Anemic offense costs Tigers against Rebels

BY BRANDON HUGHES FOR THE OBSERVER

PHOTOS BY ROBERT NOLES

AUBURN — After giving up touchdowns on Ole Miss’ first two drives of the game, the Auburn defense found its footing and effectively shut down the nation’s 12th-ranked offense, limiting the Rebels to 145 yards over the next eight drives. During that stretch, the Tiger defense had two interceptions, forced three, three-and-outs and limited the Ole Miss offense to just a single third-down conversion over its first 10 drives of the game. But, in a refrain all too familiar this season, the Auburn offense never could get untracked.
In perhaps its best showing of the season, the thin but gritty Tiger defense continued to get stops and gift the offense good starting field position while the offense failed to take advantage time and again — often not garnering so much as a first down.
JUST HOW BAD WAS THE OFFENSE?
Auburn had 26 yards passing in the first half. In the third quarter, Auburn tallied zero passing yards — the only pass attempt of the quarter resulted in a sack. It wasn’t until Ole Miss had built a seemingly insurmountable two-touchdown lead with 7:51 to go in the game and the Rebel defense began to play softer coverage and quit blitzing that Auburn was able to move the ball through the air and skewing the final passing numbers. While the game was competitive, the passing totals for Auburn were four completions on six attempts for twenty-six yards and two interceptions.
The defense held on as long as it could, but, in the end, the offense’s inability to move the football proved too much, and the dam finally burst as a tired and overtaxed defense gave up two second-half touchdowns to fall 28-21 for its fourth consecutive loss. Auburn fell to 3-4, 0-4, while Ole Miss improved its record to 6-1, 3-1.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze after the game. “I think our kids played hard. I feel like that we’ve got to coach them better, and it starts with me. … The margin for us between winning and losing right now is so small…Obviously, I’ve got to do a better job, too, to make sure we don’t make those mistakes in those areas…And we got to convert those critical downs. We continue to lose the battles on third and fourth down, and that’s disappointing. …The defense got some stops against a very explosive offensive. Offensively, we kept shooting ourselves in the foot, it felt like.”
Auburn won the coin toss and elected to receive. The opening drive started off promising, with the offense converting its first third down and moving to the Auburn 48-yard line, where it faced a fourth down and one. Opting to go for it, the Rebel defense stiffened and stopped Tiger quarterback Robby Ashford for no gain, turning the ball over on downs.
Despite giving the ball to Ole Miss in its own territory, the defense and the crowd made its presence felt immediately. After two penalties, the Rebels faced third and 17 but converted the third down after a defensive pass interference penalty. Once again, after two more penalties, the Rebel offense faced its second third and long of the drive. A 21-yard run on 3rd and 22 allowed Ole Miss to go for it on fourth and one, converting on a 17-yard run by Quinshon Judkins. The Rebels would score three plays later on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Zachary Franklin to take a 7-0 lead.
Auburn struck back on its next possession. Jarquez Hunter ran 53 yards to pay dirt to even the score at 7-7. Ole Miss wasted little time taking the lead back on its next possession, moving 75 yards in six plays in 2:35. On fourth and one, Quarterback Jaxson Dart found the end zone on a quarterback draw for 29 yards putting the Rebels back out front 14-7.
After an Auburn three-and-out, Ole Miss began its drive at its own 30-yard line. On the fourth play of the drive, Auburn’s Donovan Kaufman intercepted a Dart pass and returned it 41 yards to the Ole Miss 24-yard line. The Tiger offense needed only four plays and 1:42 to tie the game 14-14 on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Hunter.
Following three-and-outs by both teams, Ole Miss put together a drive covering 57 yards, moving to the Auburn 10-yard line. The Tiger defense bowed its neck and forced a 27-yard field goal try. Ole Miss holder Charlie Pollock could not handle the snap and threw the Rebels’ second interception of the game to Auburn’s Zion Puckett.
Auburn promptly went three-and-out, but the defense forced an Ole Miss punt on its next drive. The punt went only twelve yards, giving the Tigers excellent field position at its own 45-yard line with 1:01 left in the half. But the opportunity was short-lived, as Ashford threw an interception on the first play. Ole Miss ran out the clock sending the game to halftime.
The Auburn defense held strong on the opening second-half drive as Ole Miss went for it on fourth and five gaining only four yards on the play giving the Auburn offense the ball at its own 35-yard line. But the Tiger offense could not take advantage going three-and-out. That was the first of four straight three-and-outs between the two teams.
Following an Ole Miss punt, Auburn got the ball on its 49-yard line but, once again, could not take advantage. On the cusp of field goal range and an opportunity to take the lead, the Tigers attempted an ill-conceived trick play resulting in a nine-yard loss putting the Tigers in a third and 19. After a 4-yard rush, the Tigers punted the ball pinning Ole Miss at its own 10-yard line. Eight plays, 90 yards, and 2:32 later, Ole Miss had taken a 21-14 lead on a one-yard Dart rush.
Perhaps no sequence of events symbolized just how out of sync the Auburn offense was than its first drive of the fourth quarter. Ashford began the drive at quarterback, and the Tigers seemed to have gotten first down yardage on second and eight, however, the officials ruled the Hunter came up a yard shy. Facing third and one, Freeze inserted Payton Thorne in at quarterback and got a five-yard illegal substitution penalty, moving the down and distance to third and six. Freeze then sends in Ashford, only to hand the ball off for a three-yard run and then a punt.
Ole Miss took 5:08 to move 68 yards in nine plays to add to its lead on a Judkins four-yard rush to make the score 28-14. With the Rebels comfortably out front, its defense allowed the Tiger offense, lead by Thorne, to march down the field when, on second and six from the Ole Miss 27-yard line, Thorne threw into double coverage in the end zone where it was picked off by Zamari Walton.
The Auburn defense forced a three-and-out and, on the Tigers’ ensuing possession, moved down the field aided by a 47-yard catch and run by Hunter on 4th and 15. Thorne capped off the drive with an eight-yard pass to Rivaldo Fairweather to bring the score to 28-21. That is where the score would remain as Ole Miss recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran the clock out.
On the offensive struggles, Fairweather said, “It’s frustrating because the defense is real, real good. We’ve just got to find a way to help our defense. We will. We’re just going to go back to the drawing table, practice hard, and find a way to help our defense.”
RAREFIED AIR: Ole Miss has beaten Auburn in consecutive games for the first time since 1951-52.
NOSE FOR THE BALL: Auburn leads the SEC in turnovers forced with 13 (nine interceptions and four fumbles).
GOOD STREAK: Auburn has forced a turnover in nine consecutive games dating back to last season.
BAD STREAK: Prior to forcing Ole Miss to punt in the second quarter, the Auburn defense had allowed a touchdown in six consecutive drives going back to the LSU game.