BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — In Saturday afternoon’s SEC/ACC battle, the visiting University of California Golden Bears (2-0) avenged their home loss from a year ago by defeating the Auburn Tigers (1-1) 21-14.
Saturday’s rematch from last season’s clash in Berkley, California, began eerily similar to the 2023 matchup between these two teams. On the game’s second play from scrimmage on Saturday afternoon, Auburn QB Payton Thorne got flushed from the pocket and attempted to flip the ball forward to Jarquez Hunter only to see the ball bobbled, kicked up in the air and grabbed by a Cal defender who then raced to the endzone for an apparent pick-six. A year ago, on the game’s third play, Thorne fumbled the football, which was picked up by a Cal defender and returned for an apparent touchdown. And just as in last year’s game, replay review wiped away the defensive score.
Although officials ultimately ruled the pass incomplete, and even though the Tigers would go on to score on the drive — converting a third down and ten from the Cal 15 with a touchdown pass from Thorne to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who made an exceptional toe-dragging catch on the play—that play would portend not just a difficult offensive day for the host Auburn Tigers, but a bad day for Thorne in particular.
Coming off an offensive explosion in their last game, the Tigers looked to continue its offensive resurgence and prove that the 73-point outburst from a week ago was no fluke. Taking on its first Power Four opponent of the 2024 season with a new offensive coordinator, new weapons on the perimeter, an improved offensive line and newfound confidence, the offense remained stuck in neutral for large swaths of the game and even found itself in reverse on more than one occasion.
After the game, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze did not sugarcoat things as he opened his postgame press conference. He said, “Disappointed. I hoped we were further along …you cannot turn the ball over five times and expect to beat really anybody. We never got in any kind of sync offensively, and that’s very disappointing and frustrating to me, and I’ve got to figure that out for us.”
Auburn’s Luke Deal did not mince words either.
“It’s just embarrassing offensively when you work so hard, and your defense works so hard, and your culture works so hard to remain together, and you just put a product out like that,” The senior tight end said. “That’s just something we’ve got to flip very quickly because we’re getting into SEC ball very soon.”
Cal answered the Tigers’ opening-drive score with a touchdown of their own. Golden Bear QB Fernando Mendoza went a perfect 6-6 throwing the football, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Nyziah Hunter, evening the score 7-7.
Auburn’s second drive of the game ended when they failed to convert on fourth and two from the Cal 48-yard line. However, Cal failed to capitalize on the great field position when the drive ended with Ryan Coe’s 25-yard field goal attempt clanging off the right upright.
The celebration of the defensive stand was short-lived as Thorne threw his first interception of the game on the ensuing drive’s first play, giving Cal the ball on the Auburn 21-yard line. This time, the Golden Bears would capitalize as Mendoza connected once again with Hunter — for 13 yards this time — giving the visiting team its first lead of the day, 14-7.
The Cal defense forced a three-and-out on the Tigers’ next drive, which began an exchange of punts by both teams until the final play of the half. Auburn kicker Towns McGough missed a 61-yard field goal try as time expired, sending the game to halftime.
The Cal signal caller finished the first half a sizzling 19/21 for 205 yards throwing the ball. But after halftime, the Tiger defense, led by coordinator DJ Durkin, made crucial adjustments. They held Mendoza to a mere 6/15 for just 28 yards in the second half. The defense, which gave up 222 yards and over six yards per play before the break, cut those numbers in half, allowing only 110 yards and limiting Cal to just three yards per play. Yet, despite the defense putting the clamps on the Golden Bears’ offense, it wasn’t enough, as Auburn’s offense struggled to find any rhythm.
Auburn forced a punt on the second half’s opening drive, but Cal punter Lachlan Wilson executed a perfect punt, pinning the Tigers on their two-yard line. The following offensive drives for the Tigers would see some head-scratching play calls.
Auburn opened the drive with 5 consecutive runs for 36 yards. Despite averaging over seven yards per carry and the offensive line blowing the Cal defensive line off the ball, Freeze called a pass play on first and 10, which resulted in a sack, an 8-yard loss, and effectively killing the drive.
After trading punts, Auburn found itself once again starting a drive on its two-yard line. Auburn again found traction with the run game, rushing for 18 yards on three carries, and Freeze once again called a pass play, which, yet again, resulted in a sack and a loss of 12 yards, killing another drive.
The Tiger defense forced another punt, but Thorne threw his second pick of the day on the drive’s first play, giving Cal the ball on the Auburn 47. The Tiger defense held strong again, forcing a 55-yard field goal try, which sailed wide right.
Just two plays into Auburn’s next possession, Cal ripped the ball from Hunter on a run play, taking over on the Auburn 36. The dam finally burst for the Auburn defense as Cal runningback Jaivian Thomas scampered 36 yards to put Cal up 21-14.
Auburn responded with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive aided by a targeting penalty against Cal and two defensive pass interference calls — one of which negated an interception in the endzone. Thorne’s two-yard run made it a one-score game at 21-14.
The Tiger defense got another stop, getting the offense the ball back down by 7 with 2:40 left to play. On the drive’s second play, however, Thorne threw his third pick of the game.
Auburn had one final opportunity. They had 28 seconds to go 80 yards for the game-tying score, but any hope of a memorable finish was extinguished when Thorne threw his 4th interception of the game on the opening play.
By the numbers:
- In the second quarter, Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk recorded sacks on back-to-back plays. The last Auburn player with sacks on consecutive plays was Reggie Torbor in 2003 against Ole Miss’ Eli Manning.
- Payton Thorne is the first Auburn QB to throw four interceptions in a game since Brandon Cox in 2007 against Georgia.
- Auburn is now 3-7 in its last 10 home games against Power Four teams. The Tigers are 6-14 against Power Four teams overall since the 2022 season.
Next up
Home versus the New Mexico Lobos. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
