Another offensive dud, and three more observations from Auburn’s loss to Georgia
For the second time in as many games, some fans inside Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium headed for the exits before the fourth quarter even began. They may have wanted to stick around.
This was always going to be a game in which the Tigers needed an offensive performance that went against what they’d shown this season — that the Tigers could not consistently move the ball on better defenses.
Georgia’s defense is one of the best in the nation, and Auburn’s offense was quite pedestrian for most of Saturday night. Of course, the offense came to life in the fourth quarter, but by then Georgia’s 21-point lead was insurmountable. Combine those things, and that’s how the Tigers’ 21-14 loss to the Bulldogs happens.
Once again, the Tigers defense did its best to keep a good opponent within striking distance. And once again, the Tigers’ couldn’t pull off the upset. They’ve now lost three straight to their rivals from Athens, including the SEC Championship loss in 2017.
“Our guys, they fought their guts out,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “They fought their guts our for Auburn.”
Here are four takeaways from Auburn’s first home loss of the year.
1. Offense shows life, but too late
Auburn’s offensive struggles against better defenses continued, this time at home without the excuse of crowd noise to fall back on.
Malzahn called the Tigers’ offense a “work in progress” after the Tulane game in early September. Months later, the same could probably be said. The Tigers had 147 total yards at halftime and struggled to move the ball consistently without the threat of an interior run game.
Auburn’s first score didn’t happen until the 10-minute mark in the fourth quarter, a three-yard swing pass from Bo Nix to Eli Stove. Nix also fumbled in Georgia territory in the second quarter, and kicker Anders Carlson missed a 47-yard field goal on the Tigers’ opening drive.
Then, the Tigers went up-tempo, and everything changed.
Auburn scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull within striking distance, but couldn’t manage that last, game-tying score. Their chances of an upset were slammed to the grass by Travon Walker with 1:39 left in the game. Nix’s 30 completions tied for the fourth-most in Auburn history, tying his own mark from Auburn’s last game vs. Ole Miss.
When asked if he feels comfortable running up-tempo, Nix said he does.
“I do,” Nix said. “Or whatever coach Malzahn calls. He believes that we can execute. I believe that he’s going to put us in the best situation possible.”
2. Auburn has a championship level defense
Georgia’s offense, though it features playmakers at just about every position, has shown a tendency to go quite vanilla this year. A sequence of run-run-pass became routine and some play-calling (and execution) raised some eyebrows in late-game situations against South Carolina.
That was on full display Saturday at Jordan-Hare, but Auburn’s defense surely won’t complain.
Auburn’s defense held Georgia to 3-of-15 on third down, including several key defensive stands late in the game as the Tigers attempted to mount their comeback. Auburn has not allowed an SEC opponent to gain 100 yards in the first quarter this season (Georgia had 75 yards today).
Marlon Davidson now has 6.5 sacks for the season and 16 for his career. The Tigers only had one sack on the day, but that’s par for the course against Georgia’s offensive line and a quarterback in Jake Fromm who knows when to get the ball out.
That said, 11 of Georgia’s drives ended in punts.
“They stuffed them in the fourth quarter,” Malzahn said. “We had the momentum and the crowd was in it.”
3. Gus Malzahn rolls the dice (and it almost works out)
It was just that kind of a night, until late in the fourth quarter.
After the Tigers scored to cut the Georgia lead to 14 points, Malzahn called a surprise onside kick. The Tigers recovered it, and suddenly Jordan-Hare Stadium had some life to it. Then came the review.
The officials determined that Tigers receiver Anthony Schwartz threw an illegal block. The five-yard penalty was enforced, and Auburn was forced to re-kick, negating a pretty huge momentum swing.
4. Late-game Auburn is back
Two touchdowns in a matter of minutes, Auburn’s running backs finding space up the middle and Bo Nix stretching the field. Those three things that simply did not happen for three quarters Saturday night. It all results in one burning question: Where has that offense been?
The Tigers found themselves driving again and facing fourth-and-3. Malzahn opted to go with the sugar huddle, and called a perfectly-schemed play-action pass to Harold Joiner. Nix saw him and released a throw, but it looked a tad bit behind the running back. Nevertheless, it was an entirely catchable pass, but it slipped through Joiner’s hands and fell harmlessly to the grass.
Sometimes, it pays to be lucky, in Georgia’s case.
“We’re disappointed,” Malzahn said. “I think everyone can see we’ve got a good football team.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 7:38 PM.
