How Auburn's freshmen stood out against Oklahoma despite the tough loss
Auburn players weren’t interested in any moral victories after the Tigers’ 27-21 loss Saturday to Oklahoma.There were positives though, one of them being the play of a handful of Auburn’s freshmen. Demarcus Riddick, Malcolm Simmons, Cam Coleman and Kaleb Harris all had impressive games, giving Auburn fans a sliver of hope for the future.
Riddick was arguably Auburn’s MVP on defense, leading the team in tackling while tallying one of the team’s two sacks on the day.Riddick functioned mostly as a spy on quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., but was also utilized in the pass rush. He was used mainly on third downs, where he got his sack after chasing Hawkins down near the sideline.
Malcolm Simmons, the speedy freshman from Alexander City, had 61 yards on four catches, including a 48-yard touchdown catch. “It was surreal,” Simmons said of the play after the game. “Just me going out there and playing and knowing I can’t be covered one-on-one. Any time I get in there, the defense is like ‘oh, we’ve got to find a way to stop them.’”
While Coleman didn’t get in the endzone, he had his best performance of the season so far, catching three passes for 82 yards. All three of Coleman’s receptions were explosive plays, shaking off a third-down drop on the first drive of the game.Not only did Coleman shake off the early drop against Oklahoma, but it was a performance that could help but costly drops against Arkansas and Cal behind him.
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