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auburnwire.usatoday.com Tigers of the Game: Asante, Battie carry the load on Saturday Taylor Jones 2–3 minutes The SEC opener at Texas A&M was anything but strong for the Auburn Tigers. Auburn managed to gain just 200 yards of offense while allowing Texas A&M to post 402 yards in their 27-10 loss. Auburn could not force a turnover, they allowed seven sacks to happen, and they were penalized 10 times. Buy Tigers Tickets Despite the negativity, there were several bright spots to mention, including the performances of two players, Eugene Asante and Brian Battie. Following the game, Auburn Wire writers as well as Auburn fans revealed their picks for “Tiger of the Game” after the tough loss, here are the results. Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers Asante was the defensive MVP of Saturday’s game by recording nine total tackles. He also scooped up a fumble in the 4th quarter and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, the only one for Auburn today. Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports Auburn had another ho-hum day on the ground, but one player found the top of the stat sheet for the first time in his Auburn career. USF transfer Brian Battie rushed for 59 yards on eight carries in Saturday’s game. Logan Riely/Getty Images Not only did Battie lead the offense in rushing, but he also had the best game of his short time in an Auburn uniform. Prior to Saturday’s game, Battie’s season-high was 31 yards on eight carries in Auburn’s 59-14 season-opening win over UMass. Austin Perryman/Auburn Athletics Auburn fans have spoken, and their pick for Tiger of the Game is linebacker Eugene Asante. Asante won 85% of the vote, beating out players such as kicker Alex McPherson, running back Brian Battie, and cornerback Jaylin Simpson. To vote for the “Tiger of the Game” each week, head over to Auburn Wire’s X (formerly known as Twitter) account to vote.

247sports.com Battie a bright spot for Tigers in loss to Aggies Jason Caldwell 6–7 minutes Brian Battie did some good things in a loss on Saturday. COLLEGE STATION, Texas—On a day when Auburn’s offense was stuck in the mud for much of the day, USF transfer Brian Battie was a bright spot for the Tigers in a 27-10 loss to Texas A&M. With No. 2 running back Damari Alston leaving the game early with an injury, Battie was called on to play a bigger role and came up big. Carrying the ball nine times for 59 yards and catching two passes for 23 yards, the speedster showed that he can be a weapon for the Tigers as they move forward in the 2023 season. “We like him a lot; I said that from the beginning,” Freeze said. “He had two runs -- on two of the penalties, they were long, chunk runs that got called back. It was good to see him have success.” Making guys miss and getting to the second level, Battie said one of the keys for him was having some running room. Despite all the issues on offense in the loss, Auburn’s running backs carried the ball 21 times for 156 yards. He said the credit goes to the guys up front. “They were dominating the line of scrimmage, especially in the run game,” Battie said of his offensive line. “So I have to give all the credit to them. Without them, I really wouldn't be able to make nothing happen. They gave me the opportunity to get out in open special and that's my speciality. I like getting out in open space and making guys miss, so I've got to give full credit for opening up those holes." With 22 carries in four games, Battie’s workload may increase dramatically after what he did against a very talented Texas A&M defense. He said that he’s ready to go whatever he can to help the team if Alston can’t return. “That's what we work for,” Battie said. “That's what we're here for, to be able to carry the load or be able to step up when your number is called. Definitely praying for Damari. That's my brother, man. I definitely hope that whatever he's going through doesn't last too long and he can be back out there with us pretty soon." Falling to 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in SEC play, Auburn still has a long road ahead with the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs up next this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Battie said the loss showed them where they need to improve. Now it’s time to do just that. "I think we just had a hard time just getting things to click,” he said. “We still have a lot of things we need to work on, as we found out today. For us it's just -- the biggest thing is we can't let this loss break us too much. We didn't go as good as we wanted to do on offense. We've just got to get back to the drawing board and correct those things." Game overview: Third-quarter meltdown dooms Auburn in loss at Texas A&M After a hopeful second quarter, Auburn's offense falters in the third quarter. Auburn's Marcus Woodson pressures A&M's Max Johnson. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, Auburn Undercover, 247Sports) It was a tale of two quarters, and it had unhappy ending for Auburn’s football team on Saturday at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. In the second quarter, after twice holding A&M drives to field goals in the first quarter, Auburn’s offense seemed to find its footing. The defense was shutting down A&M’s offense. In that quarter, Auburn had 72 yards to Texas A&M’s 14, passing for 46 yards and rushing for 30. Auburn had five first downs. Texas A&M had none. But penalties and a sack blunted those drives. Finally, Alex McPherson kicked a 53-yard field goal with five seconds left to cut A&M’s lead to 6-3. But than came the third quarter, and it was an unmitigated Auburn disaster. Backup quarterback Max Johnson, a former LSU starter, replaced injured Conner Weigman. And it turned out to be an upgrade. Johnson directed touchdown drives on A&M’s first two possessions o the third quarter, making the score 20-3. Meanwhile, Auburn’s offense collapsed, gaining two net yards in the quarter and making no first downs. With 12:16 left, Auburn had a glimmer of hope. Linebacker Eugene Asante snatched Ruben Owens’ fumble out of the air and ran 67 yards for a touchdown, dodging A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, who had wondered onto the field. Auburn trailed 20-10 when it took over at its own 10 with 10:27 left. Brian Battie’s 24-yard run was the big play, but on third down at the A&M 33, another holding flag fluttered to the ground. Thorne came in to throw the ball, and his short pass was incomplete. Two plays later, Amari Daniels brook loose on a 79-yard run to the 3. Le’Veon Moss took it home, and the deed was done. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said his players were confident entering the game that they were going to go home victorious. “Our guys came in believing they were going to win the game,” Freeze said. “We just have very little identity on offense right now, very little consistency in being balanced. Our defense played well enough for us to be in the game and have a chance to win it.” Auburn quarterbacks were sacked seven times. Texas A&M had 15 tackles for loss. “We had people open,” Freeze said. “We either missed them or the pressure distracted us, it seems. We certainly missed some opportunities in the passing game. We weren’t efficient at all in throwing the ball to open receivers when we had them.” Though the Tigers had some big moments in the running game, Freeze said the pressure caused some problems there, too. “The ball didn’t always go to the right place in the running game,” Freeze said. “That is for sure.” And now it’s on to Georgia, the nation’s No. 1 team. The Bulldogs, two-time defending national champion, visits Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

247sports.com Whos at fault Charting Thornes dropbacks in loss to Texas AM Nathan King 9–11 minutes COLLEGE STATION, Texas — There’s plenty of blame to go around for Auburn’s issues in the passing game. So how much was Payton Thorne at fault for Saturday’s debacle at Kyle Field? Auburn lost 27-10 at Texas A&M to open SEC play, with its quarterback play rendered mostly ineffective throughout the afternoon. Thorne went just 6-of-12 passing for a career-low 44 yards, and was sacked five times. The Michigan State transfer was benched in the third quarter. “We had people open,” Hugh Freeze said postgame. “And we either missed them, or the pressure distracted us, it seemed. I've got to watch the film and see exactly what was going on to cause that. But we certainly missed a few opportunities in the passing game." Freeze said in the preseason that Thorne’s leash was short, and that if he didn’t perform well, others like Robby Ashford would be given opportunities to run the offense. Will that be the case this week, as Auburn is now set to host No. 1 Georgia? Of course, not all the responsibility for Auburn's shortcomings fall on the shoulders of the fifth-year senior quarterback. Let's take a deeper look at all 17 of Thorne's dropbacks in the game and attempt to draw some conclusions on what precisely went wrong. 1 (1Q): 3rd-and-11 at Auburn 24 Result: Incomplete to Ja’Varrius Johnson Izavion Miller quickly lost his matchup on the edge, so Thorne had to step up a bit, but it didn’t affect Thorne’s time in the pocket much. Johnson was open on a shallow cross, and there didn’t seem to be anything affecting Thorne’s throw. He simply sailed it way too high, and he knew it immediately. It didn’t appear Johnson would have had enough space for a first down, though. 2 (1Q): 3rd-and-8 at Texas A&M 30 Result: Sack Immediately after Auburn’s big break, when Damari Alston’s fumble for a touchdown was ruled an incompletion, it was clear before the snap the Aggies were going to bring six rushers. And Auburn smartly kept Jarquez Hunter back, but the Tigers were simply overwhelmed. The pocket crumbled around Thorne immediately, with Miller again having a rough play at right tackle. 3 (2Q): 1st-and-10 at Auburn 30 Result: Completion to Brian Battie (10 yards) Auburn’s receivers were well covered at the second level on a designed rollout, so Thorne took the smart play and dumped it off to his running back, who made a nice move to get first-down yardage. Good play all around. 4 (2Q): 2nd-and-12 at Auburn 38 Result: Incomplete to Tyler Fromm Thorne was dropped for a loss of 2 yards on the previous play on a designed run. He had Fromm open past the linebackers for what would have been a first down, but the pass was way too high. A quick release from Thorne behind a clean pocket could have easily picked up 15-plus yards. 5 (2Q): 3rd-and-12 at Auburn 38 Result: Complete to Shane Hooks (12 yards) Though Thorne left a clean pocket here early, it probably became his best play of the game. He waited for Hooks to come back to the play and delivered a nice throw right at the sticks. 6 (2Q): 1st-and-10 at midfield Result: Complete to Shane Hooks (8 yards) A routine screen off play action went for a nice gain after Hooks shed a tackle. 7 (2Q): 1st-and-18 at Texas A&M 44 Result: Complete to Rivaldo Fairweather (3 yards) On another designed rollout, Thorne didn’t have any open on the second level, so he dumped it off a covered Fairweather, hoping for a broken tackle and some extra yardage. Safe play on first down, but the plays that followed were an example of multiple short or negative gains that continually put Auburn behind the sticks. 8 (2Q): 2nd-and-15 at Texas A&M 41 Result: Incomplete to Jay Fair Here was the missed touchdown to Fair down the sideline. This may or may not have been a score, as Texas A&M’s safety was closing in and had a decent angle. But similar to the Fromm play, for some reason, Thorne lofts the ball high and long instead of delivering straight to Fair when he was coming open. The result is another errant throw that was a big-time mistake by a veteran quarterback, having your best receiver running wide-open up the sideline. 9 (2Q): 3rd-and-20 at Texas A&M 46 Result: Incomplete to Camden Brown Auburn failed to get the play off after the incompletion to Fair, resulting in an even longer third down after the delay of game. Texas A&M only rushed three, so Thorne had plenty of time to scan the field. He probably made the right call, too, rifling a pass to Brown near the line to gain. But again, the ball was thrown too high, so Brown had to raise both arms up, making it easier for the Aggies to reach in and break it up. 10 (2Q): 1st-and-10 at Auburn 37 Result: Complete to Brian Battie (13 yards) Thorne again was given a clean pocket and wanted to go downfield, but Battie chipped the defensive end before leaking out and immediately looked for the ball. Getting the ball in Battie’s hands was a good decision for Auburn all day. 11 (2Q): 2nd-and-16 at Auburn 44 Result: Sack This is where the sacks started piling up. A delayed linebacker blitz wasn’t picked up by Kam Stutts, but Thorne also pump-faked and chose to keep holding the ball. He tried to duck away from the blitzer but was brought down. 12 (2Q): 1st-and-10 at Texas A&M 34 Result: Sack After Thorne’s gutsy fourth-down run moved the chains, Auburn opted to go to the air on first down, and immediately paid the price. The play maybe would have had a chance if Stutts had gotten a hand on the outside linebacker, but instead, it was immediately blown up. 13 (2Q): 3rd-and-8 at Texas A&M 32 Result: Sack Texas A&M sent six at the quarterback, but Auburn had a hat on a hat with Hunter back to block. It’s tough to put this one on Thorne at all. Arguably none of Auburn’s offensive linemen won their matchup, and Thorne had to duck away from pressure immediately. Koy Moore ran a great route and broke open quickly at the line to gain, but there was little chance Thorne would have been able to stand in long enough to find him. 14 (3Q): 2nd-and-11 at Auburn 18 Result: Sack This was a quintessential play for Thorne and this offensive line. The protection was subpar, with Stutts being beaten immediately, but Thorne chose to step up into pressure instead of flushing out and giving his receivers time to come back to the ball. It was the combination of a porous pass protection and Thorne’s apparent lack of awareness of where he needed to slide in the pocket in order to keep the play alive. 15 (3Q): 3rd-and-19 at Auburn 10 Result: Incomplete to Jarquez Hunter A third-and-19 throwing from the shadow of your goal line is never fun, but Thorne didn’t have anyone open, and his throw to Hunter as a check-down was low. 16 (4Q): 3rd-and-8 at Auburn 24 Result: Incomplete to Jay Fair (overturned to fumble) After being pulled for Robby Ashford, Thorne was subbed back in on Auburn’s first third-and-long of the fourth quarter. Thorne didn’t have anyone open, then decides to leave the pocket and try to hit Fair on the run. Aggies defensive back Bryce Anderson made a great play to jump up and get a hand on the ball, but the pass should have also been ahead of Fair instead of behind him — evident in the fact that the play was reviewed and overturned to a fumble and a loss of 15 yards after it was ruled Thorne threw behind Fair, behind the line of scrimmage. 17 (4Q): 3rd-and-25 at Texas A&M 43 Result: Complete to Rivaldo Fairweather (-2 yards) The play design was a clear throwback screen to Fairweather the whole way, but nothing was going to work here. Texas A&M sniffed it out the whole way, and it wasn’t particularly well blocked, either. TAKEAWAYS * Thorne’s own negative plays, along with Auburn’s seven penalties on offense, made for an average third-down distance of 11.7 yards for the Tigers. On Thorne’s 17 dropbacks, he was, on average, facing 13 yards to gain. * The drive where Auburn got the ball with great starting field position before halftime was where things started to collapse. From that point forward on six dropbacks, Thorne took three sacks and was 1-of-3 passing for -2 yards. * Thorne’s ineffective ducking and weaving got him in trouble, but it’s because his instinct is to climb the pocket. As Freeze said, Thorne didn’t do a good job of keeping his eyes downfield, but the quarterback’s hope was that he could do so after avoiding pressure. In this game, scrambling out of the pocket would have served him better, but that’s not his game. * Thorne’s awareness of where to extend the play left some to be desired. Texas A&M linebackers Chris Russell and Taurean York had phenomenal games, but they were also helped by the fact that Thorne often failed to recognize where pressure would be coming from. Of course, Auburn’s offensive line opened plenty of unexpected holes for defenders, but Thorne seemed to pin-ball his way into some sacks instead of escaping the pocket entirely. * In hindsight, Auburn should have schemed more quick throws for Thorne once it became clear the offensive line wasn’t going to hold up for long late in the second quarter. Dropping back was essentially a death sentence. Play calling didn't do the passing game lots of favors, particularly in the second half. *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

si.com LOOK: Auburn Twitter is blaming Bryan Harsin for loss vs Texas A&M Lance Dawe ~3 minutes Auburn fans are not happy following the Tigers' 27-10 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on the road. Auburn fans are not happy following the Tigers' 27-10 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on the road. Not a single offensive touchdown was scored by Auburn, who has some clearly major issues on that side of the ball four weeks into the season. There is a quarterback problem once again on The Plains. Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne has not impressed through four games as the Tigers' primary signal-caller, leading offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery to pull him out for Robby Ashford, last year's starter. The rotation has been clunky, with no success and a clear lack of rhythm. It feels like a tale we've been reading about Auburn forever; they can't find a solid, consistent quarterback to lead the offense. Auburn Twitter, which has begun to pull out of the "honeymoon" phase with new head coach Hugh Freeze, was very critical of the Tigers' offense and execution following their loss to the Aggies. Other fans are taking to Twitter to defend Freeze and blame the loss on former coach Bryan Harsin, who oversaw one of the worst seasons in Tiger football history last year. Harsin failed to recruit, gameplan, and win during his two seasons with Auburn. It caused the gap between the Tigers and their competition to widen to a level we haven't seen in quite some time. Here are some of the tweets sent out about Harsin following the game. One fan was brave enough to make the claim that Bryan Harsin wasn't the problem at Auburn... which expectedly received a lot of backlash from other fans. Even Boise State fans are mad at Harsin.

al.com Auburn’s defense ‘fought and fought’ against TAMU, but that proved moot without a competent offense Updated: Sep. 24, 2023, 12:47 p.m.|Published: Sep. 24, 2023, 11:55 a.m. 5–7 minutes After Auburn’s lackadaisical win over Cal in the hills of Berkeley, Calif. on Sept. 9, folks learned Eugene Asante’s name. Auburn fans saw his heart and athletic ability. In that same game, they also saw the ineptitude of the Tigers’ offense. The entire showing – both Asante’s breakout game and the Auburn offense’s struggles – paved the way for some fans jokingly asking if Asante could play on offense, too. In a roundabout way, that happened Saturday afternoon in College Station as Auburn (3-1, 0-1 SEC) fell to Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) 27-10. Auburn freshman Kayin Lee dislodged the football out of the hands of Texas A&M’s Rueben Owens, only for it to fall right in the hands of Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante. “I was on the backside of the play just trying to run in and be in on situations, trying to make a play for my team,” Asante said. “Coach kind of talks about… God rewards people that hustle to the football and it was just one of those situations.” Asante went on to return the popped-up fumble for a 67-yard touchdown — Auburn’s only of the game — to bring the Tigers within 10 points of the Aggies with just more than 12 minutes to play, but not before he sprinted past Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, who inadvertently found himself in the middle of the play. “I’m lucky I didn’t get ran over,” Fisher said after the game. The video of Fisher’s poor tackling form went viral on social media as “12th man” puns poured in. It was funny. People joked about it. But joking matters aside, Asante’s play in the fourth quarter was just another example of the Auburn defense doing everything it could to keep Auburn’s head above water on Saturday afternoon. It was the same thing we’d seen in Berkley, CA. as the Tigers’ defense shouldered the load in an ugly 14-10 win against the Cal Golden Bears, who — for the record — lost to No. 8 Washington 59-32 late Saturday night. While the Auburn offense cycled through three quarterbacks who totaled less than 60 combined passing yards against Texas A&M, the Tigers’ defense couldn’t catch a break. Despite Hugh Freeze saying all week leading into Saturday’s matchup against the Aggies that the Tigers’ offense would have to stay clear of many third-and-long situations, whether it was Payton Thorne, Robby Ashford or Holden Geriner under center, it didn’t matter – the third-and-long situations came. That was especially the case in the third quarter, when the Auburn offense saw three third-down opportunities. The Tigers committed a pre-snap penalty in two of those opportunities, backing them up well behind the sticks. The average distance to go on third down was more than 17 yards during the third quarter. “Penalties certainly did not help us,” Freeze said. “They came at difficult times.” The Auburn offense neglected to convert a single third down and only tallied 10 total offensive snaps in the third quarter. And what that meant for the Auburn defense was that it better not get comfortable on the sideline, because it wasn’t going to be off the field long. And that’s when the bend in the Tigers’ defense turned to break. The Auburn defense, which had allowed just 121 yards of offense in the first half, had reached its breaking point. “They fought and fought,” Freeze said of the Auburn defense. “Obviously they gave up a few explosive plays in the third quarter, but we didn’t help them. I don’t know the timing -- it’s not broken down by quarter -- it couldn’t have been good. I think that took the gas out of our defense.” With Auburn’s offense unable to sustain a drive of more than three plays in the third quarter, the Tigers had possession of the football for a total time of 5:03. And that meant the Tigers’ defense had to be the field for more than two thirds of the third quarter. While his defense was running on fumes doing everything it could to give the Tigers a fighting chance, Auburn starting quarterback Payton Thorne stood on the sideline dejected and with his arms crossed after being benched. He was pouting. Then you’ve got guys like Asante, whose heart and desire to win football games for Auburn is evident each time he steps on the field. “There’s no question of the effort he’s going to give,” Freeze said. “It hurts him when we don’t succeed, and you see that in his face.” One has to wonder if after his touchdown — which brought Auburn within 10 points with more than 12 minutes to play — Asante had a sliver of belief in his offense to complement his touchdown with one of their own. Auburn was able to do that at Cal as Thorne connected with Rivaldo Fairweather for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter after the Tigers’ defense came away with a big stop. But on Saturday against SEC competition – which is what the Tigers will see for the next six games – the offense couldn’t answer the call. So expect the sarcasm-charged “Can Eugene Asante play on offense too?” questions to continue. And hopefully, as Asante says, God keeps rewarding people that hustle to the football in the form of turnovers. Because until something major changes on offense, Auburn is gonna need it. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

247sports.com After issues at Texas AM Auburns offensive line is SECs most penalized Nathan King ~4 minutes COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After its conference opener, Auburn is tops in the SEC in an undesirable category. After a 27-10 loss at Texas A&M, the Tigers’ offensive linemen have now been penalized 16 times through four games, good for the most in the league. A flag fest on Saturday afternoon, where Auburn had 10 penalties as a team, made an already steep climb against a talented Aggies squad even rockier. “The bad part about it is that we moved the ball and got in scoring territory, then we get a penalty or a sack, and it knocked us out of scoring points that would've made it a little more interesting, for sure,” Hugh Freeze said postgame. One of the keys Freeze harped on all week was that Auburn needed to stay out of third-and-long if it was going to have any hope of consistently succeeding offensively, and finishing drives. The Tigers went the opposite direction, with an average to-go distance on third down of 11.7 yards. Yes, Texas A&M had seven sacks and eight more tackles for loss, but penalties also played a significant role in putting the Tigers behind the 8-ball. Of Auburn’s seven offensive penalties in the game — removing the three delays of game on special teams, which seemed to be intentional to give punter Oscar Chapman more room — five flags were thrown on third down. In the Tigers’ two Power Five games this season at Cal and Texas A&M, they have seven penalties on third down. Not a single one of those ensuing third downs were converted. Auburn crossed midfield on five possessions but came away with only one field goal attempt. It had four offensive penalties in Texas A&M territory in the game that not only backed the Tigers up 35 yards of penalty yardage, but also wiped away a pair of first downs on holding calls. “I mean, those two holding calls when we were in field-goal range both times really, really hurt,” Freeze said. “I'll be anxious to see them on film, and they were on two really good runs that we had that put us even closer. Penalties certainly did not help us. They came at difficult times.” Of course, Auburn has plenty of other offensive issues to address this week ahead of a home game against No. 1 Georgia, and in next week’s bye week. But first-year position coach Jake Thornton’s cleaning things up with his group needs to be near the top of that list. “Really hurt us in the long run,” running back Brian Battie said. “Without those penalties, the game could've been a whole different outcome. That's another thing that we also need to work on. Not even just the scheme part, but just playing the game how it's supposed to be played.” Here’s a look at how penalty prone every SEC offensive line has been, with the only caveat being that Vanderbilt has played one more game than the rest of the league, after it opened its season in Week 0. Data is via Pro Football Focus charting. SEC OFFENSIVE LINE PENALTIES Auburn: 16 Texas A&M: 15 South Carolina: 14 Tennessee: 13 Ole Miss: 13 Missouri: 12 Arkansas: 11 Florida: 10 Kentucky: 9 Vanderbilt: 9 LSU: 7 Alabama: 7 Mississippi State: 6 Georgia: 3 AUBURN O-LINEMAN PENALTIES Dillon Wade: 4 Gunner Britton: 4 Avery Jones: 3 Izavion Miller: 2 Kameron Stutts: 2 Jeremiah Wright: 1 *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more ***

saturdaydownsouth.com Auburn football: Stock report after Week 4 Glenn Sattell | 9 hours ago 4–5 minutes A surprising lack of adequate quarterback play from either Payton Thorne or Robby Ashford, coupled with an inability to keep a charging Texas A&M defense off the Tigers’ QBs, resulted in a confounding 27-10 loss to the Aggies on the road in Auburn’s SEC opener Saturday. The Tigers’ offense did not reach the end zone. A 4th-quarter 67-yard scoop and score by Eugene Asante accounted for Auburn’s lone TD. A career-long 53-yard field goal from Alex McPherson opened the scoring for Auburn (3-1, 0-1), which falls for the 1st time this season in head coach Hugh Freeze’s initial campaign on The Plains. Here is Auburn’s stock report after Week 4 Player of the Week: LB Eugune Asante For the 2nd consecutive week, Asante was the leader of the team. Unlike last week, however, Asante added a touchdown to his credit. In addition to leading the team with 9 tackles, including 7 solo, Asante scooped up an Aggies fumble in the 4th quarter and raced 67 yards to the end zone for Auburn’s only touchdown of the game. Freshman of the Week: DL Keldric Faulk The 6-6, 288-pounder from Highland Home recorded 2 solo tackles and added a QB hurry. The long and athletic pass rusher is best off the edge, and he exhibited his potential in limited snaps. Biggest surprise: Poor OL play With so many new faces, we knew the Auburn line would be a work in progress. But Saturday’s performance was a step back in that development. The Tigers gave up 7 sacks, and the Aggies tallied 15 tackles for loss. The result was an overall poor performance from the offense, which was able to gain just 56 yards through the air and another 144 on the ground. It was the fewest total yards (200) for Auburn this season. Biggest concern: Lack of QB play Thorne was seemingly developing into a serviceable QB or better, and someone who could lead the Auburn offense through the gauntlet that is the SEC schedule. In addition, Ashford had proven that he could come off the bench and turn in some meaningful snaps. Neither QB played well. They didn’t handle the pressure of playing on the road. They didn’t handle the pressure of the Aggies’ defense. They couldn’t hit their receivers, even on the occasions when they were wide open. Thorne and Ashford combined to complete just 7 of 16 passes for 52 yards. They were so inept, in fact, that Freeze employed his 3rd QB, redshirt freshman Holden Geriner, who completed 2 of 7 passes for 8 yards. Developing trend: Passing game inefficiency The Tigers threw for just 56 yards. It was the 2nd time in 3 games that Auburn QBs combined for fewer than 100 passing yards. But you can’t put it all on Thorne and Ashford. The Auburn OL hasn’t been outstanding, and the receivers aren’t necessarily getting separation. Although on Saturday, in times when they did, Auburn QBs were not particularly accurate with their throws. Key stat: 3-of-15 on 3rd-down conversion When you’re converting just 20 percent on 3rd down, it’s no wonder you can’t reach the end zone. Auburn had no continuity on offense with either QB. First impression about Week 5: Are the Tigers ready for the 2-time defending champs? This seems like the worst time for Auburn to have to face the 2-time defending national champions. A lot of things have to be fixed before next Saturday, when the Georgia Bulldogs come calling. At least the game will be played at Jordan-Hare Stadium. But are the Tigers ready for this type of challenge? Both QBs will have to have their best week of practice to prepare for the Bulldogs. The offensive line must fix its problems and better protect. The receiving corps must work on getting separation. That’s a lot to correct in a week.

si.com Five winners from Auburn's loss to Texas A&M Andrew Stefaniak ~4 minutes These five guys played well against Texas A&M. Auburn had a rough showing against the Texas A&M Aggies, leaving fans upset with the offense, but there were some players that had good showings. The defense played well as a whole against the Aggies but was just worn down too much, and Texas A&M was able to break through. This was a painful loss, but Auburn will be okay, and fans need to trust what Coach Hugh Freeze is building on the Plains. Let's take a look at five winners from Auburn's 27-10 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies. Holden Geriner Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Holden Geriner did get in the football game late, but that is not the reason he was a winner in this game. Geriner was a winner because the poor quarterback play has him in a position where the fan base wants him quarterbacking the Tigers. The offense was so putrid against the Aggies that Geriner deserves a chance to get the offense going in a better direction. Brian Battie Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Brain Battie led the Auburn Tigers in receiving and rushing in this ball game. The USF transfer had 59 yards on the ground and 23 yards through the air. In his short time playing for the Auburn Tigers, Battie has shown burst and elusiveness. With Damari Alston going down in this game, Battie stepped into a bigger role and looked good doing it for the Tigers. Battie is putting the staff in a position where they need to get him the ball more. Alex McPherson Eric Starling/Auburn Daily Alex McPherson hit a long field goal in this ball game for the Tigers and also made his lone extra point. He drilled a 53-yarder that would have been good from a few yards back. The young kicker has yet to miss a kick this season. McPherson might follow in his brothers' footsteps and kick in the NFL sooner than later. If this happens, we need to consider Auburn Kicker U. Eugene Asante Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports Eugene Asante once again had a big game for the Tigers, leading Auburn in tackles, and took a fumble 67 yards to the house. Asante was even able to juke out one of the best tacklers in the SEC, Jimbo Fisher. Asante has been the MVP of this Auburn football team so far and has done everything he can to make this team successful. It's safe to say Asante has made himself some money so far this season. Oscar Chapman Austin Perryman / AU Athletics Oscar Chapman had a good day punting the football and was able to go get a ball that was snapped over his head and still delivered a solid kick. Having a good punter is a big deal, and the Tigers have one of the best in the conference in Chapman. He is definitely a guy who could punt at the next level.

take a shot........i will tell you if you are right. i was going to copy it and sow folks but that is a lot to look through..............

it has been a long hard row these last few years. and my soul hurts from it. i am sad today as well but i know this will pass and we will get better.

i can tell you dirty jokes that will curl your hair but i do not do it in front of kids. there was a time when auburn fans as a whole did not act like this and it always made me proud. only turd fans acted like this. i cannot say it anymore. i am not a prude i just love auburn and hate to see it thrown under the bus.

i always expect you to be crazy as hell with your avie pic because i forget and that dude is not right...............lol

you are one of my favorite posters i just wanted to be a little clearer in what i said. it is natural for folks to be hurt and vent. it got bad out of hand yesterday and the mention of a man on his knees and taking it in his mouth? uncalled for. and the trolls that hate freeze were out. as odd as it sounds this hurts me and disappoints me more than the loss. i support my team in bad times as well as good and i will not throw them under the bus. and i get people will not like what i have said but unless they went back and deleted the sex part it is there. but i am an old fogie and i imagine if children say it they laughed.

you misunderstand me. people have a right to be upset or disappointed. i am talking about the trolls and people looking for arguments. comments about a blowjob on a family board? it was on the game thread. i am not saying people cannot vent i am talking the trolls and folks looking to start arguments.

It's easy to be a good winner, character is revealed in hardship and loss...............

Again? Already? Is a QB battle brewing on The Plains for Auburn and Hugh Freeze? Updated: Sep. 23, 2023, 5:29 p.m.|Published: Sep. 23, 2023, 5:04 p.m. 4–5 minutes Auburn Football Does Freeze’s continuing search for answers on offense point to a midseason QB battle at Auburn? "We've got to find some answers," says Hugh Freeze after Auburn's loss at Texas A&M Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said he saw his receivers breaking open against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday afternoon. “We had people open,” Freeze said following Auburn’s SEC-opening 27-10 loss to Texas A&M. Unfortunately for Auburn, what Freeze sees in the middle of a play means very little to the Tigers – especially when Auburn’s quarterbacks clearly aren’t seeing the same thing. For the second time this year, Freeze deployed three different quarterbacks in one game as junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne, sophomore Robby Ashford and redshirt freshman Holden Geriner all took snaps Saturday. This time, giving Geriner reps wasn’t because the game was well-in-hand like was the case when he took snaps against UMass on Sept. 2. Geriner was getting snaps because Freeze’s back was up against the wall, and had no choice but to see if the young gun could give him anything Thorne and Ashford weren’t able to. As has been the case all season, Thorne was the first quarterback to trot onto Kyle Field and start for the Tigers. That bit lasted until the start of the third quarter, when Freeze yanked Thorne, who had gone 5-for-11 for just 46. Then Freeze turned to Ashford – the same guy who piloted Auburn to a 13-10 win over Texas A&M at Jordan-Hare Stadium last fall. In Ashford’s turn under center, Freeze and Auburn fans alike were quickly reminded why the incumbent starter didn’t win the starting job this year. Simply put, relying on him to produce anything through the air isn’t possible. Ashford went 1-for-4 through the air for a measly four yards. Meanwhile, the previously proven running quarterback couldn’t produce much with his legs either as he finished with just 25 yards on eight carries. To be fair to Thorne and Ashford, the Auburn offensive line struggled against Texas A&M’s defensive front, which recorded seven sacks for a loss of 26 yards. Freeze says he thinks Texas A&M’s pressure off the edge distracted the eyes of his quarterbacks, making the Tigers’ passing attack null and void. At the start of the second quarter, Thorne had wide receiver Jay Fair wide open on a wheel route for what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown. But instead of connecting with Fair on a 41-yard touchdown pass that would’ve put Auburn ahead 7-6, Thorne airmailed the pass well over Fair’s head. “I thought we were holding up pretty well in the middle,” Freeze said of the offensive line. “We just got distracted some with edge pressure.” “It just distracted our eyes to where our eyes didn’t stay downfield with the throws we might have had,” Freeze reiterated during his answer to a question about Texas A&M’s pressure. With his more experienced quarterbacks floundering, Freeze had no choice but to turn to Geriner and see if he could fair any better once thrown into the fire in Aggieland. Texas A&M had just put the game on ice with a three-play, 86-yard touchdown drive to put itself ahead 27-10. With just under four minutes to play, it was as if Geriner was a 16-year-old kid who had just received his driver’s license when Freeze tossed him the keys to a hand-me-down beater pickup truck and said, “Don’t add a dent.” Geriner didn’t make it any worse, but he didn’t make it any better either as he completed just two of his seven passing attempts. As a trio of kids fighting for the steering wheel in Freeze’s hand-me-down truck, Thorne, Ashford and Geriner went a combined 9-for-23 for just 56 yards against the Aggies on Saturday. And that’s too many guys in the front seat of the truck than what Freeze is comfortable with. “I don’t want to play a lot (of quarterbacks),” Freeze said Saturday afternoon. But until something changes, what choice does the backseat driver have? “Offensively, we’re searching,” Freeze said. “And we’ve gotta find some answers.”

My soul is heavy this morning. i can take a loss but when we have a two QB whisperers and yesterday is what we get? i know the "O"line had its problems. but like one of the sports writers said thorne got so nervous he was bailing too early, his footwork was crap causing him to miss wide open receivers, and the aggie "D" said thorne was looking at their line more than the receivers. I will support thorne because that is just me but i am so sick of not having a decent QB. the struggle has been tough the last few years. I also found out there are freeze haters running rampant and some Auburn fans got really ugly. the trolls were out and no one put them in their place. we had a reg state something about someone getting on their knees and blowing or sucking someone? that was outrageous.and of course the race arguments popped up....again. and we had folks that did nothing but troll auburn fans while claiming to be fans. the actions of some people on this board was more disheartening than the loss.yesterday was ugly all the way around. - -

247sports.com Auburn defense runs out of gas after strong start Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes COLLEGE STATION, Texas—For much of Saturday’s game, Auburn’s defense stood toe-to-toe with the Texas A&M Aggies despite being without nickel Keionte Scott going into the game and losing safety Zion Puckett during the contest. In the end it wasn’t enough as the group ran out of gas in the second half with Max Johnson coming off the bench to provide a spark for the Aggies in the 27-10 loss for the Tigers. Using Marquise Gilbert for much of the second half and sophomore Caleb Wooden playing a key role for the Tigers in the loss, coach Hugh Freeze said it was a challenge on that side of the ball. “Made it really hard when Puckett went down,” Freeze said. “We were already down Keionte. Puckett I would say is the next guy back there that knows everything that's going on. He goes down and Kaufman is in and out. So we had to play Gilbert a lot in Puckett's place, and we're struggling with depth back there, for sure.” Even with the issues, Auburn’s defense stood tall after allowing a pair of early drives with starter Conner Weigman running the show. Giving up 84 yards and two field goals early, the Tigers gave up just 17 yards on the next three possessions in the first half to keep the game close despite the struggles for Auburn’s offense. With the injuries mounting, Texas A&M was able to make adjustments in the third quarter with Johnson leading a pair of touchdown drives. Even then, Auburn’s defense didn’t back down. With the game in the balance, down 20-3, the Tigers forced a fumble that Eugene Asante recovered and ran back for a touchdown. That was part of another three possession stretch when the Tigers allowed just 36 total yards. But it wasn’t enough as the dam finally broke with Amari Daniels’ 79-yard run and subsequent Le’Veon Moss run slamming the door on what was a very promising defensive performance for the Tigers. “We had opportunities, things we can improve upon,” Asante said. “I think truthfully, I got to continue to hone in on details for myself and the rest of the defense just hone in on details and, like I said before, being in uncomfortable situations and just being able to adapt and play the game that we play. It is just-- I think we have to improve upon certain things in that aspect. Continue to fine-tune the details in all situations and just look at the film and reflect on it.” After playing ball control for the first half, Auburn’s offense didn’t help its defense at all during the pivotal third quarter. The Tigers had the ball four times in the quarter, going three and out all four times and using just 6:12 off the clock. Freeze said that impacted his defense. “They fought and fought,” he said. “Obviously they gave up a few explosive plays in the third quarter, but we didn't help them. I don't know the timing -- it's not broken down by quarter -- it couldn't have been good. I think that took the gas out of our defense.”

cbs42.com Auburn falls to Texas A&M in SEC opener KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer 5–6 minutes COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Max Johnson threw for 123 yards and two second-half touchdowns after taking over for an injured Conner Weigman to lead Texas A&M to a 27-10 win over Auburn Saturday. “We won the game and still didn’t play close to what we’re capable of,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Hopefully we’ll get better and move on from here.” Weigman threw for 70 yards before he was injured on a hit late in the second quarter. He limped to the locker room, looking to have trouble putting any weight on his right foot, and the team said he had a lower leg injury. Fisher said X-rays were negative but that he didn’t know how long Weigman would be out. Johnson took over for the third quarter and got right to work, leading Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) on a 46-yard drive capped by a 22-yard touchdown pass to younger brother Jake Johnson to make it 13-3 with about 10 minutes left in the third. The quarterback said it was the first time he’d thrown a touchdown pass to his brother since high school. “It was a pretty special moment,” Max Johnson said. “We’ve been waiting on that for a long time.” Johnson said he’s always prepared to play and wasn’t nervous when thrust into action Saturday. “I was ready for the moment,” he said. Johnson found Evan Stewart in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown pass on A&M’s next possession to stretch the lead to 20-3 with about 6½ minutes remaining in the third quarter. “You have confidence in the backup,” Fisher said. “That’s football, man. You will be banged and bruised. I am sad for (Weigman) no doubt, but very happy for Max and the opportunity.” Kayin Lee forced a fumble by Rueben Owens, and it sailed through the air into the hands of Eugene Asante, who raced 67 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 10 early in the fourth. Asante almost crashed into Fisher on the play, running between him and the sideline after Fisher drifted onto the field during the play. “I thought the play was dead … I’m lucky I didn’t get ran over,” Fisher said with a laugh. “Bad execution on my part.” The Tigers got a stop after that, but their drive stalled, and they had to punt. Amari Daniels had a 79-yard run two plays later to set up a 4-yard scoring run by Le’Veon Moss that made it 27-10. Payton Thorne threw for 44 yards as Auburn (3-1, 0-1) lost for the first time this season after winning its first three games for the first time since 2019. The Tigers also used Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner at quarterback, but they combined for just 12 yards passing on a day the Aggies had seven sacks and 15 tackles for losses. Thorne, who threw for 282 yards and ran for 123 yards last week, finished with 11 carries for minus-34 yards rushing Saturday. “I thought our kids played well enough on defense to win the game, outside of the few explosive plays … on offense, we’re searching,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “And we’ve got to find some answers.” Freeze said A&M’s pressure made things difficult for his team. “We were holding up pretty good in the middle,” he said. “We got distracted on the edge with their pressure … it affected us. It costs us in the run game a few games, truthfully. We’ve got to coach it better and execute it better.” The Aggies were up 6-0 after two early field goals when Damari Alston grabbed a short pass behind the line of scrimmage. He was hit immediately by Tyreek Chappell and looked to have fumbled. Edgerrin Cooper scooped up the ball, and after escaping one defender, ran 63 yards untouched for a touchdown. But the play was reviewed and ruled an incomplete pass, to negate the score and give the Tigers the ball back. After their two field goals, the Aggies punted on their next three drives before halftime. The Tigers had good field position on their final drive of the first half, but Thorne was sacked twice in three plays to bring up fourth down just before halftime. Alex McPherson made a 53-yard field goal with five seconds left in the second quarter to cut the lead to 6-3. THE TAKEAWAY Auburn: After failing to score a touchdown on offense against the Aggies, the Tigers will have to figure out a way to get their offense going and better protect their quarterbacks before next week’s meeting with top-ranked Georgia. Texas A&M: The Aggies will have to wait and see how long Weigman’s injury will keep him out. If he can’t go next week, Johnson will have to be more consistent after starting out strong before struggling to move the offense Saturday.

al.com 3 takeaways from Auburn’s SEC-opening 27-10 loss on the road to Texas A&M Updated: Sep. 23, 2023, 3:24 p.m.|Published: Sep. 23, 2023, 2:36 p.m. 7–9 minutes Ahead of Auburn’s SEC opener at Texas A&M on Saturday, Hugh Freeze said in an interview with ESPN’s College Gameday that he thought his initial welcome back into the SEC was warmer than expected. “I didn’t get anybody to talk ugly to me, flip us off or anything,” Freeze said. “They must have the nicest fans.” And while Freeze might’ve been shocked by the Aggies’ cordial fans before the start of the game, the surprise wasn’t as pleasant when the rubber hit the road and the Tigers kicked it off against Texas A&M. It was then that Freeze was quickly reminded he was — in fact — back in the SEC, where the stage is bigger, the game is faster, and the players are stronger. Like he cautioned Auburn fans heading into Saturday’s game, the talent gap between the Tigers’ and Aggies’ roster became evident as Texas A&M rolled to a 27-10 win, improving the Aggies to 3-1 (1-0 SEC) and dropping the Tigers to 3-1 (0-1 SEC). Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s action at Kyle Field in College Station: Auburn loses running back Damari Alston to upper-body injury Auburn came into Saturday’s matchup with its fair share of bumps and bruises. It was announced Monday that the Tigers would be without defensive back Keionte Scott for a considerable amount of time after he suffered a high-ankle sprain against Samford. Freeze also wasn’t sure how much he’d get out of offensive linemen Kam Stutts and Izavion ‘Too Tall’ Miller — two guys who also got dinged up against Samford. Come kickoff, however, the Tigers appeared to be about as close to full health as one could wish as not only Stutts and Miller played, but as did Donovan Kaufman, who missed last week due to a concussion, and Nehemiah Pritchett, who made his 2023 debut against the Aggies. But all the good news on the injury front didn’t come without some bad news as sophomore running back Damari Alston took the crown of Texas A&M defensive back Tyreek Chappell’s helmet squarely to the forearm as was on the receiving end of a Payton Thorne pitch. Following the game, Freeze said Alston received X-rays, but didn’t offer any kind of concrete answer on the severity of the injury or Alston’s status moving forward. Chappell’s hit dislodged the football, which was initially ruled a fumble and returned for a touchdown. The call was later reversed, giving Auburn a huge break. But it came at the expense of Alston, who spent quite some time in the locker room before returning to the sideline sporting a sling on his right arm and a towel over his head. Alston had two carries for 12 yards before his day ended and was Auburn’s second leading rusher with 121 yards and a touchdown coming into College Station. Auburn’s offense still looks like an unfinished product and the offensive line didn’t help In Auburn’s first offensive possession of the second half, the Tigers went three-and-out, facing a third-and-19 situation that saw Thorne drill a shallow pass into the turf. The third-and-long was the result of a Jarquez Hunter rush for -1 yard, Thorne being sacked for a loss of three yards and a false start. And that was the story for the better part of the day as Auburn’s offense played well behind the sticks. Payton Thorne didn’t look like the Payton Thorne the Tigers got out of him against Samford last week as he finished the day 6-for-12 for 44 yards and -34 on yards on the ground. “I certainly don’t want to sit here and make a lot of assumptions without watching the film, it’s just that we had people open,” Freeze said following the game. “And we either missed them or the pressure distracted us, it seemed. I’ve gotta watch the film and see exactly what was going on to cause that. But we certainly missed a few opportunities in the passing game.” However, Auburn’s offensive line did him no favors. Through one half, Texas A&M’s defense tallied four sacks, six tackles for a loss and allowed the Tigers to rush for just three yards per carry. By the game’s final whistle, the Aggies’ defense recorded six sacks, 13 tackles for a lost and 2.8 yards per carry. “I thought we were holding up pretty good in the middle,” Freeze said of the offensive line following the game. “We just got distracted some with edge pressure.” All of that came after a week of Freeze harping on the importance of working towards third-and-manageable situations and avoiding third-and-long situations. By the time the second half kicked off, Auburn’s average distance to go on third down was more than 11 yards and the Tigers were just 1-for-7 on third down conversions. At the conclusion of the ball game, Auburn’s average distance to go on third down was 11.7 yards and the Tigers ended the day just 3-for-15 on third down, including 1-for-2 when looking at a third-and-short situations. Auburn’s offense averaged just 3.7 yards on third downs, while giving up three sacks for a total additional loss of 14 yards on the crucial down. The Tigers’ offense mustered just 200 yards of total offense against the Aggies and managed to score just three points via a 53-yard field goal off the foot of Alex McPherson to end the second quarter. Tigers’ defense holds its own in the first half, crumbles in the second At the start, it felt like the Cal game all over again — the Auburn defense was going to bail out its defense, perhaps just long enough for the Tigers’ offense to find something to work with. Unfortunately for Auburn, that wasn’t the case. A day full of three-and-outs on offense makes for a long day when you’re on defense wearing a jersey of the same color. Auburn’s defense responded to the call early, forcing Texas A&M to settle for a pair of field goals. The Aggies also lost starting quarterback Conner Weigman to a lower-leg injury before the game could get out of the first half. Weigman went 8-for-14 for 70 yards before being taken to the locker room. But if the Tigers thought now having Weigman would negatively impact the Aggies, they were mistaking. Relieving Weigman under center was sophomore Max Johnson, who opened the game on a 5-for-5 tear, passing for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson first found his brother and Texas A&M tight end Jake Johnson for a 22-yard touchdown and followed it with a 37-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart on the following drive, giving the Aggies a 20-3 advantage with 6:22 to play in the third quarter. Auburn’s defense finally got its break early in the fourth quarter as freshman defensive back Kayin Lee, who was in coverage for the touchdown to Stewart, stripped Rueben Owens of the football and allowed linebacker Eugene Asante to return it 67 yards to the house — good for Auburn’s first touchdown of the afternoon. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Asante’s scoop and score — which was Auburn’s second defensive touchdown of the season — was too little too late. It didn’t help that Texas A&M put the game on ice with 3:59 to play, courtesy of a 79-yard rush from Amari Daniels, setting up the 4-yard touchdown rush from Le’Veon Moss, which gave the Aggies their 27-10 advantage. “I thought our kids played well enough on defense — outside of the few explosive plays — to give us a chance to win the game,” Freeze said following the loss. “But offensively, we’re searching. And we’ve gotta find some answers.” Texas A&M’s offense went on to tally 403 yards in a very balanced effort that saw them average 7.1 yards per play. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Casagrande: Auburn offense frozen in Aggieland Updated: Sep. 23, 2023, 7:04 p.m.|Published: Sep. 23, 2023, 3:57 p.m. Auburn Football Casagrande: Auburn offense frozen in Aggieland as SEC reality hits hard Michael Casagrande | mcasagrande@al.com This is an opinion column. Welp. That was gross -- kinda awesome if you’re a true sicko – but Auburn’s 27-10 loss at Texas A&M revealed a few hard truths. Put simply, the growing pains in Year 1 of Hugh Freeze can and will make your eyes bleed. If the offensive struggles at Cal were ugly, what happened Saturday in College Station was Buzz’s girlfriend in Home Alone. Woof. We’re talking avant-garde football at its finest. And the fact Auburn had a shot to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter only speaks to the abstract beauty of the college game. Just consider how bad this Tiger offense looked for the second and third quarters of this game. Let’s just list the drives from that span so this is clear. 10 plays, 19 yards, punt 5 plays, 14 yards, punt 8 plays, 8 yards, FG Now buckle up. 3 plays, -9 yards, punt 3 plays, 0 yards, punt 3 plays, 1 yard, punt 3 plays, -18 yards, punt The first 13 plays of the second half netted -11 yards as Auburn was beginning to miss the comfort of home games with UMass and Samford. Opening SEC play offered a taste of the reality Bryan Harsin left behind and before Hugh Freeze’s recruiting machine could begin to right the ship. “Offensively we’re searching,” an exasperated Freeze said afterward in what qualifies as an understatement. “and we have to find some answers. This is a Texas A&M defense that surrendered 451 yards (8.4 a play) two weeks ago in a 48-33 loss at Miami. It was a defensive group that tallied six sacks through three games before recording seven against an Auburn offense with few answers. The final Tiger yardage count landed at an even 200 -- 30 fewer than the late-night escape from Cal two weeks ago but they were a long way from Berkley on Saturday. Speaking of that, the 94 passing yards in that 14-10 win on Sept. 9 felt low before three Tiger passers combined for 56 at A&M. The 9-for-23 success rate included a long of 13 yards. Those 56 passing yards were the fewest for an Auburn offense since gaining just 37 in a 13-7 loss to Georgia in 2016. “We just weren’t efficient at all at throwing the ball to open receivers when we had them, for whatever reason,” Freeze said. “It could have been pressure but we certainly were struggling with that aspect of the game and it resulted in a lot of negative plays.” Notably, starter Payton Thorne overthrew three receivers early in the game -- one appeared to be a walk-in touchdown had the ball been anywhere close. Texas A&M, meanwhile, did its best to match the mediocrity before snapping back to form after halftime. After its first two drives stalled and led to field goals, the next three failed to yield a first down while gaining 8, 8, and 1 yard, respectively. Auburn’s defense was swarming and the Bobby Petrino experiment sputtering before Max Johnson replaced the injured Conner Weigman. The LSU transfer completed 8 of his first 9 passes -- two of which for touchdowns and the Aggies had all it would need. But this goofy gift of a game wasn’t done delivering there. No, Auburn’s lone touchdown was memorable both because it came from the defense and the fact Eugene Asante had to sprint to the left of Jimbo Fisher. And that’s notable since the Tiger linebacker ran between the Texas A&M coach and the sideline that should have contained him. The 67-yard scoop and score offered fleeting hope when paired with Robby Ashford’s 11-yard run that was followed by Brian Battie’s 24-yard scamper. The Tigers got as deep as the Aggie 28 down 10 midway through the fourth but a sack, holding flag and a 2-yard loss on third-and-25 forced a punt from the A&M 48. Three plays later, it was a three-score game and Auburn was cooked. A brutal day for offensive efficiency took some of the air of out next week’s visit from Georgia. The top-ranked Bulldogs have been scuffing around offensively, but if Saturday’s action is any indication, it won’t take much next Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

247sports.com Instant analysis Texas AM takes down Auburn Jeff Tarpley 12–15 minutes . 1. Texas A&M fans held their collective breath when Conner Weigman went down with a lower leg injury late in the second quarter and left the game. At that point, he had been the offense when the Aggies were able to generate anything. 2. However, like I posted during the game, even with Weigman out, the Aggies still had the better quarterback in the game. Max Johnson proved that conclusively as he hit his first five attempts for 115 yards and broke the game open enroute to a 27-10 A&M win. 3. Johnson doesn’t have the same arm talent as Weigman and he’s not as athletic. However, he’s a veteran who understands how to check down quicker and perhaps get his line in superior protections. None of his first few throws traveled more than 10-15 yards past the line of scrimmage but they were the result of the best reads possible. 3. A&M used more four receiver sets in the second half and more play action. This resulted in Auburn’s safeties coming down and creating throwing off of the run action (which set up the one on one coverage on Evan Stewart’s 37 yard post route from Johnson). In addition, the Tigers struggled to communicate switches and didn’t cover people up. They also moved Johnson more outside the pocket. 4. In contrast, Auburn’s quarterback play was terrible (9 of 23 for 56 yards throwing). They didn’t get any help from their wideouts in terms of their routes or recognizing coverages. However, their decision making was atrocious even when they ran the ball as they cost themselves yardage by turning up field too soon. 5. Payton Thorne’s footwork and inability to maintain his composure cost his team several makeable throws in the first half, one of which should have gone for a touchdown. Contrast that with Johnson who came off of the bench cold but kept himself and his delivery under control. 6. I was surprised that neither team went to their RPO screen games more. ‌ 7. A&M’s defense played three man fronts on Auburn’s side of the field which created favorable boxes for them to run the ball. However, the Tigers’ margin for error was nil which meant even a limited gain resulted in a long yardage situation. As a result, A&M was able to rush three and play the passing lanes which meant that as long as someone stayed near a receiver in coverage the ball wasn’t coming out in their direction. Thus, Auburn stalled out multiple times near midfield in the first half. ‌ 8. A&M’s running game got stacked up over during that time on first down. They couldn’t sustain blocks in the middle on zone runs (which allowed backside pursuit to generate tackles) or maintain frontside blocks when they pulled (which stacked things up on the edge at the point of attack). They missed blocks on blitzes or didn’t slow blitzers down sufficiently. ‌ 9. This put a burden on Weigman (8 of 14, 70 yards) to deliver and Auburn’s blitzes sped up a guy who wants to hold the ball and whose footwork and mechanics aren’t perfect yet. He was getting the ball out in the direction of the blitz but not always on time or accurately, especially on move the chains throws later in his time on the field. He was unable to get it down the field. ‌ 10. The first half fumble return for a touchdown that was overturned could have been an emotional issue. Instead, A&M made a stop near the line of scrimmage on first down and it eventually resulted in a punt. ‌ 11. The game took a permanent turn when Auburn made the quarterback change at the start of the second half to Robby Ashford. However, they didn’t get him (an athletic guy) involved in the run game until the fourth quarter. ‌ Not only that, A&M’s three man front did much better job of allowing backers Edgerrin Cooper and Taurean York (19 tackles, ten solos, 2.5 sacks, and five tackles for loss between the two of them) to scrape over the top, get to the edge versus Auburn’s pulling linemen in time to set the edge, and then turn things back into the defense so the rest of the unit could be gang tacklers. In turn, that forced Auburn into long yardage situations which isn’t his (or his unit’s strength). That allowed A&M to get off of the field and set themselves up with favorable field position which helped Johnson out when he had to come into the game. ‌ 12. The momentum swung back temporarily in Auburn’s favor in the fourth quarter when Tigers’ backer Eugene Asante had a fumble pop into his arms and he took it back 67 yards for a touchdown which cut the lead to ten points. However, Auburn’s offense couldn’t sustain any drives because they would drive into A&M territory and get hit with a blitz that resulted in a negative play. That put them behind the sticks and it was something they never overcame (one of 12 on third down conversions). ‌ 13. A&M broke off a long run when Auburn stacked the box and stemmed its front to the field. The zone run back to the boundary got good blocks from the right side of the line and the H back at the second level. That enable Amari Daniels to clear things with the one high safety aligned to the field as well. His 79 yard run put things away on the surface (but the contest was effectively over at that point). ‌ 14. Shout out to Fadil Diggs who did excellent work today freeing himself up to come down inside to make stops. He looked like an upperclassman in the SEC. ‌ 15. No matter Weigman’s status going forward, the bottom line A&M won a game without its starting quarterback the fact that they still had the better quarterback in the game who was able to sustain drives. It serves as a reminder that just having the better guy (and even not an elite one) at the position can make all of the difference in the world in games like this one.

247sports.com After College Station collapse, Auburn's 'got to find some answers' at quarterback Nathan King 5–6 minutes COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Through two unsightly performances against Power Five opposition, one thing is becoming clear in the early stages of the 2023 season. Auburn has a quarterback problem. The Tigers’ passing game was once against listless Saturday afternoon, this time in the team’s SEC opener, as starter Payton Thorne had only 44 yards and was sacked five times. In a 27-10 loss, Auburn failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since the last time it last visited Kyle Field in a 20-3 loss in 2021. Five combined quarterbacks played between the two teams, and Auburn’s starter was nowhere near the most effective of the bunch. The performance easily marked a new low for Thorne in terms of yardage, going back to his time as a two-year starter at Michigan State. His six completions are also the fewest of his college career, and his QBR of 80.8 is his lowest since 2021. That's all not to mention when Thorne had several inaccurate throws, including what would have a been a 41-yard touchdown to a wide-open Jay Fair. For a number of reasons, there wasn’t much working for the passing game when Thorne was in the game, and he was benched one drive into the third quarter for Robby Ashford. “We had people open,” Hugh Freeze said postgame. “And we either missed them, or the pressure distracted us, it seemed. I've got to watch the film and see exactly what was going on to cause that. But we certainly missed a few opportunities in the passing game. … We just weren't efficient at all in throwing the ball to open receivers when we had them, for whatever reason.” Thorne went 6-of-12 passing, meaning he was sacked on just under 30 percent of his 17 total dropbacks. That consistent pressure obviously played a big role in his struggles Saturday, but Freeze said Thorne was taking his eyes away from his receivers too quickly at times. Thorne and Auburn also failed to consistently recognize Texas A&M’s pressure off the edge. It started on Auburn’s first play of the game, when Thorne pulled the ball and ran straight into an Aggie blitzer off the edge. Tight end Brandon Frazier whiffed completely setting the edge on the fumble return for a Texas A&M touchdown — later ruled an incompletion — as Thorne pitched the ball to Damari Alston with a defender already in the backfield. Freeze said Auburn’s interior pass protection wasn’t terrible, but . All three Auburn quarterbacks were sacked a combined seven times. “I thought we did a decent job picking it up,” Freeze said. “It just distracted our eyes to where our eyes didn't stay downfield with the throws we might have had.” Thanks to early down issues and penalties, Auburn faced an average third-down distance of 11.7 yards, which obviously forced steeper dropbacks. Those were doomed for Thorne almost from the start. “We were outnumbered on a few of those, so we're going to get the ball out a little quicker,” running back Brian Battie said. “They're a very talented team, you can't take that away from them. They've got big guys up front. Athletic linebackers. I feel like the O-line still did pretty good, as far as the protection. I know us, the running backs, we missed a few pickups as well, so we've got to do a lot better on that, for sure." Texas A&M was not without quarterback worries Saturday, either. Conner Weigman left the game in the second quarter and did not return after a leg injury. But the Aggies are in a much different place at the position. Their starter is a former 5-star recruit. Their backup is a former SEC starter at LSU. Max Johnson threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns. “We've got our own quarterback issues,” Freeze said when asked about the boost Johnson gave Texas A&M’s offense. Ashford went 1-of-4 passing and had 25 rushing yards, taking the Tigers’ offense down inside Texas A&M’s 30-yard line before a turnover on downs. Redshirt freshman Holden Geriner was handed the controls on Auburn’s final drive and went 2-of-7. Through two Power Five games against Cal and Texas A&M, Auburn is now a combined 19-of-40 passing for just 150 yards. In those games, just three of the offense's 24 drives have traveled 40 or more yards. Next up? SEC division favorites Georgia and LSU. Freeze knows the passing-game problems have to be fixed quickly. “I thought our kids played well enough on defense, outside of the few explosive plays, to give us a chance to win the game,” Freeze said. “But offensively, we're searching. And we've got to find some answers.”