Auburn’s defense looked strong early but couldn’t hold on as the Tigers drop their fourth straight SEC game. The Missouri offense had been stunned for most of the game being held to just six points going two for four on their field goal attempts. Missouri’s offense was struggling in part due to quarterback Brady Cook exiting the game with an injury after the first drive causing backup Drew Pyne to come into the game.
It could be argued that it was not just the different quarterback causing the visiting Tigers to have success as the defense held Missouri to just 162 yards before Cook entered the game with just 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Star wide receiver Luther Burden III was even held to just 30 yards on just four receptions going into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers looked as though they were heading toward their first ranked victory in nearly three years as they carried a 17-6 lead late into the game needing a few more stops to seal their win. Once Cook entered the game he opened with two incompletions but then on third and ten on Missouri’s own 20 he delivered a pass to wide receiver Mookie Cooper which he took 78 yards to Auburn’s two-yard line and closed out the quarter.
“It was definitely a turning point”, Coach Hugh Freeze said about Cook’s explosive play “It gave them some momentum and you know it would’ve been nice for us to see them have to drive down the field after our missed field goal…those explosive plays are devastating to us”
Freeze explained further that he felt like it had been extremely difficult for Missouri to sustain drives and would have liked to see his defense make them work more for their yardage later. Freeze’s thoughts proved to be true as the opposing Tigers’ offense only had one drive the entire game that was significantly sustained as they’re final full drive of the game consisted of 17 plays and 95 yards leading to the go-ahead rushing touchdown with just 46 seconds remaining.
In summary Auburn’s defense did their part in the game regardless of the 353 total yards of offense they did what matters most which was prevent points allowing only 21 total even dealing with Missouri often having favorable field position early on in the game.
“I though they played extremely hard and played well enough to win, we got to score more points than 17”, Freeze said about the overall defensive game.
The visiting defense finished the day with five sacks, just a 49% completion percentage by Pyne and Cook combined, while allowing only two and a half yards a carry. The problem with the defense didn’t come from the overall play but that 15 of the 21 points came in the fourth quarter after they allowed an 80-yard drive for a touchdown and 2 point conversion later followed by the game winning 95 yard touchdown drive.
At the end of the day the most important thing for any team is the win or loss they receive and unfortunately for Auburn’s defense allowing 21 points was just enough to push Missouri past their 17. Auburn’s solid defense will matchup with one of the best defenses in the country next week as the Tigers still seek out their first SEC win on the road against Kentucky.
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Reid is a freshman, exploratory major. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
