Auburn finished off a disappointing season in style on Friday afternoon against Purdue in the Music City Bowl, topping the Boilermakers 63-14 in a game that wasn't even as close as the blowout score indicates. Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham went 15 of 21 for 373 yards and five touchdowns in his final game before heading to the NFL, junior wide receiver Darius Slayton caught three passes for 160 yards and three touchdowns and freshman running back JaTarvious Whitlow scored three total touchdowns for an Auburn offense that came out firing and simply never let up.
So just how hot were the Tigers as they routed the Boilermakers from start to finish? Check out some of these mind-blowing numbers the high-octane offense produced in Nashville on Friday.
- Auburn's 63 points are the most scored by an SEC team in a bowl game in conference history; Alabama scored 61 against Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl. The 63 points also smashed the Music City Bowl record for points scored in a single game; West Virginia scored 49 against Ole Miss in 2000. And those 63 eclipsed the program record for points scored in a bowl game, as well.
- Auburn's 56 first half points were the most scored in a half in bowl history; West Virginia scored 49 in the first half vs. Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl. The Tigers' 56 first half points were also the most scored by Auburn in any half in program history. Their first half total was also one more than Auburn's men's basketball team -- currently ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 -- has scored in any half this season.
- Stidham's 373 passing yards are the most he's thrown for in his two-year Auburn career; he threw for 364 yards against Mercer in 2017. He did throw for 419 yards against Kansas State in 2015 while playing for Baylor, though. His five touchdown passes are a career high and ties a single-game program record. Chris Todd did it against Ball State in 2009 and Daniel Cobb against Louisiana Tech in 2001.
- Slayton's 160 receiving yards are the most in his career.
The offensive explosion is even more impressive considering how putrid Auburn's offense was in 2018. The Tigers finished ranked No. 11 in the conference in total offense (373.6 yards per game), yards per play (5.47) and scoring offense (28.3). It was so bad that pressure swirled around coach Gus Malzahn's status with the program despite winning the SEC West in 2017 and going to two straight New Year's Six bowl games. Malzahn took over the play-calling from Chip Lindsey, who moved on to join Les Miles' staff at Kansas, and hired Kenny Dillingham from Memphis to take his place.
Malzahn's Tigers entered the season ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Top 25, and quickly fizzled out. While the stain of the 8-5 record will last, the 2018 season ended on a very high note in the Music City.
