The 2018 college football season kicked off on September 1, and the ninth-ranked Auburn Tigers did its part to improve its national ranking with an impressive 21-16 win over the sixth-ranked Washington Huskies. It was the only meeting between a pair of top-10 ranked teams in the opening week. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham completed 26 of 36 pass attempts for 273 yards and one touchdown and six receivers registered at least 30 yards, while Kam Martin led all running backs with 80 rushing yards. However, JaTarvious Whitlow scored the team's lone rushing touchdown.
While the offense was impressive, the Auburn defense played an integral role in the win. The Tigers held the Huskies to only 398 total yards and 3.1 yards per rush attempt. The team's defense registered five sacks, one of which came on the second-to-last play of the game when defensive lineman Big Kat Bryant took down Washington quarterback Jake Browning.
