Five winners from Auburn's win over Cal

These five guys played well against Cal.

Author:
Andrew Stefaniak
Publish date:
Sep 10, 2023 11:51 AM EDT

In this story:

It wasn't pretty, but Auburn left California with a big victory over the Golden Bears.

The offense wasn't great, but the defense did a great job keeping the Tigers in striking defense, and the offense was able to cash in late in the game.

Let's take a look at five players that had a solid outing against Cal.

Eugene Asante

Sep 9, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears running back Ashton Stredick (31) rushes for a first down against Auburn Tigers linebacker Eugene Asante (9) during the third quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports — Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Eugene Asante was absolutely electric in this ball game as he led the team with 12 tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a pass deflection to go with a couple of QB hurries. Asante is becoming an Auburn fan favorite before our very eyes, and you love to see it. The North Carolina transfer has played two amazing football games to start the year and has separated himself as one of the best defenders on this Auburn team.

Damari Alston

I know Dmari Alston put the ball on the ground, and he needs to clean that up, but he is such a talented running back. The five-ten running back runs with a ton of power and breaks tackles with ease. The tandem of Jarquez Hunter and Alston will be deadly this season. The sophomore running back had eight carries for 51 yards, giving him 6.4 yards per carry against Cal.

Rivaldo Fairweather

Rivaldo Fairweather is one of the most athletic tight ends in college football, and he showed why against Cal. Fairweather caught three passes for 39 yards and the touchdown that gave the Tigers the lead over Cal late in the ball game. Fairweather needs to be a lot more involved in the offense, and I believe we will see this going forward.

Donovan Kaufman

Donovan Kaufman is just a natural playmaker. He had eight tackles and a half tackle for loss. He also forced a fumble that let to Auburn's first touchdown of the game. Kaufman has broken out this year for Auburn and will be another player that will help Auburn reach its ceiling this season. Kaufman did get banged up in this game, so hopefully, he will be good to go before SEC play begins in two weeks.

Jay Fair

Jay Fair scored again against Cal as he caught two passes for 25 yards and a score. Fair has a real shot to be Auburn's leading receiver this season and has displayed a lot of skill through two games. Not many predicted a big season from Fair, but he seems like the number-one option for the Auburn football team through the first few games of the season. The sophomore receiver has a bright future ahead on the Plains.