For the first few weeks of Auburn's 2016 campaign, the offense struggled to establish its identity while the defense did all it could to save the day. It happened in the 19-13 loss to Clemson. It happened in the 29-16 loss to Texas A&M.
Once Rhett Lashlee took over the playcalling, however, the offense took off, running roughshod over its opposition while maintaining its strong defensive play. Auburn had finally figured it out to turn the season around and become a legitimate contender for the national championship.
At least, it seemed that way. But then a trip to Athens, Georgia, happened, and mistakes that plagued the Tigers during their sluggish start to the season roared back with a vengeance at the worst time.
Auburn gained 164 yards of offense — 37 through the air — and 10 first downs. That statistic is bad enough on its own, but it gets worse. In the second half, Auburn gained 30 yards and failed to pick up a single first down. After going a modest 4-for-7 for 19 yards in the first half, quarterback Sean White, who was clearly still dealing with an injury, completed just 2 of his 13 attempts after halftime for eight yards.
This in a game to keep Auburn's SEC Championship hopes alive. Now, Gus Malzahn's program has already given Alabama the SEC West crown — its third straight — and will play for pride, not championships, to end the season after the 13-7 loss to Georgia.
"We didn't get it done," Malzahn said. "We didn't execute very well. We didn't do a very good job offensively. That was obvious."
Auburn's coaches and players stand by the notion that they win as a team and lose as a team, but one unit that can't be blamed for the loss, similarly to the Clemson and Texas A&M contests, is the defense. The Tigers shut out Georgia's offense for three quarters and allowed a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter.
Despite being exhausted near the end of the game because of the offense's inability to even get 10 yards, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele's group continued to make big stop after big stop. It was almost enough to result in a win, but almost doesn't mean much in college football.
“It’s frustrating, but things happen and we can’t put the blame on anybody," said safety Tray Matthews. "We’re still a team. Everything will come together.”
Matthews, who played for Georgia in 2013 and was infamously a part of the "Miracle on the Plains" — which remains Malzahn's lone win over the Bulldogs — had one of his best games in an Auburn uniform. He led the team with eight tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone in the first quarter.
He was far from the only defensive standout for Auburn, though. Defensive linemen Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson further boosted their already-soaring NFL Draft stock with a combined 12 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Their presence was felt all game by Georgia freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.
“I feel like we had a pretty good pass rush," said defensive tackle Dontavius Russell. "We were able to stop them on the inside so they had to go to the perimeter, so I feel like that was a positive from today.”
For the game, Georgia had 343 yards of offense on 76 plays, an average of 4.5 yards per snap. Those numbers trump Auburn's offensive numbers, but the Tigers defense spent much more time on the field than the Bulldogs defense did, and that's hardly their fault.
The Tigers strong play on defense is hardly new this season. In 14 halves of SEC football this year, they've only allowed a touchdown in seven. Whether a 7-3 record is a fair result for such a strong defense is anyone's guess.
Auburn's defensive players, however, like they did at the start of the season, refuse to point any fingers at their offensive counterparts. They believe their unity and chemistry as a team will see them through the adversity of another tough, low-scoring loss to Georgia.
“They’re my teammates, man," Russell said. "We believe in them and they believe in us."
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