AUBURN—Auburn suffered yet another stinging loss to No. 19 Missouri on Saturday in Columbia, falling 21-17 in the final moments.
With the loss, Auburn has lost its first four SEC games in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. The Tigers are now 2-5 on the season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Execution in critical moments still not there
The buzzword for Hugh Freeze leading up to Saturday’s game was execution, specifically on critical downs, and the Tigers left a lot to be desired on the field Saturday.
After having two weeks to prepare and shore up its offensive woes, Auburn’s offense went three-and-out on its first two drives from scrimmage, leading to another slow start offensively. Its first offensive drive started inside its own 10-yard line after a special teams penalty and displayed three straight passes - with no touches for Jarquez Hunter.
In the first half, Auburn saw offensive drives, with a fresh set of downs, get to the Missouri 33, 40 and 19-yard line and came away with just three points. Combine the lack of execution offensively with sloppy special teams penalties and turnovers, and you find a team that simply can’t get out of its own way.
Big momentum shift
Auburn held what looked to be a comfortable 17-6 lead with the third quarter coming to a close. The visiting Tigers outscored Missouri 14-3 in the third quarter.
Auburn scored two touchdowns in just four minutes of play in the second half and was flirting with another score on its third drive in the third quarter. The drive accumulated 53 yards on 11 plays before things fell apart. On second down inside the red zone, Payton Thorne dropped a dime into the hands of senior wide receiver Robert Lewis in the corner of the end zone, but he dropped it. A play later, Thorne went backwards for 14 yards, and Towns McGough missed a 30-yard field goal.
Moments later, an injured Brady Cook returned to the game for the first time since the opening drive and lit Memorial Stadium on fire as he connected with Mookie Cooper for 78 yards, leading to a Missouri touchdown on the ensuing play.
All of this took place in under two minutes and was the difference in a potential 14-point swing.
Auburn couldn’t take advantage of an absent Brady Cook
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook went down with an ankle injury after the opening drive, forcing the black and gold Tigers to rely on Drew Pyne to lead the offense. Missouri went on to convert on a 51-yard field goal attempt but didn’t see another score until another field goal in the third quarter.
To go along with Cook’s absence, dynamic wide receiver Luther Burden was unheard of in the first half of the game as his first touch didn’t come until under two minutes in the second quarter. Missouri’s leading rusher, Nate Noel, was also plagued by injuries throughout the contest.
Meanwhile, Auburn couldn’t muster up any points other than a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Auburn defense showed up, despite final drive
Week in and week out, it's Auburn’s defense that continues to show up and keep them in games.
DJ Durkin had Pyne bottled up after Cook went down and held Missouri in check until Cook returned to ignite Missouri’s late-game heroics. Until Cook’s 78-yard connection to end the third quarter, Auburn held Missouri to just 177 yards and three points.
The biggest question for Auburn’s defense on Saturday was if the young secondary group would be able to hold Missouri’s three-headed monster - Cook, Theo Wease, Jr. and Luther Burden - in check. And for the most part, they did. Wease and Burden came alive late in the game but were held to 56 and 49 yards, respectively.
Still, Auburn must find a way off the field on third down, especially in late-game scenarios.
The Tigers will travel to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT and can be seen on SECN.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
