Auburn’s offense is about not losing rather than winning

HC Hugh Freeze (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)

AUBURN – They say that sometimes a team can take on the personality of its coach.

The 2024 Auburn football team is coached by Hugh Freeze – particularly on the offensive side – fits this bill.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t a good thing.

Auburn is 2-5. It lost twice at home to teams it beat last season, and now it has lost twice in SEC play, in games in which it held a two-point lead well into the second half.

“I think we’re still playing not to lose instead of, man, let’s play to win,” Freeze said Monday. “To be honest, we probably train some that way too. I feel the pressure of these calls because I don’t have the freedom to do what I’ve done for years. “Oh man, we might screw this up or we might not execute it right.”

“So these are all feelings that are real and valid – and probably lead to us not finishing the games really well.”

Throughout the season, Auburn’s offense has been unable to capitalize on clear-cut opportunities. (Auburn’s defense struggled with similar problems, mostly with a rough success rate on third-and-long shots.)

Auburn’s red zone offense ranks last in SEC vs. SEC games in several areas: overall scoring percentage (62.5%), touchdown percentage (25%) and the number of trips inside the 20 (eight in four games).

The Tigers are among the 20 worst teams in points per scoring opportunity in the FBS, and their chances percentage is also one of the worst among major conference teams.

Midway through the third quarter, Auburn led Missouri 17-6. This was followed by a 13-play, 63-yard drive that ended with zero points after a lost touchdown Robert Lewisa sack on second down, a short pass toward the sideline on third down and a missed short field goal by a young, struggling kicker Cities McGough.

“We have to get this game done,” Freeze said. “It hits him right in the hands. It’s a perfect throw. And I won’t beat up Robert. He’s one of our greatest kids on our team. … He sent us a text on the bus, to the team, that would break your heart. Just like, “This is my fault.”

“And of course there are many other pieces. But if you make that play, or if you make the field goal, or if you make a different decision as a coach at another time, the game could easily have been over.”

Even after Missouri capitalized on McGough’s missed field goal and turned a 78-yard pass into a touchdown on third-and-10, Auburn still held the lead after three more possessions.

Auburn’s offense ended 3-3 on its first drive. On the second drive, the Tigers followed an 18-yard pass to Lewis with a 6-yard run Jarquez Hunter. Then Hunter was stuffed on second and fourth for no gain, and Payton Thorne missed a wide opener Rivaldo fair weather on third and fourth, which resulted in a punt.

“He was under a little pressure,” Freeze said. “We didn’t protect particularly well on this play. But, boy, if we can make that shot, it’s going to change the game.”

Then, on the third drive, Auburn started at the Missouri 37 with 5:56 left. A touchdown would effectively freeze the game. Instead, the Tigers went back twice before Thorne threw an incompletion Sam Jackson V on third and long.

“I wanted to take a shot when we had the ball,” Freeze said. “And, man, five years ago I would have done that without worrying. But then you’re second and 10th (in case you miss it), and we didn’t award it to 27 (Hunter) like we should have. Then we give it 27 and we don’t execute it quite right.”

If it feels like Auburn’s offense is becoming too tense, too nervous and too afraid to react in critical situations, it’s not just the players’ fault.