Simulating Auburn's 2020 season: UMass

Day 101 without Auburn sports: I rummaged up a copy of NCAA Football 14 for the Xbox 360, downloaded 2020 rosters for every team, set up the schedule, and simulated Auburn's entire 2020 football season — because, at this point, why not?

Video-game depictions of sporting events have become common during the pandemic, and fans seem to eat it up. Look at Barstool Sports' NCAA 14 series, for example, which netted more than 125,000 viewers during a national championship earlier this month.

But our usage of the game will differ slightly. Here are the ground rules, for those who missed the first installment. In short, I don't touch the controller; I let the CPU simulate the game how it will.

Onto the games.

• The Minutemen actually put together a decent drive after converting an initial third-and-long. Quarterback Andrew Brito is quick and slippery.

• Brito stands tall in the pocket and delivers a 17-yard touchdown dart. 7-0 UMass.

• Auburn drives and picks up 3 points. 7-3 UMass.

• The teams exchange punts before Brito starts another good drive. He continues to scramble and give the defense fits, but once UMass passes midfield again, it punts.

• Auburn's offense is sputtering. Bo Nix starts the game 1-for-5 for 6 yards.

• A 61-yard pass from Nix to Anthony Schwartz gets Auburn to the 1-yard line. Somehow, the speedster is caught from behind.

• D.J. Williams walks in for a touchdown. 10-7 Auburn.

• K.J. Britt sniffs out a screen pass on third-and-long, and Auburn gets good field position following the punt.

• UMass' safety intercepts Nix at the visitors' 35-yard line.

• A long, long drive (16 plays) ends in another field goal for Anders Carlson. 13-7 Auburn.

• Auburn's defense is really starting to get back in shape, allowing only two first downs since the opening drive.

• Auburn gets rolling with under 2 minutes until halftime, as Tank Bigsby gets in the end zone with 60 seconds left. 20-7 Auburn.

• Owen Pappoe gets an interception over the middle before the half.

• Nix is having trouble finding a rhythm, making bad throws into coverage often. The Tigers settle for another field goal. 23-7 Auburn.

• UMass' run game starts to pick up as the Minutemen get their second score of the game. 23-10 Auburn.

• Both offenses flounder about. Britt continues to play well for Auburn's defense.

• Mark-Antony Richards scores a short touchdown to start the final quarter. 30-10 Auburn.

• Auburn is having problems with Brito again. He works into the red zone before throwing his second touchdown pass, capping an 83-yard drive. 30-17 Auburn.

• UMass keeps making wild plays like the completion below.

• Auburn goes three-and-out, but a few plays later, Tigers cornerback Devan Barrett makes a open-field tackle on fourth-and-1 to stop UMass' offense for good.

• Richards runs out the clock on a ugly Auburn win.

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TOTAL YARDS

Auburn: 402

UMass: 340

PASSING YARDS

Auburn: 218

UMass: 174

RUSHING YARDS

Auburn: 184

UMass: 166

THIRD DOWNS

Auburn: 9-of-18

UMass: 8-of-17

TURNOVERS

Auburn: 1

UMass: 1

PASSING

B. Nix (AU): 18-for-31, 218 yards, INT

A. Brito (MASS): 24-for-33, 174 yards, 2 TDs, INT

RUSHING

D. Williams (AU): 14 carries, 75 yards, TD

T. Bigsby (AU): 11 carries, 62 yards, TD

M. Richards (AU): 7 carries, 39 yards

A. Schwartz (AU): 1 carry, 5 yards

B. Nix (AU): 8 carries, 3 yards

A. Brito (MASS): 19 carries, 114 yards

N. Orekoya (MASS): 7 carries, 29 yards

C. Roberson (MASS): 6 carries, 4 yards

J. Johnson (MASS): 1 carry, 1 yard

RECEIVING

A. Schwartz (AU): 4 catches, 95 yards

E. Stove (AU): 4 catches, 48 yards

S. Williams (AU): 1 catch, 32 yards

S. Jackson (AU): 3 catches, 28 yards

T. Fromm (AU): 1 catch, 7 yards

J. Shenker (AU): 2 catches, 4 yards

S. Shivers (AU): 2 catches, 2 yards

H. Joiner (AU): 1 catch, 2 yards

S. Emilus (MASS): 6 catches, 69 yards

J. Johnson Jr. (MASS): 3 catches, 23 yards, TD

J. Turner (MASS): 3 catches, 20 yards

C. Roberson (MASS): 3 catches, 17 yards

M. Hill (MASS): 1 catch, 17 yards, TD

J. Johnson (MASS): 3 catches, 16 yards

Z. Simon (MASS): 3 catches, 15 yards

E. Merriweather (MASS): 2 catches, -3 yards

AUBURN DEFENSIVE LEADERS

T. Truesdell (AU): 8 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks

D. Hall (AU): 6 tackles, 2 TFLs, sack

K. Britt (AU): 8 tackles, sack

O. Pappoe (AU): 5 tackles, INT

B. Bryant (AU): 7 tackles, 2 TFLs

EAST

1. Florida (9-1, 7-1 SEC) def. Missouri

2. Georgia (8-2, 5-2 SEC) def. Tennessee

3. Tennessee (6-4, 4-3 SEC) loses to Georgia

4. Missouri (5-5, 2-4 SEC) loses to Florida

5. Kentucky (5-5, 2-5 SEC) def. Miss State

6. Vanderbilt (2-8, 1-6 SEC) loses to Texas A&M

7. South Carolina (3-7, 1-7 SEC) loses to LSU

WEST

1. Alabama (10-0, 6-0 SEC) def. UT Martin

2. Auburn (9-1, 5-1 SEC) def. UMass

3. Texas A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC) def. Vanderbilt

4. LSU (7-3, 4-2 SEC) def. South Carolina

5. Mississippi State (7-3, 4-3 SEC) loses to Kentucky

6. Arkansas (3-7, 1-6 SEC) def. Ole Miss

7. Ole Miss (3-7, 1-6 SEC) loses to Arkansas

Week 1: Auburn 63, Alcorn State 7

Week 2: Auburn 24, North Carolina 22

Week 3: Auburn 21, Ole Miss 18

Week 4: Auburn 43, Southern Miss 20

Week 5: Auburn 34, Kentucky 13

Week 6: Auburn 27, Georgia 20

Week 7: Auburn 44, Texas A&M 17

Week 9: Miss State 34, Auburn 29

Week 10: Auburn 69, Arkansas 36

Week 11: Auburn 30, UMass 17