimes at the end of the game when you have to make a play, the ball gets a little smaller and bad things happen." They certainly happened to the Razorbacks (4-3, 1-3), who have lost three of four games and eight straight SEC road contests. Clark entered after Robby Hampton went down with a sprained right shoulder early in the fourth quarter on a failed fourth-down play. Hampton was 19-of-34 for 163 yards. "There was no doubt if Hampton plays we win," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "I think Auburn was very fortunate today." Clark, who sprained an ankle in his debut against South Carolina two weeks ago, started off well. His 41-yard pass to Fred Talley set up a first-and-goal from the Auburn 9. A short run and two incompletions forced the Razorbacks to settle for Brennan O'Donohoe's 24-yard field goal with 4:20 left. Clark finished 1-of-7. The Tigers went three-and-out, but three plays later, Clark's pass was picked off by Stanford Simmons. Johnson's fumble gave them the ball right back with 1:43 left at the Auburn 34. The next play was an interception by Crayton. "That goes to show you've got to believe in your teammates," Johnson said, "and they came through." Unable to run the clock out, Auburn took a safety on fourth down with three seconds left. Arkansas couldn't return the free kick to midfield despite a handoff and lateral, and the clock ran out. "I don't want them to put their heads down," Nutt said. "I want them to look straight ahead." Talley, starting for the first time at tailback, rushed for 161 yards and a TD on 26 carries. He entered the game with 160 yards on the season. Robinson's acrobatic TD, on a screen pass that was ruled a lateral, polished off a 93-yard drive with 1:39 left in the third quarter. The teams both scored two TDs in the second quarter. Leard hit Tim Carter with a 37-yard scoring pass on fourth-and-2. Carter stepped out of a defensive back's grasp and spun away from another would-be tackler downfield, diving into the end zone. "A couple of defensive backs missed tackles," Carter said. "I could see the end zone and there was no way that I wasn't going to get in there." On the next play, Talley busted up the middle for an 80-yard TD run, the Razorbacks' longest of the season. Talley was the third tailback Nutt has turned to since Cedric Cobbs went down with a season-ending injury. Johnson would answer late in the quarter for Auburn. His spinning, tackle-breaking 23-yarder capped a nine-play, 95-yard drive with 2:26 left. The Razorbacks tied it up with Brandon Holmes' 3-yard TD run with 29 seconds left. The Tigers, whose first open date is next week, improved to 6-0 at home.




Auburn v.s.Georgia

	Auburn running back Rudi Johnson an company helped to beat the Bulldawgs.

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- Ben Leard once again got the best of his once-beloved Georgia Bulldogs. Leard shook off two first-half interceptions and scored on a 1-yard sneak in overtime as Auburn (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 22 AP) earned a 29-26 victory over Georgia (No. 13 ESPN.USA Today, No. 14 AP) on Saturday night. "It's a great win for me personally and a big step for this football team," said Leard, who grew up in Hartwell, about 40 miles from the Georgia campus. "I grew up loving them. I won't be able to surpass this." The Tigers (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) matched their win total of the past two seasons combined, staying alive in the SEC West hunt. It was their first win over the Bulldogs in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1990. Rudi Johnson ran 34 times for 152 yards and gained 21 yards in overtime to set up the winning score. Auburn players and a number of fans stormed the field after the win and fans hovered in the stands, chanting "We want Ben! "We want Ben!" Georgia (6-3, 4-3) was limited to Billy Bennett's 25-yard field goal to start the overtime. Cory Phillips' third-down pass went out of the end zone. Johnson's final run was a 7-yard scamper to set up Leard's TD. "After the defense stopped them, we knew the bottom line (was) that we had to score a touchdown," said Johnson, who set an Auburn single-season record with his ninth 100-yard effort. "We came out, executed, and won the ball game." It spoiled a nice comeback for the Bulldogs, playing without injured quarterback Quincy Carter. Sophomore Cory Phillips, making his second start of the season, and Leard both went to Hart County High School in the tiny town of under 5,000. The Tigers scored 23 straight points to take a 23-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. They trailed 13-0 until Damon Duval's 48-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. "We grew up in that last three quarters," said coach Tommy Tuberville, whose team finished 7-0 at home. "That's the best we've played in two months. They are a bunch of scrappy guys that went out and played hard." Leard, a senior, wasn't nearly as unstoppable against the Bulldogs as he was last season. He passed for a school-record 416 yards and four TDs in that game. He was 24-of-38 for 149 yards and two TDs. His first pick was returned 75 yards by Terreal Bierria for a first-quarter TD. Phillips was 23-of-35 for 164 yards with a TD and an interception. "Auburn wore down our defense in the second half, but we fought back in the fourth quarter," said Georgia coach Jim Donnan, whose team managed just 219 yards. Georgia scored 10 points in the final minutes of regulation, tying it up on Bennett's 19-yard field goal with 41 seconds left. Phillips hit Terrence Edwards for a 16-yard TD pass on third-and-15 with 5:16 left. The 42-yard drive was set up by Cory Collier's blocked punt. Auburn's offense went three-and-out, giving Georgia the ball back at its own 42 with 3:20 left. Phillips hit Damien Gary four times for 38 yards, including a 10-yarder on fourth-and-3. Then, Edwards lined up at quarterback on third-and-goal from the 8. He was run out of bounds at the 2, setting up Bennett's tying kick. Auburn ran out the final seconds, sending it to overtime. The Tigers trailed 13-0 until the final play of the Johnson, held to 23 yards on 12 carries in the first half, rambled 54 yards on the first play of the third quarter. "That was the biggest play of the game for us," Tuberville said. "It got us momentum and got us back in the ball game." The run set up Leard's 6-yard TD toss to Reggie Worthy. Johnson rushed 14 times for 104 yards in the third quarter. Leard then hit Ronney Daniels for a 10-yard TD on the first play of the fourth quarter. Duval added a career-best 49-yarder, putting Auburn up 23-13 with 11:56 left. Both scores were set up by Georgia turnovers. The Bulldogs committed three turnovers and eight penalties. "You take away the turnovers and penalties and we walk away with this game no problem," said running Brett Millican. "We stopped ourselves just like we did two weeks ago (against Florida)."