The Auburn Tigers came off of their bye week with high expectations of improvement, heading into the back half of their schedule with a losing record and many sour tastes of defeat.
That luck did not change, however, as the Tigers saw yet another second half lead slip away late in the game in Saturday’s 21-17 loss to Missouri on Faurot Field. The loss dropped [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s squad to 2-5 on the season and 0-4 in SEC play.
The trend of this game was the same as that of many others, where the defense gave the team a chance to win all day, but the offense could not execute when it mattered most.
Here is what we learned about Auburn after the loss.
One thing is for sure, the ball needs to get out of hands quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] a lot sooner and more often than it has been.
Thorne went 17 for 29, passing for just 179 yards and one touchdown in Columbia, with that score coming on a 47-yard deep ball to [autotag]Cam Coleman[/autotag]. Thorne did take three sacks though, not being able to get the ball out in time when under pressure.
His other issue: he committed a turnover for the first time in a while. On a quarterback scramble in the second quarter, Thorne was gaining good yardage before taking contact and fumbling the ball, something that was crucial as the offense was driving down the field. He must protect the ball and give his offense more of a chance as it begins to move the ball.
The rushing game also lacked, only putting up 110 yards on the day as Missouri’s defense came on strong against Auburn’s offensive line throughout the entire game. This has been a struggle at times during the year, but Saturday was one of the more severe instances.
On the receiving end, this team needs to get Coleman the ball when it can, as he is not being targeted very often. In fact, his touchdown catch was his only reception of the day, signifying his lack of production.
It is also no secret that [autotag]Robert Lewis[/autotag]’ dropped touchdown pass in the third quarter was detrimental to the team, as it ultimately led to another missed field goal by [autotag]Towns McGough[/autotag] and gave the Missouri offense momentum.
The defense played solid for much of the game, racking up five sacks on the day and finding itself in Missouri’s backfield on a consistent basis. One 78-yard pass from Brady Cook was all Missouri needed though, proving to be a large turning point in the game and one that Auburn could have easily prevented on a late-down situation.
The special teams woes continue for McGough as well, as the young freshman kicker missed a field goal in the third quarter from 30 yards out and moved to 5 for 10 on the season.
The Tigers take the road for the final time in the month of October this week with a trip to Lexington and a date with the Kentucky Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CST and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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