AUBURN, Ala. — What a day to be a backup quarterback.

Lost in the heroics of Syracuse backup Troy Nunes was the stellar play of Auburn reserve signal-caller Jason Campbell, who finished 10-of-15 passing for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Campbell also scrambled nine times for 28 yards and dived for a third-quarter touchdown.

Like Syracuse starter R.J. Anderson, Auburn starter Daniel Cobb struggled mightily. He repeatedly overthrew receivers and tossed an interception on the game’s opening drive, though the turnover was negated by a Syracuse roughing-the-passer penalty.

Two plays later, though, Cobb collided with running back Carnell Williams on a handoff. The ball fell to the grass, where Syracuse linebacker Clifton Smith picked it up and lumbered 48 yards to the Auburn 17, setting up an SU field goal and 3-0 lead.

Cobb threw a pick — that counted — as Auburn approached the red zone late in the first quarter. On a third-and-8 from the Syracuse 21, Cobb zipped a pass into the arms of SU safety O’Neil Scott at the 5.

Campbell replaced Cobb for one series at the start of the second quarter, but Cobb then returned to finish the half. Campbell started the second half and finished the game because Cobb suffered a left ankle sprain sometime in the second quarter. He finished 7-of-18 for 154 yards with an interception.

Morant sits

For the second straight game, wide receiver Johnnie Morant served a suspension for a violation of team rules.

Morant, who started the first two games of the season, also missed the Rhode Island game. The next day, he admitted to sucker-punching Syracuse men’s lacrosse player Mike Springer last April.

Jamel Riddle, who in the first quarter returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, started in Morant’s place. Riddle finished with one catch for 31 yards.

Party on

It looked like Syracuse to the tenth power.

Before the game, Auburn fans — decked out in the team’s colors, which also happen to be blue and orange — sprawled tailgates across the Auburn campus and in the parking lot of Jordan-Hare Stadium. It created a unique atmosphere that transformed the campus into a Mardi Gras-like party more than four hours before kickoff.

‘There’s no professional teams here, at least nothing big,’ said Pappy Thompson, who drove three hours from Saraland, Ala., to attend the game. ‘So it’s just college football.’

And it’s not just Auburn alums who get into it. Thompson said he devotes an entire room in his home to Auburn, despite the fact that neither he nor his wife, Angie, attended the school.

A few Syracuse fans showed up, too, although they were difficult to spot because of the similarity in team colors. Guy Kreusch, who attended Syracuse from 1972 to 1974, made the two-hour drive from his home in Birmingham, Ala.

‘They have a bit of a reputation here of being a tough crowd,’ Kreusch said, ‘but everyone’s been friendly to us. Football is like a religion here.’

Nunes had a different experience but reached a similar conclusion.

‘It was crazy,’ Nunes said. ‘I never had so many people yell profanities at me riding the bus. They love football.’

This and that

As expected, defensive end Josh Thomas and nose tackle Christian Ferrara returned to the lineup. Each had missed the last two games, Ferrara with a left-knee sprain and Thomas with torn muscles in his left foot. … Freshman Rashard Williams returned punts in the second half after Riddle left the game with an injury. … Auburn experienced steady rain from Monday through Thursday as a result of Tropical Storm Isidore, which drenched parts of the Deep South before bringing heavy rain to Syracuse on Friday. The field, though wet, appeared in good condition before the game. … With its 86,063 seats, Jordan-Hare Stadium, nicknamed ‘The Jungle,’ is the nation’s seventh-largest on-campus stadium. … Prior to its game against Syracuse, Auburn had played four games in 18 days. But the Tigers held up well, going 3-1 during that stretch.

Published on September 29, 2002 at 12:00 pm