Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter Carried Load vs. New Mexico: 'It's Fun'

Jarquez Hunter relished his starring role in the Auburn Tigers' 45-19 win over the New Mexico Lobos

Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter ran for 152 yards against New Mexico on Saturday night. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Running the football was a focus for the Auburn Tigers in their 45-19 win over New Mexico.

The rainy conditions made throwing the ball difficult and running back Jarquez Hunter carried a larger load to accommodate the offense.

Hunter picked up 152 yards and one touchdown off of 20 carries. This was the first game of Hunter’s collegiate career where he got 20 touches.

“It’s fun when you get the opportunity to run the ball,” Hunter said. “You have to make every opportunity at its best, and it’s fun running the football for us running backs, and I think we did a decent job doing it.”

Hunter was not the only running back to have a big night for Auburn. Damari Alston added 80 yards off 10 carries and Jeremiah Cobb had 34 yards off seven carries. The Tigers had 268 rushing yards as a team.

“It just starts in practice,” Hunter said. “We ran the ball a lot in practice, we ran the plays, we executed the plays. It just translated to the game. I think we’ve got to do the same thing next week.”

In addition to having a dominant night on the ground, Hunter got involved in the receiving game, catching a 14-yard touchdown pass.

“I see everybody just bail out,” Hunter said. “I tried to be slow because I was trying to make sure that no pressure came through at the end and they just left me wide open.”

Auburn’s offense was under new management in this game with Hank Brown making his first start at quarterback. Hunter thought that Brown’s outing was solid despite him having some things to work on.

“I think Hank (Brown) did good for his first start,” Hunter said. “There’s always room for improvement, but I think he did really good.”

Auburn had to move some guys around on the offensive line to accommodate injuries. Hunter was pleased with the performance the group put together.

“I think the o-line did great, they did their job,” Hunter said. “They did what they’re supposed to.”

Hunter and the Tigers will return to action next Saturday against Arkansas to open SEC play at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and ESPN will carry the broadcast.