Stidham thrives on the big stage
AUBURN | Saturday night was exactly why Jarrett Stidham came to Auburn. And it’s exactly why the Tigers’ coaching staff was so desperate to get him here.
Stidham, a former Baylor standout who has started every game at quarterback since transferring at the end of last season, led the Tigers to their biggest win in four years: 40-17 over No. 1 Georgia in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“This is why you play college football, in my opinion,” Stidham said. “You grow up and see games like this on T.V. It’s so much fun. I really can’t put it into words because you grow up watching this and when you get an opportunity to play in a game like this, especially win like this, it’s truly a blessing.”
Auburn has struggled at the quarterback position the last couple of years, especially against its top two rivals, Georgia and Alabama. But Stidham thrived in the spotlight completing 16-of-23 (69.6 percent) of his passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a 7-yard touchdown.
The win moved Auburn up to No. 6 in the AP and Coaches Polls and put the Tigers right in the middle of the SEC and national championship race.
“Unbelievable. It was rocking. Great atmosphere,” Stidham said. “Our goal coming into the season was to win the SEC Championship. Everything after that kind of takes care of itself. This is obviously a great win for this program but we’ve got Louisiana-Monroe next week and that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”
Stidham has now thrown for 2,210 yards, becoming the first Auburn quarterback since Nick Marshall in 2014 to top the 2,000-yard mark. He leads the SEC completing 67.1 percent of his passes and has thrown for 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
“He's progressed really well, I think, for a guy who early on hadn't played a whole lot,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said. “So I think just as time's going on you see a quarterback mature and play more, he gets more and more comfortable with seeing the different looks and getting the right plays and stuff. He does a nice job of that.
“He's a smart guy. Again, he's a guy that studies a lot of film and he's done a really nice job of executing the things we've asked him to do. Hopefully he'll continue to do that.”
Auburn hosts ULM Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. The Iron Bowl Nov. 25 will be at 2:30 on CBS.