ATHENS, GA | To say things went poorly for Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry might be an understatement.

The offense had just 216 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown while the defense gave up 442 yards and 27 points in the Tigers’ loss.

If there was one bright spot for the Tigers, however, it was freshman running back Tank Bigsby who started for the first time in his career.

Bigbsy, a 4-star Hogansville, Georgia, native, had eight carries for 31 yards, while also catching seven passes for a team-leading 68 yards.

In his first career game against Kentucky, Bigbsy carried the ball six times totaling just 15 yards.

But with starting running back Shaun Shivers dealing with an injury, Bigbsy got the start against Georgia and took advantage of it in his return to his home state.

“Tank’s a competitor,” Gus Malzahn said after the game. “He’s still learning, but he’s a true competitor. He’s got some playmaking abilities. I think it was good the last two weeks that he's got some game experience that will help him moving forward.”

Even from before he had taken a snap at Auburn, Malzahn knew what Bigsby was capable of, calling him a “one-play drive type of guy,” when he signed with the program.

While Auburn ultimately fell and struggled to establish the run, Bigsby provided some clarity for a running back room that had five guys all competing for playing time.

After the game quarterback Bo Nix, who knows how hard it is to play as a freshman in the SEC, praised Bigsby for his performance.

“You know, that was the best part of the night, I think. Just watching him play,” Nix said. “That guy’s a fighter, I’ve never really seen anything like it. He just competed his butt off and I mean he was a spark there when we needed one and he kept us ahead. He made some huge plays there over and over and over, and he’s the one that kind of kept us rolling so I was really pleased with what we saw out of him.”

As Auburn begins to prepare for an Arkansas team coming off an upset over Mississippi State, Nix wants the whole Auburn offense to perform like Bigsby.

“Now we just gotta get everybody playing like Tank,” Nix said.

NOT A MEMBER?

JOIN AUBURNSPORTS.COM TODAY to enjoy around-the-clock content including stories, analysis, videos, podcasts, call-in shows and The Greatest Message Board In The History of The Internet.