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Auburn Sets Scoring Record In Music City Bowl Trouncing Of Purdue

Casey Abbett
/
WBAA

Though two teams were selected to play in this year's Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, for all intents and purposes, the Auburn Tigers were the only team to show up. 

From the opening drive where Auburn quarterback Jerrett Stidham completed a 66-yard pass for a touchdown, it was clear that Purdue was in for a long game.

Stidham carved up the Boilermaker secondary for five touchdowns and 373 yards -- and that was in just a single half of play. But that one half was an offensive outpouring college bowl games have never seen before.

Prior to Friday, the record for most points scored in a single half of a bowl game was 49. By the end of the first half Auburn had scored 56, on the way to a 63-14 dismantling of the Boilermakers.

Three of Auburn's touchdowns were caught by wide receiver Darius Slayton, who finished with 160 yards receiving on the day. That was on top of more than 200 Tiger rushing yards.

The Tiger defense picked off Purdue quarterback David Blough twice total, returning one for a touchdown. Blough, playing in his final collegiate game, finished with 184 yards passing and a rushing score. 

Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore -- who'd earlier been named the first freshman consensus All-American since Adrian Peterson -- finished his historic freshman season with 94 more receiving yards and a rushing touchdown. Moore finishes the year with 114 catches for 1,258 yards and also sets a Purdue record for most all-purpose yards in a season.

Head Coach Jeff Brohm, who'd been the subject of much speculation weeks before as he decided whether to leave West Lafayette to coach his alma mater Louisville,  is now just 13-13 in two seasons at the helm, but will nonetheless receive a pay hike before spring practice begins.

The Boilermakers open the 2019 season against the University of Nevada on August 31.

Casey Abbett is a senior at Purdue from LaCrosse, Indiana, and has been been interning as a sports reporter for WBAA since his freshman year.