Self-inflicted wounds continued to hurt Auburn in its most recent loss to No. 5 Georgia 31-13 – the Tigers’ ninth straight loss inside of Sanford Stadium dating back to 2005. It marks the second straight season Auburn starts SEC play 0-3 for the first time since the 1949 and 1950 seasons.
“Well, truthfully, I expect more fight than what we saw for the 60 minutes today,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said following his sixth-straight power-four loss. “I think I told them that in the locker room, I mean it's my job to get that out of them, and I'm going to die trying.”
Auburn was able to rack up more than 300 yards of offense and 10 points for this first time in Athens, GA since 2009, but stringing together consecutive positive plays on both sides of the ball plagued the Tigers once again.
The start for the Tigers seemed to tell the story of the whole game. Auburn’s offense opened the game with a five-yard sack and found itself in two straight third-and-10 plus before punting. The opposite unit for the Tigers was unable to convert an opening three-and-out due to a substitution penalty on third down which ultimately led to a Georgia touchdown – the Bulldogs’ first points in the first quarter against an FBS opponent this season.
“And they go down to score after that, you know. So those are the things I'm talking about that are, you know, man, heck, that's a three and out to start the game. And that's a reason to get jacked up and excited,” Freeze said.
Two false starts directly led to the end of drives in the second quarter for Auburn – one of which gave the Bulldogs the ball back in time to score a touchdown with 17 seconds to go in the half.
“We've shown too many signs that we can be, even as young as we are, that we can be a competitive football team, but you've got to make winning plays in critical situations and play winning football for the most of the 60 minutes. And we're not quite there yet,” Freeze said.
The start of the third quarter was perhaps one of those ‘signs’ for a team limping into the first bye week of the season. Georgia, with an opportunity to double-up on Auburn receiving the ball to start the second half, was held to a three-and-out – the only one forced by the Tigers on Saturday.
Six plays and 68 yards later, all of which were gained on the ground by Payton Thorne and Jarquez Hunter, Auburn was just within four and had momentum.
“Proud of Jarquez. Love his effort. He's never going to quit. He's going to practice his tail off every single time. And glad to see him having success,” Freeze said of his senior running back following a 91-yard performance on the ground.
But the ‘sign’ was just that for the Tigers as Georgia would immediately answer and not look back completing a 12 play, 75 yard drive to answer. The Bulldogs would score on the rest of their drives before running the clock out on its final possession.
"I mean, that was huge for us. They go down and bring it back within one possession, we got to respond. You know, let's have a response drive. Run the ball, pass the ball, however we were able to attack them and just very methodical like you said. And that wears down a defense, so I'm super proud of the guys,” Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said.
Opportunities would still exist for Auburn down the stretch but execution in critical moments, such as the failed fourth-and-one attempt to start the fourth quarter, prevented any hope of the Tigers staying in striking range of Georgia.
“The call was a dive left to Jarquez, and we didn't execute that play,” Freeze said of the playcall he decided during the break between quarters.
When asked if it was a read-option to Thorne, the play that ultimately occurred Freeze simply said, “no.”
Familiar stars still shined for the Tigers with sophomore Keldric Faulk racking up a team leading seven solo tackles and two sacks on the day.
“I had confidence coming into the game anyways, me getting those two sacks was expected,” Faulk said of his performance. “It was the goal I set before the game so once I achieved the goal it was like man that’s what I am supposed to do.”
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, like Faulk, has been a star for Auburn despite the rough start to the 2024 campaign. The graduate transfer led the team with seven receptions for 95 yards – including four receptions of 13 or more yards against the Bulldogs.
“I keep saying we're not that far off, because, you know, they're the number five team in the country. We should have been in this game, and we're not playing winning football in critical areas, critical times and moments, and we as coaches, it's our job, it's my job, to get that fixed,” Freeze said.
It’ll be back to the drawing board for Freeze as he takes a 2-4 record, his worst start to a season as a FBS head coach, into Auburn’s first bye week of the year as the Tigers look to avoid a fourth straight losing season for the first time since a stretch of five straight from 1946 to 1950.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
