Auburn did many things well in Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to No. 8 Alabama, but could not close the deal when it mattered most.
Auburn took a 21-20 lead over the Crimson Tide with 6:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter, and held onto the lead until the 0:32 mark in the 4th quarter when Alabama’s Jalen Milroe connected with receiver Isaiah Bond on 4th and goal from the Tigers’ 32 yard line for the game-winning touchdown.
The loss was devastating for Auburn players, coaches, and fans. The loss was so disheartening, that it caused Auburn to find its way onto USA TODAY Sports’ Misery Index.
USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken says that karma came full circle on the 10th anniversary of the infamous Kick Six, but feels that Auburn failure to close ultimately led to the loss.
Because the reality of Auburn’s 27-24 loss to Alabama is that the Tigers blew it. They blew it by muffing a punt that handed Alabama a scoring opportunity with under five minutes remaining. And they blew it by somehow playing arguably the worst back-end defense any team has ever played in a fourth-and-31 situation with the game on the line. Allowing Alabama’s Isaiah Bond to see one-on-one coverage, when all Auburn had to do was knock down a ball in the end zone, is one of the worst football sins that has ever been committed.
Other programs to find their way onto the Misery Index from Wolken include Florida, Oregon State, and Nebraska following their weekend losses to their biggest rivals.
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