AUBURN | Jarquez Hunter’s coaches and teammates already knew what to expect when he stepped on Pat Dye Field Saturday night.

And the freshman running back lived up to expectations and then some as he carried the ball nine times for 110 yards and a touchdown in Auburn’s 60-10 season-opening win over Akron.

“I knew that Jarquez, when he got the opportunity, was gonna do that,” said Tank Bigsby, who rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. “When we got to halftime, Coach told him he was gonna get that opportunity, and I knew he was gonna take it.

“He's a great running back. He's got good vision, and he's quick. I knew he was gonna do that. I like how he runs. He's a great running back.”

Hunter’s first collegiate carry went for 37 yards. He also had runs of 14, 20, 14 and a 9-yard touchdown, which he finished barreling through an Akron defender.

Hunter averaged a team-best 12.2 yards per carry.

“He did a good job of seeing it, bouncing it, and you could see that he’s got speed,” said Auburn coach Bryan Harsin. “So the vision’s there and the speed is there and the opportunity to make big plays. Even at the end there, we wanted to finish getting those guys a few more reps, have chance to finish in the end zone.

“For a young player that mindset, especially at the position, is crucial for us to keep growing and developing at that area of the running back position.”

It was a successful game for Auburn’s running backs. In addition to Bigsby and Hunter, Shaun Shivers had a 26-yard touchdown run and 19-yard touchdown catch while walk-on Sean Jackson gained 22 yards on two carries.

In all, Auburn rushed for 316 yards on 32 attempts without a fumble, an average of 9.9 yards per carry.

“I felt like this year, we have a great running back room,” said Bigsby. “Worm, Jarquez, Sean, Jordon (Ingram), Jarquez, Jay Sharp — we all work and we're competitive. When one does well, that makes the other ones want to do well. We're competing.

“We always keep each other up when we're down. That's the one thing I like about our running back room as well. Everybody likes for each other to do well, and we're competing. We want to see each other do well.”

Auburn returns to action Saturday as Alabama State visits Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network.