Tigers of the Game: Defense shines in west coast battle
Auburn’s defense stood tall in a close game with California.
The Tigers won a 14-10 barnburner over the California Golden Bears on Saturday night at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Auburn’s offense gained just 230 yards of offense and committed four turnovers. Lucky for them, the Tigers’ defense stood tall and prevented a late loss.
Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante recorded 12 tackles in the win, becoming the leading tackler for the second game in a row. Following the game, Asante says that he brings extra motivation into each game.
“I played on scout team last year,” Asante said. “That kind of thing fuels me, just being out there. Coach (Ron) Roberts, Coach (Josh) Aldridge, this staff giving me the opportunity to show what I can do, I’m just forever grateful to them.”
Was his performance enough to earn a place on this week’s “Tiger of the Game” list? Here’s a look at this week’s top performances.
Taylor Jones: Donovan Kaufman
Kaufman picked up eight more tackles in Auburn’s win over California. He forced a fumble, which was his second of the season. He recovered the said fumble for his first-ever college football recovery.
JD McCarthy: Eugene Asante
Eugene Asante has played incredible football since the season began on Sept. 2. In two straight games, Asante has been the Tigers’ leading tackler. He followed up his six-tackle performance in Auburn’s win over UMass by making 12 stops with a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries.
Brian Hauch: DJ James
James ended the night with five tackles, which was third-highest on the team. However, it was his role at the end of the game that secured a spot as a “Tiger of the Game.” He hauled in an interception with 1:44 remaining in the game to lock up the 14-10 win.
Fan vote: Eugene Asante
Auburn fans chose linebacker Eugene Asante as their “Tiger of the Game.” Asante received 98.5% of the vote following his performance on Saturday. Interested in voting for next week’s Tiger of the Game? Visit Auburn Wire on X/Twitter following every game to cast your vote.
