For the second time this season Auburn faced off with a Power Five opponent and for a second time the offense was shut down.
Unlike the game against Cal, Auburn’s defense was unable to keep them in the game as Texas A&M pulled away in the second half to win 27-10.
The Tigers came into the game with some offensive momentum after dominating an overmatched Samford, scoring 48 points and averaging 7.1 yards per play. The question was if Auburn would be able to do that against an extremely talented Aggies defense. That question was answered early and was a resounding no.
Auburn punted on their first four drives of the game and [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] didn’t complete his first pass until there was 14:52 left in the second quarter.
Thorne finished the day with just six passes for 44 yards before he was pulled for [autotag]Robby Ashford [/autotag]in the third quarter.
“We had people open,” [autotag]Hugh Freeze [/autotag]said postgame. “And we either missed them, or the pressure distracted us, it seemed. I’ve got to watch the film and see exactly what was going on to cause that. But we certainly missed a few opportunities in the passing game. … We just weren’t efficient at all in throwing the ball to open receivers when we had them, for whatever reason. It could have been pressure but we will have to look at all of it to see, we were certainly struggling with that aspect of the game.”
A major reason for Auburn’s struggles was the Tigers’ inability to handle the talented Texas A&M defensive line. The line failed to give Thorne time to make a play and he didn’t help himself as he struggled to recognize the pressure coming off the edge.
“I thought we did a decent job picking it up,” Freeze said. “It just seemed to distract our eyes from staying downfield and the throws we might have had.”
Thorne was ultimately sacked five times in the game and never looked like he was comfortable. Ashford managed one solid drive in relief before he was tackled for a loss and a holding penalty knocked them out of field goal range.
The Auburn offense finished the game with 200 total yards and in their two games against Power Five opponents is averaging 12 points and 200 yards per game.
Thorne and Ashford have combined to go 17-of-33 (51.5%) for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Power Five opponents with two turnovers and seven sacks. It will only get tougher as Auburn is now in SEC play and can expect to play some of the most talented teams in the country on a weekly basis.
“Offensively, we’re searching,” Freese admitted. “And we’ve got to find some answers.”
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