Auburn falls in their third heartbreaker in a row. The Tigers fall in the 130th iteration of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” as head coach Kirby Smart gets their ninth straight win in the series by a score of 20-10.
“I think it’s very clear that we find ways to not win football games,” head coach Hugh Freeze said, addressing the loss, “and that’s what has to change. That locker room is a good enough football team to play with anyone and to win games.”
Auburn yet again showed early promise, but much less in the way that they had in the previous games. In this game, the offense looked practically unstoppable early on, but only came away with 10 points due to a questionably called fumble at the goal line, which would have put the Tigers up 17, but instead resulted in a field goal for Georgia the following drive.
The game was certainly a tale of two halves as the Tigers' offense outgained the Bulldogs with 227 yards to their 108 yards of total offense, with a lead of seven points. The game was completely flipped following the fumble near the end of the first half, and as the Tigers came out after half, Georgia’s offense, led by quarterback Gunner Stockton, would score 17 unanswered points while outgaining Auburn with 188 yards to their minuscule 50 yards.
“There’s a lot of times that I make bad calls,” said Freeze, “Officials do the same, but it certainly feels like we’re not getting any of the breaks.”
The Tigers' offensive woes picked up in the second half, where they had left off in previous games, going 0-for-6 on third-down attempts after starting the game going 8-for-11 in the first half. The Tigers also did not have a play over 10 yards the entire second half.
The Auburn defense yet again kept them in the game, holding Georgia and its explosive playmakers under 300 yards of total offense and holding them to a 5-for-15 total on third downs. Yet again, linebacker Xavier Atkins stepped up with the help of freshman linebacker Elijah Melendez on defense. Atkins led the team with eight total tackles and a batted ball, followed by Melendez’s six total tackles and a sack.
“As a competitor, it is very frustrating,” veteran safety and team captain Champ Anthony said about the game, “you know what I’m saying, playing hard and not getting the outcome you want, nobody likes that. It’s just another opportunity; you’re forged in the fire, and right now we are in the fire getting built up, so it’s just time to finish the season nine and three.”
Another heartbreaking loss in a low scoring affair with a highly ranked team feels like more of the same for this Tigers football team and their staff. The Tigers' defense has combined to allow just 60 total points in three straight games against top 10 opponents, but their offense has only managed to score 37 points in that frame.
This season has been nothing short of frustrating, and head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff are in serious search of a statement win to right the ship and get their season back on track. They will get that opportunity next week as Auburn hosts a strong Missouri team next Saturday in Jordan-Hare.
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Reid is a sophomore majoring in accounting. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
