Atlanta, GA
The Chick-fil-A Bowl was played in front of 72,919 fans, the 15th straight sellout for the bowl. The crowd was loud, but since both the Auburn Tigers and the Virginia Cavaliers wear the same colors, it was hard to distinguish which team had the most fans in attendance.
The game itself was an intriguing matchup of a young, but talented, Auburn team versus a methodical, veteran Virginia squad. However the game was ultimately decided on special teams plays.
While Auburn was able to use a strong performance by their kicker to consistently make Virginia begin possessions deep in their own territory, Virginia made mistake after mistake on special teams that put gave Auburn points, and ultimately the win.
Virginia began the game looking like the stronger team, and quickly found themselves in the lead when they went 64 yards on just five plays for a touchdown on a balanced drive that saw both running and passing plays go over 20 yards each on their second offensive series.
Virginia immediately made their first special teams mistake by kicking the ball out of bounds on the resulting kickoff, giving Auburn great field position.
The Cavaliers were able to once again stymie the Auburn drive but then made another huge special teams mistake when their own offensive drive ended by allowing Auburn to block the punt and recover at the Virginia 15 yard line.
The Tigers took advantage and scored in just two plays, capped off with a three yard rush by Kiehl Frazier.
The Cavaliers were only able to hold onto the ball for two plays before running back Perry Jones fumbled the ball on a nice play by the games defensive MVP, Chris Davis, and Ryan Smith recovered the ball for Auburn.
While Auburn would miss a field goal attempt on the drive, the errors by Virginia were keeping Auburn in the game until they could get their offense in rhythm.
Virginia took over at their own 27 yard line and drove for the go ahead touchdown in 10 plays, finishing with a six yard reception by Kris Burd.
Auburn was determined to start producing on offense as they gained 60 yards on their first play when running back Onterio McCalebb, the games offensive MVP scampered down the left side line for the big gain. A few plays later McCalebb ran the ball into the end zone from three yards out to once again tie the score, this time 14-14 after the extra point.
Auburn again showed that their special teams were superior by executing a beautiful onside kick that was recovered by their own kicker, Cody Parkey. The momentum to Auburn and the game really changed at this point and Auburn again scored a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead.
Virginia countered with a promising drive that had plays that included a 17 yard run and passing plays of 11, 16 and 17 yards. However the drive stalled at the Auburn 15 yard line and the Cavaliers lined up to attempt and short field goal. Instead, the play was a fake but the intended receiver tripped and Virginia was stopped short so Auburn took over at their own 12 yard line.
The Tigers again took advantage of the Virginia special teams mistake and took just 3:32 to drive 88 yards for another touchdown. The big play on the drive was a 28 yard pass from Barrett Trotter to McCalebb and the touchdown play was a 25 yard pass from Trotter to McCalebb.
Virginia did add a field goal on the last play of the half to make the score 28-17, but as the teams went to the locker room, you could easily see that momentum and confidence were fully with Auburn at this point.
When the second half began, Auburn stalled on their first offensive possession, but a great punt pinned the Cavaliers on their own six yard line. A third down sack saw Virginia barely avoid giving up a safety when quarterback Michael Rocco was tackled at the one yard line. However another special teams mistake did lead to a safety for Auburn when Angelo Blackson blocked the Virginia punt out of the end zone. This gave Auburn a 37-24 lead and the ball.
Auburn returned the free kick 62 yards to the Virginia 15 yard line but had some trouble moving the ball on this possession. The Tigers were also called for a personal foul penalty which made for a long field goal attempt but Parkey was again able to convert to extend the Auburn lead to 40-24.
From here to the end of the game, Auburn just tried to melt away the clock every time they were on offense, adding a field goal on their next drive and holding the ball for the final 6:57 of the game on their final offensive drive.
While most fans concentrate on offensive and defensive stats, this game showed how special teams often are the deciding factor for who wins a fairly evenly matched game. Auburn showed that they were the dominate team when it mattered and they went home victorious because if it.
In fact, Virginia head coach Mike London was so embarrassed by his special teams play that he apologized to the fans saying “thanks to the fans even though it was ugly and thanks to them for traveling.” London went on to say that special teams was “one part of the game and it’s my responsibility to make sure we play all facets of the game well. We didn’t execute like we needed to. We gave up the inches that we couldn’t afford to.”
Meanwhile, Auburn head coach, Gene Chizik said the team was “just thrilled to play in the game. Proud of the players and coaches. We played a really good game tonight. We beat a really good football team tonight.”
