BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPINION — The Tigers opened Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium with optimism and velocity. For the second straight week, Auburn scripted a flawless opener, marching 75 yards in 12 plays for a 7-0 lead. But just like the week before, the offense had no response when it was needed, while the defense again did its part — holding a Missouri team averaging 41.7 points per game to just 10 points until the final five minutes of regulation.
Despite multiple chances to finish, Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC) fell to Missouri (6-1, 2-1) 23-17 in double overtime. Auburn has now opened SEC play 0-4 in three straight seasons — something that had happened only twice in the previous 70 years. The loss also dropped head coach Hugh Freeze’s record inside Jordan-Hare to 9-10, making him only the third Auburn coach since 1948 with a losing record at home (Bryan Harsin, 2021-22: 6-7, and Earl Brown, 1948-50: 1-3-1).
Auburn’s first-half offense looked solid at first glance, but a deeper dive tells another story. Seventy-five of Auburn’s 122 first-half yards came on the opening drive. Another 46 yards came on a Cam Coleman reception. Outside of that, the offense ran 15 plays and tallied one yard.
The offense briefly revived late in the third quarter, driving 86 yards in 12 plays to retake the lead 14-10, then stretching it to seven on a 22-yard Alex McPherson field goal early in the fourth. From that point on, the offensive collapse was complete: across the fourth quarter and both overtimes, Auburn ran 15 plays in Missouri territory and gained 14 yards.
Overtime could hardly have gone worse for the home team. Getting the ball first, Auburn promptly lost seven yards, forcing a 50-yard field goal try. But rather than attempting the long kick with healthy Connor Gibbs — who has a career-long 59-yarder — Freeze opted for McPherson, who is still recovering from a serious health scare. The kick barely reached the end zone. Afterward, Freeze admitted he “probably should have gone with Connor on that one.”
The defense picked up the offense again, forcing a 38-yard field goal try by Missouri’s backup kicker. The attempt sailed wide, giving the Tigers new life. After Mizzou scored a touchdown and missed the two-point conversion in the second overtime, Auburn got the ball with a chance to win. The Tigers managed just two yards in four plays — and the game was over.
Freeze was asked about the overtime play-calling, which saw Auburn run seven plays for minus-5 yards. His response: “Obviously, not a very good plan.”
In each of its SEC games this season, Auburn’s offense has had 10 drives in the fourth quarter or overtime with a chance to tie or take the lead. The first of those was a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma that put Auburn ahead. In the other nine drives, Auburn ran 35 plays for 24 yards and zero points. Five of those nine drives resulted in negative or no yardage.
The Tigers have now played 12 SEC games under Freeze in which the score was tied or within one score with at least six minutes left in regulation. Auburn is 2-10 in those games.
It’s unfortunate that this offensive coaching staff is wasting a season with such a special defensive unit. The Auburn defense is holding opponents to an average of 53.4% of their scoring average. Mizzou entered the game outscoring opponents by 12 points per second half on average, but Auburn held them to just seven second-half points before overtime. The Tigers have held Texas A&M, Georgia and Mizzou to season-low point totals — and lost all three games.
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy entered the game as the SEC’s leading rusher and the nation’s second-best, averaging 129 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry. He led the country in broken tackles and yards after contact. Against Auburn, he was limited to just 66 yards on 24 carries — an average of 2.4 yards per rush.
How is the defensive side staying focused and motivated despite little help from the offense?
Defensive back Champ Anthony summed it up best.
“Keep putting good stuff on your tape,” he said. “Your film is your résumé — whether you compete for a championship or not. So just continue to play hard no matter the circumstances, because we don’t know the outcome of anything. Just keep playing your game.”
After the game, Freeze said, “I know we’re close … We’re close, but I know people are tired of hearing it.”
Yes, we are — because at some point, close stops being progress and becomes identity.
By the Numbers
The 126 points Auburn’s defense has allowed through seven games are the fewest since 2019 (120).
Auburn has allowed 610 rushing yards through seven games — the fewest in that span since 1994 (557).
Auburn’s opponents have gained 2,217 total yards through seven games — the fewest since 2017 (2,091).
Up Next:
Auburn travels to Arkansas on Oct. 25 for an 11:45 a.m. kickoff on the SEC Network.
