After building confidence during winning streak, Auburn’s offense falters in upset loss
Auburn’s offense had built confidence during a three-game winning streak. Those strides were shattered in a stunning upset loss
Auburn didn’t just faceplant on offense Saturday. It did so against a Conference USA team during a three-touchdown home loss — the week before the Iron Bowl.
Perhaps as jarring as the result of New Mexico State’s 31-10 upset romp at Auburn was, the fact that the Tigers’ recent offensive strides fell off a cliff — after felt like they were coming at just the right time in late October and into November — was nearly as disheartening for a team that worked all season to correct those issues.
“As good as last week felt and as complete as we played in all three phases, it was the exact opposite today,” Hugh Freeze said postgame. “And it’s very disappointing.”
The Tigers had seemingly found a groove during a three-game winning streak in the SEC. The numbers weren’t overwhelming, sure, but quarterback Payton Thorne was playing with sustained confidence and consistency for the first time, Jarquez Hunter was rushing for 100 yards a game almost as a given, the offensive line was getting better every week and there was finally some explosion from the Tigers’ pass-catchers .
But the team’s offensive showing in the shocking upset against New Mexico State felt much more like the clunky product the Tigers presented for the first half of the season, when they consistently hovered around the bottom of the SEC in terms of offensive efficiency. Auburn had just 213 yards of offense, went 2=of-10 on third down, averaged 2.5 yards per carry and went three-and-out twice against a Conference USA defense.
Not that they were doing much with the football, but their comeback chances were significantly damaged by New Mexico State’s ball-control offense. Helped by 213 rushing yards and 6-of-12 conversions on third down, the Aggies held the ball for a whopping 38:50 to Auburn’s 21:10.
Auburn ran only five plays in the first quarter. After halftime, New Mexico State’s took 16:22 off the clock on just two drives — both of which ended in touchdowns. After the Aggies’ second drive of the second half finished, there was only 8:39 left in the fourth quarter for Auburn to attempt to mount a comeback, down 24-7.
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