Auburn delivered its worst offensive performance of the season on Saturday, sputtering en route to a 16-10 loss against No. 9 Texas A&M at Kyle Field.
The Tigers fall to 3-2 on the season with their second consecutive loss in conference play. It is the third straight year that Auburn has started at least 0-2 in SEC play under head coach Hugh Freeze’s tutelage. They are now 1-10 in ranked games during the Freeze era.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Tigers’ loss:
Inept offensive performance
After every single offensive drive in the first half went backwards at some point, Freeze had one word to describe his offense at the halftime break: Inept.
And that trend continued for much of the remaining 30 minutes.
The Tigers tallied a total of 155 offensive yards on Saturday. Nine of their 13 drives resulted in punts, with six of them coming after three-and-outs.
Three of Auburn’s first four drives were three-and-outs, and it is the fourth time this season the Tigers have opened up with a three-and-out on their first offensive drive.
Auburn’s offense was in full self-destruct mode once it reached Aggie territory on Saturday. The Tigers' only touchdown – a 2-yard Jackson Arnold scamper – of the day came on the ensuing play of a 72-yard interception return from Xavier Atkins. That play came in the fourth quarter, during which Auburn ran 11 plays for a total of one yard.
Additionally, as a result of penalties, Auburn was dreadful, going 0-for-12 on third downs with an average distance to go of 10.2 yards per attempt.
Penalties, penalties and more penalties
After entering Saturday’s matchup ranked 125th in the nation with 34 penalties committed, Auburn will surely plummet down in the rankings after committing 10 for 69 yards today.
Auburn had seven offensive drives in the first half and committed a penalty on five of them for 40 yards. The Tigers' third drive that reached plus-territory was derailed by a holding penalty, which came on a would-be fourth-down conversion.
Dating back to last season, Auburn has consistently put an undisciplined brand of football on the field, and that was certainly the case again this Saturday.
Lopsided rushing totals; Auburn running backs non-existent
Auburn played the entire first quarter without handing the ball to one of its running backs – and one of them, Jeremiah Cobb, is second in the SEC in rushing. As a result, Auburn totaled one rushing yard, one first down and punted three times on its first three drives.
Auburn’s staple of running backs ended the night with a total of eight carries for 38 yards.
Getting the run game going, after rushing for just 67 yards a week ago, was paramount in this one. The Aggies' defense had been susceptible to giving up a large sum of yards on the ground – they allowed UTSA to go for 200+ in Week 1 and Notre Dame to gain 136 yards – and Auburn was no threat to do the same on Saturday.
Conversely, Auburn’s defense, which led the SEC in rush defense, gave up a whopping 207 yards on the ground. Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss totaled 139 yards on 21 carries with an average of 6.6 yards per carry. The Aggies recorded eight rushes that gained at least 10 yards, making up 150 yards on the ground.
Work to do up front
For the second week in a row - and some of the sacks last week were not entirely on the offensive line - Auburn's front five has left much to be desired.
A week removed from giving up nine sacks to Oklahoma, Auburn relinquished five sacks, and it was once again the cherry on top of a disastrous day on the Tigers' final drive.
The Tigers' offensive line committed five penalties, with left tackle Xavier Chaplin recording four of them. Auburn's offensive line is the most experienced in the SEC, with a combined 276 career games played; however, their performance on the field has failed to show signs of that experience.
Auburn will have its first bye week of the season next week before returning to Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on No. 4 Georgia.
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