For the second week in a row, Auburn would host a fellow SEC foe under the lights in Jordan-Hare.
This one would need a little extra time to finally settle the score, as the game hung inn the balance as both teams were tied 17 all at the end of the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Tigers of Missouri came out victorious on the road by a score of 23-17.
With this loss, Auburn drops their 4th straight game and remain winless in conference play. Disappointing. Another close game that didn’t go there way. A loss is a loss.
As always, Auburn lost the football game so we’ll start with the bad…
1. Third down defense:
The third down defensive woes decided to strike again in this one, as it seemed like Missouri faced a plethora of third and long situations, only to convert on most of them through the air.
Missouri finished the game converting 8-16 of their third down attempts, which doesn’t seem like an eye poppingly efficient day, but it was just enough to extend drives and increase time of possession in their favour. Missouri ended up gaining a total of 26 first downs in this one.
Unfortunately on third down the Auburn pass rush was eliminated and the secondary was not up to par to stymie the Missouri passing attack. Not good enough at home.
2. Special Teams:
Another week, another extremely underwhelming special teams performance. We don’t call for people to lost their jobs here or name players specifically, so we’ll leave that conversation alone, but Auburn’s special teams simply must improve. Bottom line.
Winning close conference games depends on it, and right now that phase needs a lot of work. Not even close to good enough execution. Although special teams can be scoffed at, it can win or lose you games sometimes and in this one it certainly set the Tigers back.
Auburn ultimately missed 3 field goals in a game that was tied at the end of regulation. Those points matter.
3. Red Zone Play calling:
We’ll loop in a few themes here in this segment, as the amount of drops by Auburn skill position players, along with another conference clash with under 20 points scored were both cause for concern.
Drops wise, Cam Coleman (although he did have an overall good game) and Preston Howard both had major drops in this one that both may have been first downs (and possibly a touchdown in Coleman’s case). Howard has been plagued with drops all season and will need to clean that up to become a more reliable target in the passing attack.
Getting into the red zone and not cashing in with touchdowns is infuriating. Especially at home in a controlled environment. Auburn doesn’t have an efficient offense that experiences a hefty amount of red zone opportunities so they need to make them count when they do.
Unfortunately, even though they ran the ball well throughout the night, Auburn’s offensive line was unable to get the push it needed on the goal line to allow their backs to fund pay dirt. The third down rad options late in the game was snuffed out by Missouri’s defense as well. Not ideal.
Now for the good…
1. Rushing attack:
With the dismissal of Damari Alston from the program earlier in the week, Jeremiah Cobb certainly stepped up to carry the workload for the Tigers on Saturday.
Auburn finished with 150 total yards on the ground, with Cobb accumulating a solid bulk of those yards with a total of 111 on his own accord. Malcolm Simmons added 24, and Jackson Arnold added 14 on scrambles and QB keepers. Nice performance by Cobb, but Auburn will need some other ball carriers to step up and give them some more production on the ground.
Good to see them surpass the century mark though, and both Arnold and Mabson added rushing scores. Good to see.Â
2. Rushing defense:
The Auburn run defense once again came to play, holding a rugged Missouri running back duo to a measly 64 yards on the ground. This duo might be the country’s best, but Auburn was up to the task on Saturday and mainly stymied Missouri’s ground and pound philosophy.
Quarterback Beau Pribula mixed in 28 yards of his own, and did have a scramble late in the game that hurt Auburn, but holding a potent Mizzou rushing attack to under 100 yards on the ground is a good sign. Impressive.
3. Jeremiah Cobb:
Cobb was called upon to carry the workload of carries after Damari Alston was surprisingly dismissed from the team earlier in the week, adding insult to an already thin Auburn running back room.
Although maybe he should have been utilized more, Cobb made the most of his carries, notching 111 yards on 19 total carries. Cobb was steady, physical, and showed he was up to the increased world. He showed the burst as well which is needed for the position, breaking a couple of large runs and making the Missouri defence pay.
Another close SEC loss for Auburn at home. The game (not unlike the season) was mixed with solid play in spurts and some key missed opportunities. Game swaying moments have certainly seemed not to go in Auburn’s favour this season and that was a common theme throughout this game as well.
Credit to Missouri, they travelled into Jordan-Hare stadium at night and came away victorious. Impressive win. Their defensive front took over late in the game into overtime and was relentless, not allowing Jackson Arnold the time to go through his progressions.
Auburn heads on the road this coming Saturday to play fellow SEC foe Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks just recently moved on from their Head Coach, and boast an efficient and explosive offense. Frisky team. Certainly a test for the Auburn defense and team as a whole. Time to get their first SEC win of the 2025 season.
See you next week in Fayetteville, and as always… War Eagle!
