A bye week has finally come and gone on the Plains for Auburn as the team took week seven of its 2024 campaign to rest up before the back half of the season, one that has not gone in its favor.
The Tigers are sitting at 2-4 on the year and winless in SEC play. Both of their wins came in a home stretch that saw them play their first five games of the season at Jordan-Hare Stadium, one which they could have escaped undefeated had a few more plays gone their way.
At the halfway point, this record sits Auburn at dead last in the SEC, now forcing it to fight for its life to try and earn a bowl game bid.
The start that the Tigers had to the season indicated the exact opposite of a disaster when it pummeled Alabama A&M 73-3. Since then, the offense has looked very dull, while the defense has given the team chances to win. As a result, both sides are raising questions as to what the team will do moving forward.
At this point in the 2023 season, Auburn had played three power conference opponents, only having scored 20 points in one of those games. In 2024, the Tigers have played four power-four opponents, but the scoring woes remain consistent. Just like last year, they still have scored 20 or more in just one game against those teams, that one being against Oklahoma.
However, that number might be confusing to some, especially considering that Auburn is seventh in the conference in average total offense with 444.5 yards per game. Out of the team’s 2,667 total yards, 62.7% have come from the passing game, which ranks No. 4 in the SEC.
Penn State transfer wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith holds the team’s clear lead in both receiving yards and touchdowns to this point. The veteran amongst a group of young receivers has racked up 510 receiving yards and six touchdowns, while averaging 21.3 yards per catch to make himself a big play threat.
The rushing game is not as productive as it was last year, but is still showing signs of moving the ball at times. Out of the four teams in the conference that have played six games this season, the Tigers rank last in rushing yardage at 993, being the only squad amongst those four that is not yet over the 1,000-yard mark.
Senior standout Jarquez Hunter has been the unquestioned leader in this category once again, rushing 78 times for 528 yards and three touchdowns, stats he was nowhere close to putting up at this point in 2023.
That begs the question of what is keeping Auburn from scoring? The answer: the turnover bug.
While the last two weeks have only yielded one turnover overall, the Tigers rank tied for last in the country in turnover margin at -11. Between quarterbacks Payton Thorne and Hank Brown, the two have thrown nine interceptions so far in 2024, which ranks 130th out of 133 amongst all teams.
Those turnovers have proven to be detrimental to the defense’s morale and energy. Auburn’s defense is currently giving up 20.8 points per game, which ranks it 11th in the SEC, right behind Alabama. Many of those have come in the second half of games, where the turnovers have flourished on the offensive side of the ball.
The Tigers have also had trouble getting off of the field in late down situations against opponents. They rank 12th in the SEC in third-down defense, while ranking ninth in fourth-down defense. This inability to force punts and turnovers has widely been the reason why teams have pulled away from Auburn for much of the season, tiring everybody on the field and exhausting their energy.
The defense has performed well in the red zone, though, The Tigers have allowed opponents to score in some form in 14 out of 20 attempts. While that may seem high, it ranks tied for 15th in the nation in red zone defense, showing that they can lock down deep in their own territory.
In the specialists department, freshman kicker Towns McGough has not had an ideal beginning to his career, only making 50% of his kicks on eight attempts, with his long being 32 yards. The young hometown star has the distance, but is struggling in the early going.
Following the bye week, Auburn will make a trip to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field for the first time since 2017. The last time the two teams played in 2022, the Auburn Tigers pulled it out in overtime 17-14 after recovering a fumble in the end zone.
The clash of the two Tigers will kickoff at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday, Oct. 19, and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Tyler Raley is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @traley34.
