player ratings: auburn-georgia
the following ratings are awarded on a 1-10 scale to the top 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players, and three substitutes for auburn in today’s game.
auburn offense:
cam newton, qb - 8.0 (star of the game)
newton carried for 150 yards and threw for 148 more, responsible for four touchdowns.
mike dyer, tb - 7.0
with 60 rushing yards, dyer broke bo jackson’s single-season freshman rushing record.
philip lutzkenkirchen, hb - 7.5
big lutz’s two catches were for two timely touchdowns.
darvin adams, wr - 6.0
grabbed three balls for 30 yards.
terrell zachery, wr - 6.5
only caught two balls for 14 yards, but his 31-yard run on a reverse set up an onterio mccalebb touchdown.
emory blake, wr - 7.0
the sophomore was the tigers’ best receiver tonight, getting three receptions for 64 yards.
lee ziemba, ot - 7.0
his one holding penalty was negated by a first quarter interception, but for most part kept cam newton safe on the blind side.
mike berry, og - 7.5
berry might have been the night’s best blocker, paving holes for the first of cam newton’s two touchdown runs.
ryan pugh, c - 6.5
no penalties or errors auburn’s most spotless offensive lineman.
byron isom, og - 6.0
flagged for a 15-yard personal foul on auburn’s worst drive, but kept the backfield virtually untouched.
brandon mosley, ot - 5.5
killed a highlight-reel statue-of-liberty big gainer with a holding penalty, but becoming more polished on the right side.
**
auburn defense:
antoine carter, de - 7.0
earned a sack in his final game at jordan-hare and forced aaron murray to be mobile outside the pocket.
nick fairley, dt - 8.0
four tackles, three quarterback hurries, and an imaginary championship belt, all while being targeted by georgia offensive linemen.
mike blanc, dt - 6.0
kept georgia’s backfield in check, but was ejected in the game’s closing minutes after throwing a punch.
nosa eguae, de - 7.5
played the best game of his auburn career, registering two sacks on quarterback aaron murray.
craig stevens, lb - 7.5
led the tigers with nine tackles; helped contain georgia’s running back tandem.
josh bynes, lb - 6.5
hiccupped a bit on a few of georgia’s long run plays, but maintained balance in the second half.
daren bates, lb - 5.5
has missed two pivotal tackles in the last two games, but utilized the linebacker blitz to keep the georgia offense honest.
neiko thorpe, cb - 5.0
was never really tested on deep balls all evening.
zach etheridge, s - 6.5
etheridge’s last game at jordan-hare in 2009 saw him carried from the field on a gurney. his last game at jhs in 2010? walked off the field a winner.
mike mcneil, s - 5.5
bit too easily on two of georgia’s touchdown passes.
demond washington, cb - 5.5
earned his requisite 100+ yards on kick return, but was outplayed and outsmarted by wide receiver a.j. green.
**
auburn key subs:
onterio mccalebb, tb - 8.0
came up clutch with a few long runs totaling 71 yards and three touchdowns.
kodi burns, wr - 6.0
sprung some tiger runners loose with a few solid blocks.
mario fannin, tb - 4.5
dropped a surefire touchdown reception in the first half, continuing a frustrating season (and career, really) for the senior.
@davidsmith28 @auburnjunglecat
the jungle cat is an online magazine dedicated to auburn tigers football, written by david smith, the creator of twenty8.
