Todd leads Auburn to 54-30 win over Ball State

By BOB JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Sep 27, 12:25 pm EDT

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AUBURN, Ala. (AP)—Chris Todd passed for 287 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes to lead Auburn to a 54-30 victory over winless Ball State on Saturday night another rain-delayed game for the Tigers.

Auburn (4-0) trailed 7-0 early, but rallied with an impressive offensive showing, gaining 487 yards.

Todd’s aerial show included touchdowns of 46 yards and 65 yards to Terrell Zachery in the second quarter. Zachery had five catches for 122 yards.

Onterio McCalebb rushed eight times for 86 yards for Auburn.

Kelly Page passed for 101 yards and one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Cardinals (0-4).

Auburn continued its impressive early season offensive showing. The Tigers have scored 181 points so far this season, the most ever for Auburn in its first four games.

Kickoff was delayed for 30 minutes because of heavy rain and lightning. It was the second week in a row that storms had delayed the start of an Auburn game. Last week’s game against West Virginia was delayed for more than an hour by rain and lightning.

Todd’s five touchdown passes tied the Auburn record set by Daniel Cobb in an overtime game against Louisiana Tech in 2001.

In addition to the two long scoring passes to Zachery, Todd had scoring passes of 26 yards to Darvin Adams, 36 yards to Mario Fannin and 6 yards to Tommy Trott.

Ball State refused to give up, scoring 20 points in the second half, mostly against Auburn substitutes.

Auburn backup quarterback Neil Caudle got into the game in the second half and scored on 52-yard run up the middle.

Ball State of the Midwest Athletic Conference put an early scare into the heavily favored Tigers of the Southeastern Conference, jumping out to a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. The score came after Auburn’s Anthony Gulley fumbled a Ball State punt and Kyle Hoke recovered at the Auburn 18. The Cardinals scored four plays later on a 2-yard run by Miquale Lewis.

Auburn got it’s offense going late in the first quarter after Josh Bynes recovered a fumble by Cardinals’ quarterback Kelly Page. The Tigers then drove 29 yards in five plays, scoring on a 6-yard pass over the middle from Todd to Tommy Trott. It was Trott’s third career touchdown catch and first since 2006.

Auburn quickly turned the game into a blowout after that, scoring 23 points in the first 7 minutes of the second quarter. The offensive burst included the two touchdown bombs to Zachery and an impressive 65-yard run by McCalebb to the Auburn one-yard-line. McCalebb scored on a 1-yard run a play later.

Ball State’s only other score in the first half came on Ian McGarvey’s 33-yard field goal.

Auburn’s Wes Byrum kicked a 33-yard field goal at the end of the first half. It was his sixth field goal in six attempts this season. The six consecutive field goals is a career best for Byrum.

Updated Sep 27, 12:25 pm EDT
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Head to Head - Week 4

Team Total Yds Pass Yds Rush Yds First Downs 3rdD% Pen./Yds Turnovers Time of Poss.
Ball State 260 114 146 19 33.3% 4/23 2 35:56
Auburn 560 306 254 21 40.0% 9/86 2 24:04
NCAAF

19 Comments

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  1. STAR POWER
    19. Posted by STAR POWER Mon Sep 28 6:35pm EDT

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    4-0 and getting no love............give me a break.... play someone first

    6-6 at the end of the season- look at your schedule and that is easy to figure out.

    Roll Tide...............................................................
  2. Tater
    18. Posted by Tater Sun Sep 27 11:46pm EDT

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    Auburn is going to just keep on winning. Hell we might be 8-0 before we get ranked, the poll people just show no love to auburn never have. Auburn will beat big headed alabama to shut them up for good.


    WAR DAMN EAGLE!
  3. Leifericson
    17. Posted by Leifericson Sun Sep 27 8:41pm EDT

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    Oh please!!! I read these comments and I just can't believe it!!
    Over rated means you're supposed to win and you don't..

    Ummm, you mean like Ohio state, USC, Cal, Penn state??? Oh look!!! TWo teams from each of them!!
    Ole Miss loses, and it's the SEC that's over rated!! Ok, riiiight!!
    The SEC had 4 teams in there, so they're twice as likely to lose.
    It's 4-1 in losses with 4 to 4 in teams.
    The SEC is playing well, and the pac and big 10 have stunk up September.
  4. Leifericson
    16. Posted by Leifericson Sun Sep 27 8:36pm EDT

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    If a Pac team or a Big 10 team was 4-0 with those scores they would be in the top 10.
    The system stinks.
    People refuse to let over rated teams like Penn state... 4 weeks, all home games, no covers vs the spread + first tough team they lose to = over rated.. Why are they still ranked? Didn't they also get killed in their bowl game??? Oh yeah, put them in the top 10 anyhow, you cheaters!!
    Cal pretty much the same thing, they play the teams that have been very bad and then play a good team and get completely wiped out... but still in the top 25!!! Why? Because there are some who vote by conference, and they NEED to have so many pac teams, so many big 10 teams, etc.
  5. Derrick L
    15. Posted by Derrick L Sun Sep 27 8:22pm EDT

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    The fact that Auburn is 4-0 and unranked should tell you something. The fact that Chizik himself said he still does not know how good or bad his team is should also tell you something. I love Auburn football but the only thing to get excited about this team is that they are 4-0. They have not played like a 4-0 team but like a team that is fortunate to find themselves 4-0 going into week 5. Tennessee is not a great team but they are going to be a very tough team to beat at home. If Auburn beats Tennessee, I think they will finally crack the top 25 rankings. If they beat Tennessee and Arkansas then this team will become a legitimate threat to win the SEC West.
  6. Ouchyfish
    14. Posted by Ouchyfish Sun Sep 27 6:10pm EDT

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    Anyone have an update on Burns and McCalebs injuries? Also, last nights LSU game gave me some insight as to how good the Auburn-LSU game is going to be. War Eagle!
  7. paul
    13. Posted by paul Sun Sep 27 2:10pm EDT

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    I dont know what is wrong with the ap poll and the rest of the country. and why auburn is not ranked in the top 25. there are teams that are still in there that has no business being there, how bout stop with all the biast crap with college football and rank the best temas not the teams that you want in there. this is the same reason why auburn didnt go play for the title in the 04 season. everybody was to afraid that they might win and no no cant have that, all you people suck,
  8. shannonj
    12. Posted by shannonj Sun Sep 27 12:07pm EDT

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    who cares a win is a win and that builds confidence and the more confidence you have the more you can play with any team out there.I think Auburn looks pretty damn good right now, I have been an Auburn fan all my life and I'm not changing for any team out there; don't care if they never win again. GO TIGERS , WAR EAGLE,
  9. H
    11. Posted by H Sun Sep 27 11:48am EDT

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    Alabama has 1 win against Auburn's.....6 in a row against the lame tide......I forgot the tide can't count except they won't foget the wheels coming off at the end of the season last year...LOSING the biggest games of the year.... But that's what they call ROLL TIDE...That's Saban for ya! WAR "DAMN" EAGLE
  10. F
    10. Posted by F Sun Sep 27 11:33am EDT

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    Alabama beat florida? HAHA, No chance in hell of that happening. Come back to reality. Better yet, Stay in your own dreamland and keep wishing that'd happen.

    AU may not have beaten a great team, But compared to last year, They have improved.


    WDE ALL the way.
  11. Jessica
    9. Posted by Jessica Sun Sep 27 11:04am EDT

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    Are you guys serious?! I am just laughing reading this. I didn't become a football fan til Imarried my husband. Hell I didnt know who Auburn was, or that Auburn exsisted until I married my husband, I'm a michigan girl, the only thing I've ever cared about is hockey, GO RED WINGS!!!. I married an Alabama boy and into an Auburn family. And I am now a fan. But I have to say this, have you guys not read the statistics? We have not had these numbers since Bo Jackson played for Auburn. Our offence is in the top 5. You can't deny it. You can't deny the facts. Sorry guys, just deal with it. its not life or death, its just facts. Don't mean to get your panties in a twist, hey I'm just a girl throwing facts out there. And hey I gotta stick up for my boys. Keep up the good work. War Eagle!!!!!!!!!!!
  12. Jessica
    8. Posted by Jessica Sun Sep 27 11:01am EDT

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    Are you guys serious?! I am just laughing reading this. I didn't become a football fan til Imarried my husband. Hell I didnt know who Auburn was, or that Auburn exsisted until I married my husband, I'm a michigan girl, the only thing I've ever cared about is hockey, GO RED WINGS!!!. I married an Alabama boy and into an Auburn family. And I am now a fan. But I have to say this, have you guys not read the statistics? We have not had these numbers since Bo Jackson played for Auburn. Our offence is in the top 5. You can't deny it. You can't deny the facts. Sorry guys, just deal with it. its not life or death, its just facts. Don't mean to get your panties in a twist, hey I'm just a girl throwing facts out there. And hey I gotta stick up for my boys. Keep up the good work. War Eagle!!!!!!!!!!!
  13. Freddie
    7. Posted by Freddie Sun Sep 27 10:54am EDT

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    Auburn fans actually stupid enough to post and brag after beating a winless Ball State. UnF.believable.
    Ole Miss and Ga. have shown how overrated the SEC teams are this year. SC will be a 5 game loser yet again. LSU no where near a REAL top 10 team. Alabama and Florida are the ONLY legitimate teams in the SEC and Alabama will beat down Florida in Atlanta. Alabama is a powerful Defensive team. This will be Saban's best and I'd look for Bama to put together an unbelievable run, about like USC of the past 10 years. As long as Saban hangs around. What a powerful team. Great coaching. Saban is a genius. Auburn is a 5 loss team, at least 5.
  14. Freddie
    6. Posted by Freddie Sun Sep 27 10:47am EDT

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    Jessica, and all Auburn fans, keep dreaming. The fit is about to hit the shan. What a joke. Any Auburn fan that would pay money and travel to that out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere place to see a game like that is out of their mind. What a joke. Auburn is about to find out how bad they are.
  15. Jessica
    5. Posted by Jessica Sun Sep 27 10:36am EDT

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    Hey Bruce.... we've already played an SEC team and if you look at the rankings in the SEC WEST, we out rank Alabama. As for Tuberville, never liked the guy! Oh yeah and this is coming from a girl, a girl who loves her Auburn and has to to stick up for her boys since her Husband can't do it while he's in Iraq! Now we had a a bad year last year, but we are back and we're kicking a$$ and not taking names!! So all of you Alabama fans, last year was an easy game, this year, I'd be prepared. War Eage!!!!!
  16. bruce j
    4. Posted by bruce j Sun Sep 27 9:40am EDT

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    Way to go AUBURN..... You beat another high school team. Cant wait to see how you will be crying for Tuberville when you meet a REAL SEC team. ROLL TIDE
  17. Bill H
    3. Posted by Bill H Sun Sep 27 8:47am EDT

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    Auburn owns fools, aint showin u nothing yet... Get ready for the total package to be unveiled next week.... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR damn eagle b i t ch es....
  18. <i>mcbearcat1969</i>
    2. Posted by mcbearcat1969 Sun Sep 27 2:31am EDT

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    Hey Bob. it's Mid-American Conference. You could take the trouble to look it up, if you're ignorant enough to not know about the conference.
  19. Boraslikesballs
    1. Posted by Boraslikesballs Sun Sep 27 2:26am EDT

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    Why not play Emory Blake??
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Ball St.
K. Page K. Page, QB
16-28, 101 yds
1 TD
9 Rush, 3 yds, 1 TD
 Auburn
C. Todd C. Todd, QB
19-26, 287 yds
5 TDs

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