Despite an inspiring second-half comeback, the Auburn Tigers fell short to the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 in the 90th Iron Bowl last night.
The offense struggled last night, especially in the first half. Ashton Daniels went 6-for-18 the Tigers were unable to score a touchdown in the entire first half. Beyond just the stat line, the Tigers had several dropped passes that left them unable to gain yardage. When asked, Daniels was quick to say that there were no pointed fingers in the locker room.
“No, it’s not on any position group. It was our offense as a whole,” Daniels said. “This is our offense, our team. Obviously, there were drops, there were bad throws, we just didn’t execute as an offense as a whole."
Defensively, the Tigers were able to somewhat contain Alabama throughout the first half, only allowing 157 yards from Ty Simpson and the Crimson Tide in the first half of play. However, with the offense unable to produce, the Tigers didn’t pick up the lead throughout the entire first half, or by the end of the game.
Though hope seemed faint at halftime, DJ Durkin was able to rally the Tigers at the half, and they came out with renewed energy. Within the first minute of the second half, the Tigers scored a touchdown. However, despite the defense only allowing 123 yards and the offense producing 284 yards in the second half to even the score at 20-20, the Tigers were plagued by penalties, including major defensive penalties on the Crimson Tide’s final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Captain and defensive end Keldric Faulk spoke on the defense’s struggles with key penalties down the stretch.
“Completely frustrating. We played really solid on defense. In key moments, we’ve got to be better. That has been a problem all season,” Faulk said. “We’ve just got to play sound football, and we haven’t really put that together on film. We still have room to improve. It’s just so much room to improve in that team, and we have so much talent. The future is bright.”
Even though the Tigers lost, the team still had some impresssive moments throughout the second half comeback effort. Linebacker Xavier Atkins and defensive lineman Malik Blockton were forces to be reckoned with, with a combined two sacks and two tackle-for-losses, pressuring Simpson. After his rocky start, Daniels ended the night with 259 yards. Wide receiver Malcolm Simmons stepped up to the plate for the Tigers, contributing 143 yards and a touchdown to the efforts, leading the wide receivers.
With a loss this weekend, the Tigers end the season 5-7, meaning no bowl game, and an end to the 2025 Auburn Tiger football season. It’s a sad ending for many of the seniors on the team, as this now means goodbye.
“It’s pretty tough, especially for some of the veterans, the older guys on our last year. With everything we’ve been through and not being able to finish and not being able to capitalize to get to a bowl game, not being able to get another month of fellowship and being around each other is hurtful,” Senior offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright said. “ It’s tough to tell someone to keep your head up and keep working and motivate those guys to uplift each other. We know all the hard work we put in; it doesn't go unnoticed. All of those guys are my brothers and teammates for life.”
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Jackie is a senior majoring in Psychology. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2024.
You can follow her on X (Twitter) at @jackie_domingun
