Cody Parkey's overtime field goal clinched Auburn's first win of the season as it defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 31-28, on Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Angelo Blackson made Parkey's game-winning kick possible as he blocked a ULM field goal attempt just minutes earlier during ULM's first overtime possession.
Auburn (1-2) saw a 14-point lead disappear late in the fourth quarter as ULM (1-1) rallied from a 28-14 deficit to tie the game with 1:18 left in regulation before the overtime heroics from Blackson and Parkey.
Auburn finished the game with a season-high 418 yards of total offense, including 255 on the ground. Onterio McCalebb finished with a 128 yards, his fourth career 100-yard rushing game, while Tre Mason had 90 yards rushing on a game-high 22 carries.
Kiehl Frazier was 10-of-18 for 130 yards with a touchdown and an interception while his counterpart from ULM, Kolton Browning, was 28-of-46 for 237 yards with three touchdowns.
ULM went 89 yards on its first drive of the game, a 12-play march, and converted on a fourth-and-goal from the one to take the early touchdown lead, 7-0. The drive was capped by a Browning to Harley Scioneaux pass into the corner of the end zone, the first of two touchdown catches for the ULM tight end.
Auburn answered with a five-play, 76-yard scoring drive of its own on its first possession. McCalebb had three carries on the drive, including the 27-yard touchdown run, while Mason had a 34-yard reception on the previous play to get Auburn into ULM territory as Auburn tied it at 7-7.
Browning put ULM back up a touchdown, 14-7, with his 39-yard touchdown run up the middle with 3:52 left in the first half. The run capped a six-play, 80-yard drive that ate up just 2:54 of clock time. Auburn immediately answered with a quick strike of its own, using a Quan Bray pass back to Frazier for the score. The pass covered 33 yards as Auburn went 75 yards in four plays to tie it at 14-14 with 2:18 left in the half.
Auburn struck one more time before the half as Frazier's 33-yard pass to Sammie Coates as time expired put Auburn ahead, 21-14. Auburn took advantage of a 33-yard punt by the Warhawks' Justin Manton from his own seven yard line to set up the score as Auburn had just 22 seconds and no timeouts to work with.
Auburn came out of halftime with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that put it up by two touchdowns, 28-14. Mason rushed seven times on the drive, covering 22 yards including the one-yard touchdown run.
The game remained a 14-point contest until ULM went 59 yards on nine plays midway through the fourth quarter to draw within a touchdown, 28-21. Scioneaux, who had just two catches on the day, caught the Browning pass in the corner of the end zone for the score.
Auburn went three-and-out on its next possession, allowing ULM to start its drive on its own 35 with 4:37 left. A six-yard touchdown pass to Colby Harper in the left flat and Manton's extra-point tied it at 28-28.
Auburn blocked a pair of kicks in the game; along with Blackson's overtime stop, Corey Lemonier blocked a Manton 31-yard field goal attempt.
