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AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Sean White threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns, and Kamryn Pettway and Kerryon Johnson each eclipsed 100 yards on the ground as Auburn dominated Arkansas State, 51-14 on Saturday night for the Tigers' first win of the season.
Auburn rushed for 462 yards, the fourth-most in school history and the most since tallying 545 against Missouri in the 2013 SEC championship.
The three-quarterback system Auburn coach Gus Malzahn instituted last week in the loss to Clemson was scrapped, and White was given full command of the offense from the get-go. He led the Tigers for 10 drives, and Auburn scored on eight of them, all but two of which were touchdowns.
''We came out and we looked like an Auburn offense for the first time,'' Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. ''Just looking at it, without looking at the film, I can tell they definitely improved.''
Arkansas State mustered 326 total yards, but the Red Wolves could only push two scores across, both runs by quarterback Chad Voytik.
''We knew the challenge was going to be big,'' said Arkansas State coach Chad Anderson. ''We knew physically that we were going to be up against some mismatches early. We were hoping we could ride out the storm.''
White routinely dissected the Red Wolves' defense, finding Tony Stevens for a pair of scores and sophomore Will Hastings for another en route to finishing 17 of 23 for the game.
His most jaw-dropping throw of the night, however, went to freshman Kyle Davis, who hauled in a 42-yard deep ball with one hand - striking up comparisons to New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s famous catch, and eliciting a sustained collection of dropped jaws in the stands.
Auburn racked up 706 total yards, good for the second-highest amount in school history, and the most the Tigers have accumulated since the 2014 Iron Bowl, when Nick Marshall nearly took down Alabama in a high-octane shootout.
Whatever bag of tricks Malzahn held for that game, he must've opened back up against Arkansas State, his only other head coaching stop in college football.
Johnson fumbled on Auburn's first possession, but he got the scoring started on the next one with a weaving, cross-field, 47-yard touchdown that included a hurdle and a dive across the pylon.
''KJ, he's got some unique abilities,'' Malzahn said. ''He can do some things that can kind of wow you at times, and of course, that was really impressive. There were some good blocks, too, but he really made something out of nothing on that one.''
Then, midway through the second quarter, Lou Groza finalist Daniel Carlson executed a fake field goal to perfection when received an over-the-head pass from holder Tyler Stovall and waltzed into the end zone untouched.
THE TAKEAWAY
Auburn rights the ship and quiets steadily rising concerns about the Tigers' offensive woes and, perhaps more importantly, Malzahn's job security.
Arkansas State's troubles in the secondary - and the defense as a whole - continue to plague the Red Wolves, who have now been outscored 82-24 in their first two games this season.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
With the way SEC teams have been struggling against inferior opponents, a wire-to-wire victory for Auburn might be enough to bump them into the Top 25.
QUOTABLE
''It was good to go out there and ball out with my teammates,'' said Auburn defensive end Carl Lawson. ''I'm glad we got a team win today. We need to keep improving, but I'm so happy we got a win for Auburn today.''
UP NEXT
Auburn hosts No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday.
Arkansas State travels to Utah State on Friday.
