Takeaways From Auburn's Lackluster Showing Against South Alabama

Headed into the South Alabama game, morale was high on the Plains. For the first time since 2021, the Auburn Tigers were ranked. The team looked strong and was expected to run away with its 24.5-point favorite in a home matchup against the Jaguars.

The Tigers started strong in the first half, scoring 28 while holding the Jaguars to just nine points, though South Alabama did put together a few solid, deep drives. I seemed like Auburn was playing as expected, until the Jaguars outscored them in the second half.

Though Auburn struggled in the second half of this game, there are still a few things that can be taken away from this game ahead of SEC play.

Auburn Still Set the Tone Early

The Tigers’ spotty defensive showing certainly didn’t ruin anything for them, as the Tigers were able to hold the Jaguars to just 15 points. This included two touchdowns with missed PATs, as well as a field goal, all while forcing two turnovers.

With that said, the run-pass option (RPO) was the kryptonite for the Tigers this week, as South Alabama was able to march its way down the field on several of its drives, leading to the Jaguars surpassing the Tigers statistically in the second half.

Simply put, if the Tigers want to be competitive in SEC play, their defense is going to need to establish dominance, ideally by shutting down opposing offenses.

The Tigers’ tackling has room for improvement, as arm tackles ran rampant throughout the game. The Tigers’ pass coverage was shaky, and they couldn’t contain the run well, leading to the Jaguars averaging 4.2 yards per play.

Against SEC teams, especially Georgia and Oklahoma, this could risk resulting in broken tackles, busted coverages, or worse, and the Tigers certainly would benefit from minimizing mistakes against such strong opponents.

Straining Needs to Last All Four Quarters

The Tigers struggled in the second half, as they were seemingly unable to control drives on either side of the ball, allowing South Alabama to control the flow of the game. The Jaguars amassed 161 yards to Auburn’s 79 yards, including 74 passing yards to Auburn’s 10 passing yards. They dominated time of possession and were 5-for-10 on third downs, while Auburn did not convert a third down.

The effort level of the team in this game looked to dip in the second half, leading to the Jaguars supplying a wake-up call to the Tigers in the second half of this game.

Coach Freeze said last week that he was far from impressed with the “straining” of his players on plays. He also said this week that he allowed many younger players to get some reps on the field, but the level of effort he’s been adamant about still dipped in the second half, resulting in a disappointing result for many Tiger fans.

It Only Gets Hard to Adjust From Here

SEC play is no joke, and Auburn didn’t exactly catch a break with its conference schedule. Auburn is up next against Oklahoma, then Texas A&M, before heading back home to take on Georgia. The Tigers will have to compete at a top level if they want to make it through.

Auburn has flashed incredible ability to playmaker and win tough games, particularly in its week one matchup against Baylor. Auburn’s been known as a team to play down to worse competition while playing up to better teams, which, if this trend continues, should serve them well against tougher in-conference opponents.

Auburn, despite its effort issues and defensive struggles, is still a very strong, undefeated team, and they’re headed into SEC play knowing exactly what they need to fix. After all, these games are nicknamed “tune-ups” for a reason.

 If the Tigers can find the effort, or “strain,” as Coach Freeze puts it, and execute at the high level they’ve flashed, they’ll surely be a challenge for any team in the league.

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