Jason Brown threw for three touchdowns Saturday night as South Carolina erased an early two-touchdown deficit to stop Auburn 21-17 in Columbia, S.C., becoming bowl-eligible in coach Shane Beamer’s first year.
Brown’s 7-yard scoring strike to Josh Vann with 4:57 left in the third quarter capped a 67-yard drive and helped the Gamecocks improve to 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
Brown was an efficient 10 of 15 for 157 yards with an interception.
The Tigers (6-5, 3-4) outgained South Carolina 379-306, but managed just a 37-yard field goal by Ben Patton over the final three quarters. Patton, who replaced starting kicker Anders Carlson (torn ACL) this week, hooked a 25-yard field goal wide right early in the fourth quarter.
TJ Finley completed 17 of 32 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown in his first start for Auburn. Wasted in the loss was a terrific game by Tank Bigsby, who rushed 22 times for 164 yards and a touchdown.
The Tigers bogged down offensively in the fourth quarter, managing just 56 total yards.
Playing its first game without three-year starting quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a season-ending broken ankle last week in a 43-34 loss to Mississippi State, Auburn established a 14-0 first quarter lead.
Finley finished off the first drive by finding Demetris Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown pass at the 8:45 mark. The Tigers made it 14-0 with 2:17 left when Bigsby rumbled in for a 7-yard score.
However, South Carolina finally found some traction in the second quarter when it sparked its large home crowd by not only converting a fourth-and-3, but scoring. Brown found a wide-open Zaquandre White in the left flat, and he sped 28 yards with 6:15 left in the half to make it 14-7.
The Gamecocks equalized 24 seconds before halftime when Brown connected with converted defensive tackle Trai Jones on a 3-yard touchdown pass, finishing a 35-yard drive. The score came six plays after Auburn failed on a fourth-and-1 deep pass.
–Field Level Media
