BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — “In like a lion, out like a lamb” is an adage often associated with the month of March, but it also perfectly encapsulates the 2024 Auburn Tigers. The season began with a 70-point thrashing of Alabama A&M, sparking optimism and high expectations. Yet, it ended in disappointment: a losing record capped by a two-touchdown loss to a middling Alabama team — far from what fans had envisioned 14 weeks ago.
The Iron Bowl typically plays out as a microcosm of the season, and the 89th meeting was no different. Everything that plagued Auburn throughout the season reared its head during the game on Saturday: unable to score touchdowns in the red zone, trouble in the kicking game, poor third and long defense, and turnovers at critical times. Auburn entered the game with (arguably) the best running back in the SEC — Jarquez Hunter — and (less arguably) the worst quarterback in the SEC — Payton Thorne — yet Auburn head coach and play caller Hugh Freeze opted to give the ball to Hunter 13 times (10 of which came in the first half) and throw the ball 41 times. For comparison, Oklahoma beat Alabama the previous week and only threw 12 passes for the entire game.
“Disappointing” was the word of the moment from Freeze after the game. “Obviously, disappointing tonight. Disappointing season,” he said in his post-game remarks. “Again, disappointing we get to end the season like we did. Lot to build on, for sure, with those young guys and the class that we can sign next week. Nonetheless, that hurt is still there.”
This game marked the final time in an Auburn uniform for a number of seniors. After the game, linebacker Eugene Asante reflected on his time at Auburn: “Just extreme gratitude for this university, extreme gratitude for these men in the locker room, extreme gratitude for Coach Freeze and his staff…to this university and to this program and to the people who poured into me and believed in me. I sit here, and I am a representation of their belief in me.” He had a message to the young players: “Just continue to believe in the process and to put all the pain that we went through into the offseason, into the preparation. Don’t take it for granted. Guys like me, the seniors — this time flew by.”
Auburn opened the game on offense but punted after failing to gain a first down. The Auburn defense took the field last in the SEC and at the bottom nationally with only nine takeaways for the season; however, on the sixth play of the Tide’s opening possession, the Tigers would force the first of four turnovers on the day when Asante recovered a Ryan Willams fumble.
Auburn would work the ball to the Alabama 21-yard line and line up for a 39-yard field goal and the early lead. Auburn came into the game next to last in the country in terms of field goal percentage, and those struggles continued as Ian Vachon’s attempt sailed wide left.
The teams would trade punts before Alabama dented the scoreboard first on a 19-yard run by Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, putting Alabama ahead 7-0. Auburn looked to answer on its ensuing possession, but facing a fourth down and four from the Alabama 19, Freeze eschewed the field goal try — perhaps because of the aforementioned kicking difficulties — in favor of going for it. But the Tigers would fail to convert when Thorne threw the ball away.
As Alabama marched toward a second score on its next drive, Caleb Wooden intercepted an errant Milroe throw at the Tigers’ nine-yard line. Auburn moved the ball 72 yards to the Alabama 19, where Freeze would opt to kick this time, and a 37-yard Vashon field goal gave Auburn its first points of the game.
Alabama would extend its lead to 14-3 on the next possession. Auburn would follow up with its second three-and-out of the game, but the Tiger defense came up big again on the Tide’s first play following the Auburn punt. Jalen McLeod beat his blocker off the edge and got a strip sack against Milroe. Philip Blidi fell on the loose ball, giving the Tiger offense possession at the Alabama 34-yard line.
Despite the excellent field position, the Auburn offense could not move the ball across the goal line. The Tiger offense, which ranks 122nd in the country in red zone touchdown efficiency, having scored only 20 touchdowns in 41 red zone opportunities on the season, drove to the Alabama one-yard line before settling for a 25-yard field goal by Vachon and sending the game to halftime with Alabama leading 14-6.
The second half could not have started worse for Auburn. Alabama moved 75 yards in only 3:47 to extend its lead to 21-6. The Tiger offense went backward on its opening drive of the second half, punting after losing seven yards on three plays. Alabama would take only 2:42 to move the ball 60 yards for another touchdown, giving the Tide a commanding 28-6 lead.
Just when the game looked to be getting away from the visiting Tigers, though, the offense put together its best drive of the game. Beginning at its own 13-yard line, Auburn marched 87 yards, the drive culminating with a Cam Coleman 29-yard touchdown reception. A subsequent two-point conversion on a Hunter run brought the Tigers to within 28-14.
On Alabama’s drive following the Tiger touchdown, McLeod once again caused a Milroe fumble, which Auburn’s Keldrick Faulk recovered. Facing a first down at the Alabama 30 and Auburn looking to draw within a touchdown, Freeze called for a trick play. Thorne tossed a backward pass to Hunter, who then threw downfield to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, only to be intercepted by Alabama’s Bray Hubbard at the Tide five-yard line.
The Auburn defense would force another Alabama punt, but any comeback notions by the Tigers effectively ended on a Thorne interception at the Tiger 29-yard line.
By the Numbers:
- Luke Deal played in his Auburn record 65th game.
- For the first time since 1950, Auburn has recorded four consecutive losing seasons.
- For the first time since 1930, Auburn has lost seven games for the fourth straight season.
