Live updates, injuries, analysis: Auburn travels to West Coast to face Cal

Live updates, injuries, analysis: Auburn travels to West Coast to face Cal

Well, this is a bit different.

Welcome to Auburn football after dark. It’s 9:30 back in Auburn as this game gets ready to kick off, 7:30 out west.

The press box windows are open on this beautiful cool Berkeley night, Auburn is in all white, and there is a huge contingent of Auburn fans in the stands.

Fans at home can watch the game on ESPN.

Kickoff is getting close. Follow along below and refresh the page for updates.

PREGAME

– Jarquez Hunter warmed up in pads for Auburn. He did not play last week in a situation clouded by uncertainty. Read more about the background leading up to Hunter’s appearance in pads here.

WR Nick Mardner, CB J.D. Rhym and LB Austin Keys are out against UMass. CB Nehemiah Pritchett, S Caleb Wooden and LB Jalen McLeod all warmed up in pads after not playing last week.

FIRST QUARTER

– Looks like Nehemiah Pritchett is not dressed as the game begins. He is dealing with an ankle injury and couldn’t get it good enough to go.

– Jarquez Hunter starts for Aurbun. He carried the ball for Auburn on each of the first two plays.

– Payton Thorne was forced to scramble on Auburn’s third down play. He was initially ruled out of bounds but after a review, it was determined he did fumble before going out of bounds. Cal returned the fumble and appeared to return it back to the endzone, but the officials determined Cal would start with the ball at Auburn’s 35-yard-line.

– Cal backup QB Ben Finley started tonight. Sam Jackson, high school teammate of Payton Thorne, was questionable all week and not able to start tonight.

– Cal turns the Thorne fumble into three points with a 39-yard field goal. What a crazy start to this game between Thorne’s fumble and a Cal fumble that led to a 10-yard loss. Auburn’s defense looked a bit shaky to start, but the broken play helped the unit hold Cal to just three. Wild, wild start to this one. And yet somehow both teams have just 13 total yards after two drives.

3-0 Cal

– This isn’t the boost Auburn was hoping for on the field when Jarquez Hunter would be back. Horrendously slow start on the ground for the Tigers. Jarquez Hunter has 10 yards on four carries.

– And right after that, Auburn almost gives up a safety as Thorne is tackled right outside the endzone. This is about as much of a nightmare start as Auburn could have imagined. Oscar Chapman punts out of the back of his own endzone and Cal will get the ball back at the Auburn 33. Brutal start on this long road trip, exactly what Auburn talked all week about avoiding.

– Marcus Harris gets a sack on 3rd down to force Cal to kick a 42-yard field goal, which it missed. Auburn nearly blocked it, but the kick sailed wide right anyway. Auburn’s defense has bailed out its slow-starting offense twice now.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]