Takeaways From Auburn's Tight Loss in Iron Bowl

AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Tigers fall to the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20, as the Iron Bowl losing streak extends to six straight losses to the Crimson Tide. Here are a few takeaways from Auburn’s clash with Alabama.

Drops Are a New Problem for the Offense, Costs Auburn Iron Bowl

The Auburn wide receiver corps dropped plenty of routine catches on Saturday evening. The only wide receiver who performed every time the ball was thrown to him was Malcolm Simmons. Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton both had key drops that made the Auburn punt team get extra in-game reps. Coleman also fumbled the ball at the end of the game, which resulted in a turnover and essentially sealed Auburn’s fate. 

Durkin May Not Be the Answer as Head Coach

Auburn defensive coordinator and interim head coach DJ Durkin had an opportunity to put in his bid to become Auburn’s next football coach. However, with Durkin at the helm, Auburn went 1-2, with both losses coming against ranked teams. There are positives with Durkin, like the Auburn offense finally being revitalized. However, neither side of the ball appears to be able to show up at the same time. The story all season long was the Auburn defense showing up, but not the offense. And that is how the season ends for the Tigers. 

Retaining Key Offensive Players Is a Must

Looking to the future, Auburn must be able to retain its key young players. Coleman is high on that list, being Auburn’s leading receiver. A new emergence that Auburn must retain is Malcolm Simmons. Simmons had a great end to the season, tallying 292 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the final two games of the season. 

John Cohen Absolutely Cannot Miss His Next Head Coach

Auburn has not played conference opponents on a competitive level, arguably, since the 2019 season. Auburn has not won more than six games in a season since 2019, when it went 9-4. The Auburn fanbase no longer tolerates being “close.” 

They want to get back consistently in the win column. Whoever Auburn’s next head coach will be, he will have his work cut out for him and not just with the fanbase, but with its gauntlet schedule for next season. The SEC is moving to a nine-game format next season, and Auburn finished this season with just one SEC win. 

With the 2025 season now over for the Auburn Tigers, Auburn will wrap up its head coaching search no later than Monday, as John Cohen announced earlier in the season when Hugh Freeze was fired from Auburn. Cohen planned to announce the next head coach for Auburn no more than 24 hours after the Iron Bowl. But with Jon Somrall reportedly no longer interested in the Auburn job, Auburn will likely have to wait to announce its next coach.

More From Auburn Tigers on SI