They came close.
Three times, Auburn had the ball inside the Ole Miss 17-yard line--twice inside the five--but all it had to show for it was nine points from a few Daniel Carlson field goals.
In fact, Auburn's 27-19 loss to the Rebels on Saturday could have been a different story--if only the Tigers had been able to take a step or two forward.
Despite giving up a season-high 558 yards, Auburn only surrendered 27 points to an Ole Miss offense that had been averaging 41 per game. It was aided by the return of Carl Lawson, who had been out since the second half of the Louisville game in the season opener. But on offense, the Tigers stalled when it mattered most.
"It was frustrating," said quarterback Sean White. "We've got to take that next step, we've got to start scoring. Today, we didn't score enough in the red zone. It was obvious we kicked too many field goals, and that's probably a big part of us losing, so we've got to go back and fix it."
White suffered a knee injury late during Auburn's loss to Arkansas the previous week and didn't practice much as a result, and he only started because the coaches thought he looked good enough to play during pregame stretches.
He finished 12 of 28 for 258 yards passing and threw the first touchdown of his Auburn career--a 47-yarder to Ricardo Louis that put the Tigers on top early in the second quarter.
But from that point on, all Auburn could muster was the three field goals.
Going 2-15 on third down didn't help, and neither did a touchdown-negating hold by Gray King early in the fourth quarter that would've tied the game at 20.
There were positives to be had, though.
Jovon Robinson, who had been hampered by a nagging ankle injury for the majority of the season, finally broke through.
He tallied 93 yards on 18 carries for a robust 5.1 yards per carry, but he wasn't given the ball in an area where it would be conducive to run.
Louis had four catches for 137 yards and the touchdown, and Tony Stevens made a couple big grabs.
But above all, the offense had its chances to win the game, when all it needed was to take a few steps--into the end zone, and into a much-needed win.
"We can play with anybody, and I think everybody can see that," said coach Gus Malzahn. "We just have to figure out the way to take that next step and get a victory. We’ve been close, but we’ve got to figure out that next step."
With a Texas A&M team up next that looks more beatable than it did a few weeks ago, Auburn (4-4, 1-4) has a chance to break through and take one step closer to becoming bowl-eligible and make the season salvageable.
But to take that step, the Tigers will first have to find a way to take a few more steps--across the goal line.
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