The Auburn Tigers have gotten things back on the right track after last week’s disastrous loss that ended in a new starting quarterback this week.

Redshirt freshman Hank Brown made his first career start for Auburn and did not disappoint in the Tigers’ 45-19 victory over New Mexico.

Brown was on point right out of the gate, leading the Tigers to touchdown drives on their first two possessions of the game with big plays to Camden Brown and KeAndre Lambert-Smith:

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While Auburn’s passing game started strong, the defense struggled. New Mexico was able to keep pace for the entire first half and seemingly move the ball up and down the field, trailing just 17-13 at the break.

Auburn pulled away in the second half, scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions.

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After the game, Coach Hugh Freeze said that Brown will start once again at quarterback next week for the Tigers when the Arkansas Razorbacks come to town to kick off SEC play.

It was a nice first start for the young quarterback, who went 17 of 25 for 235 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, but Arkansas presents a significantly more difficult test than the Lobos did on Saturday night.

More concerning was the Tiger defense and how easy New Mexico was able to move the ball at times. Giving up 448 total yards including nearly 300 passing yards to an inferior opponent is generally not a recipe for success once the level of competition rises.

Arkansas has put up over 1,000 combined total yards on offense and will be hungry for a big win in Jordan-Hare to begin conference play. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CST from The Plains next Saturday.