Auburn DB Jerrin Thompson Credits Teammates after Career Night

Auburn Tigers defensive back Jerrin Thompson had a night he will not soon forget. However, he gave his teammates the credit for his success.

Auburn Tigers Defensive Back Jerrin Thompson (1) had a career night against the New Mexico Lobos. / Zach Bland, Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers did not have their best defensive performance in their 45-19 win over New Mexico, but there are some positive things for the group to take away.

The Tigers intercepted two passes, the first turnovers forced by the team this season. The first one belonged to senior defensive back Jerrin Thompson, marking the first interception of his college career.

“A lot of guys were doing their jobs,” Thompson said. “I wouldn't have done it without Eugene (Asante). He put pressure on the quarterback and made the guy throw up something, and I just made a play with the ball.”

Much like it did against Cal, Auburn sharpened up significantly on defense in the second half. Thompson credited the adjustments the coaches made during halftime for the turnaround on that side of the ball.

“We knew that we were just messing up simple assignments that we worked on at practice, basically just getting back to our details and playing our starter football,” Thompson said. 

New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier gave Auburn some trouble as a dual-threat player. Thompson believes that the Tigers beat themselves on a lot of the things Dampier was able to do.

“A lot of the explosions that they had were just mental busts in our head, there was nothing that they did that was special,” Thompson said. “We had a good scheme and we’ve just got to play harder and make the plays that come to us.”

Even with SEC play set to begin next week, the mentality remains the same for Thompson and the Tigers.

“I think the mentality is to always be the best version of us, no matter who we play,” Thompson said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going to be the bst version of Auburn that we can [be].”

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