10.20.24 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Deja vu all over again for Auburn in loss to Missouri

Jason Caldwell

8–10 minutes

Auburn had an opportunity to put the game away on Saturday.

COLUMBIA, Missouri–It was there for the taking. After so many close games and frustrating defeats, Auburn looked like they were poised to put the game away and get a huge road win over a ranked Missouri team. But, as has been the case with this team and the program for the last three years, when crunch time came Auburn fell apart.

Following a Missouri field goal to cut Auburn's lead to 17-6, the Tigers started out on a drive that looked like it would become a signature moment for this season. Taking over at the 25-yard line, Jarquez Hunter went for 11 yards on first down. Later, Payton Thorne would add a 10-yard run and Malcolm Simmons a short flip from Thorne for 15 more.

All of the sudden, Auburn found itself first and goal at the Missouri 10-yard line looking to put the game out of reach. With two minutes left in the quarter, Thorne dropped back and dropped a ball right in the bucket to Robert Lewis in the corner, but he couldn't make the play.

On second down, Thorne was sacked for a 12-yard loss before Hunter's short reception moved Auburn back into field goal range. Instead of a two touchdown lead, Towns McGough's kick was pulled to the left and Auburn came up empty.

"The first was an RPO and we had Robert," Freeze said. "Wish we would have had a bigger guy there. I think it hit his hands. I haven't seen the film, but I thought it was a really good throw. We've got to make those plays to win games. You'll have to tell me what the next two plays were. I can't remember that throw (sack) and then we tried to get back in third down range on third down, which we did. Should be a chip shot, unfortunately we didn't make it."

That's when Missouri capitalized on the situation by sending senior quarterback Brady Cook back on the field. After getting checked out at the local hospital, Cook returned and brought some life to his team.

On a third and 10, Cook hit Mookie Cooper over the middle for what should have been a short gain, but a bad angle and missed tackle allowing him to go 78 yards and take the ball all the way to the Auburn two-yard line. Missouri would score on the first play of the fourth quarter to gut into the lead and take the momentum back for good.

"It was definitely a turning point," Freeze said of Cook coming back in the game. "They gave them some momentum and it'd been nice for us to see them have to drive down the field after the missed field goal, but I don't know what down and distance it was on the long completion. Those explosive plays are devastating to us when it was really…I thought our defense was really hard for them to sustain drives of a long length, but man, when you give 'em explosive plays like that, they're going to score points and that was definitely a turning point and the momentum for sure."

Cook continued that on the final drive of the game. After stopping Missouri's offense on consecutive drives, Auburn's defense had the entire field to work with and only 4:26 remaining when Oscar Chapman punted the ball to the five-yard line. But Cook wasn't going to let his team win, making the big plays when the game was on the line.

The first came on a third and seven from his own 22-yard line. With just 2:36 left, Cook ran around left end after escaping the Auburn blitz and picked up 14 yards and a huge first down. Later, Cook hit Luther Burden for 13 yards on a third and 18 and then 16 yards on fourth down to move the ball to the Auburn 25-yard line. But he had one more big play up his sleeve.

On third and 10 at the Auburn 25, Cook threw to Theo Wease fo 10 yards and a first down. Missouri would finish off the drive and another frustrating loss for Auburn.

"Brady was a good player," Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante said. "We understood what he brought as a quarterback. Him coming into the game definitely brought a spark to their offense. Those guys kind of rallied around him in those moments. I think, for us, it was the opportunity to go in there and prove it to ourselves that we can do it. We try to pride ourselves in going against elite competition. We're going to go against elite guys every single day in this conference. I think it did provide a spark for them, and we didn't put out the fuse."

With golden opportunities, Auburn offense crumbles at Missouri

'We seem to not make the right call as coaches or the right play from time to time in critical moments — still,' Hugh Freeze said postgame. 'And that's kind of been the story of the whole year.'

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Coming away with zero points after being set up with first-and-goal was the perfect summation of Auburn's late-drive meltdowns in yet another painful loss.

The Tigers put themselves in position for offensive success at Missouri but failed to capitalize on several opportunities. In the end, Auburn couldn't put enough points on the board before quarterback Brady Cook's late return sparked a 15-0 fourth quarter for the home team, as No. 19 Mizzou scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute and won 21-17.

Auburn was up 17-3 midway through the third quarter after a long Cam Coleman touchdown and a muffed-punt touchdown by Missouri. After Coleman's score, however, Auburn's offense started to crumble, going three-and-out three times, punting once again, missing a short field goal, and failing to pick up any first downs on its last-ditch drive in the final minute. 

"We seem to not make the right call as coaches or the right play from time to time in critical moments — still," Hugh Freeze said postgame. "And that's kind of been the story of the whole year."

Even before Missouri's rally, though, Auburn shot itself in the foot repeatedly when it could have added more points to the scoreboard. In the first half, Auburn entered Missouri territory three times, yet it came away with just 3 points. After crossing midfield, the Tigers seemed to go backwards every time. 

The biggest missed opportunity, however, was an impressive-looking drive late into the fourth quarter, where Auburn was set up with first-and-goal at the 10 after two nice plays to freshman receiver Malcolm Simmons. On first down, Payton Thorne threw a fade ball to Robert Lewis that appeared to go through the veteran receiver's hands. Thorne was then sacked on second down, and a throw to Jarquez Hunter made up some of the yardage on third down.

Freshman walk-on kicker Towns McGough missed a 30-yard field goal for the third straight game, and all the momentum swung Missouri's way when Cook, the starting QB who missed most of the game with an injury from the first quarter, checked back in and quickly led Mizzou to a touchdown.

McGough's field goal would have made it 20-6, and obviously Missouri ended up scoring enough to push past that mark. But a missed touchdown to Lewis was one that could have had Auburn up 24-6 going into the fourth quarter. Instead, the door was left open for a Missouri rally.

"I thought the fade ball was a really good ball," Freeze said. "And we've got to make those plays and score."

Freeze pointed to penalties, too, as Auburn was hit with a holding call two separate times in the first half immediately after picking up first downs in Missouri territory. On the game, Auburn had four different drives where it was set up with first downs at the Missouri 40-, 33- 19- and 10-yard line. It scored 3 total points on those four possessions. 

"Just got to be better when we get the ball down there," Thorne said postgame. "We need points, and more importantly, we need touchdowns. We talked about that. I talked to the guys in the huddle about that on the field. And unfortunately we weren't able to get it done. And it stinks."

For the second time in three games, Auburn held a double-digit lead over a ranked team in the second half but lost in the final minutes. Freeze said during the bye week that the Tigers needed to learn how to execute in critical moments to take advantage of some of the good things they've done this season.

Instead, it was another crushing defeat from what had the makings of a huge road win.

"You look at a couple of key plays, and it sucks not to say that, but there's a couple of key plays here and there," Thorne said. "It's like, man, we could have really been close. And so it's a small area of — either you get it done or you don't. And right now, we're not getting it done enough."

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

Winners and losers from Auburn's loss in Missouri

Brian Hauch

4–5 minutes

Auburn suffered yet another dreadful loss this Saturday, losing a game it led for much of the second half to No. 16 Missouri, 21-17.

The Tigers offense went dormant for the final 20 minutes of the contest, while a tired defense failed to shut the door on what would have been a season-altering SEC road victory.

The Tigers did show some bright spots, specifically on the defense end, in the loss but just 286 yards of total offense failed to move the needle on the road. Here is a look at the players and units that affected the game in positive, and negative, ways. Here are the winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to Missouri.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Running back Jarquez Hunter continued to be a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Auburn offense. Between highlight plays, angry runs, and key third-down conversions, Hunter stamped his name all over this game. The senior finished with 85 all purpose yards in the contest, helping the Tigers move the football in an otherwise inconsistent offensive effort.

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Freshman kicker Towns McGough continued an unfortunate first season as a Tiger on Saturday. After it looked like starter Alex McPherson had an opportunity to return this week, McGough was forced into action again and missed a key field goal late in the third quarter. The miss gave the home team some key hope, and momentum, that Missouri would turn into an 8-point scoring drive just three plays later, and eventually a 21-17 win.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Auburn’s flashy new receiving core carried plenty of hype coming into the season. That hype came with plenty of expectations, and while much of those expectations have been met, freshman receiver Malcolm Simmons continued to exceed his own on Saturday. The first-year Tiger made a massive impact in Columbia, catching 4 passes for 29 and perhaps most importantly disrupting a Luther Burden III punt return, leading to a muff and an Auburn touchdown.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

After going into the halftime locker room deadlocked at a field goal a piece, Auburn controlled much of the second half, until the Tigers didn’t. After Payton Thorne connected with Cam Coleman on a long touchdown to put the Tigers ahead, the Auburn defense forced a quick Missouri punt, leading to a muff and special teams touchdown to give Auburn a 14-point lead. Unfortunately things spiraled for Hugh Freeze’s team from there, as the offense failed to anything but leave its defense out to dry after a Towns McGough missed field goal.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

With the Auburn offense sputtering for the entire fourth quarter, the defense, specifically the Tigers linebackers, stepped up in a major way. Eugene Asante, Jalen McLeod, and Dorian Mausi Jr. disrupted the Missouri backfield throughout the games final frame, combining for 2 important sacks on the Tigers antepenultimate and another on Missouri’s game winning drive. The trio finished the contest with 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 4 tackles for a loss.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Other than a long completion to set up a touchdown late in the third quarter and a key pair of conversions on the game winning drive, Missouri’s highly-touted passing attack struggled to do much of anything against a lackluster Auburn secondary. Kayin Lee, Jerrin Thompson, and the Tigers defensive backs were able to stymie Missouri’s high powered attack throughout most of the afternoon. Unfortunately tired legs proved too much to overcome on the game’s final drive.

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si.com

Auburn Tigers Offense, Hugh Freeze Continue to Give Away Winnable Games

Stephen Atkinson

4–5 minutes

Week after week the Auburn Tigers offense has continued to find ways to not win the football game, and Auburn’s road trip to Missouri continued that season-long theme. Auburn was 105-1 in games they led by 14 points or more in the second half. After losing 21-17 to Missouri on Saturday, they're now 105-2 in those situations.

Payton Thorne has taken his share of blame by both head coach Hugh Freeze and the media. But the truth and the unnerving part is that it’s a host of players who keep preventing Auburn from scoring points.

This time the big mess up and turning point in the game came when senior receiver Robert Lewis couldn’t catch an easy touchdown that would have extended Auburn’s lead to 24-6 late in the third quarter. Up 11 with a first and goal at the Missouri 10-yard line, Lewis beat his man off the line, Thorne dropped it in the perfect spot, and Lewis failed to make the catch.

Three plays later Kicker Towns McGough was called on, and as he has done much of the year, missed an easy field goal, this time from 30 yards. McGough is 5-10 on the year and 3-7 in conference contests – plus there was a miss from 27 yards on a penalty versus Oklahoma that didn’t count toward the stats.

Missouri played without starting quarterback Brady Cook for the second and third quarters because of an ankle injury. Despite the announcers continually calling it "non-contact," Cook's leg was rolled up in a tackle on a previous play, and he tried to tough it out.

Cook came back in the fourth and led Missouri to a couple of scores and ultimately a 21-17 win. Auburn’s defense was able to styme the Missouri offense without Cook, and it could have should have been a gift-wrapped opportunity for Auburn to notch a big road with versus a ranked team. However, Auburn did not score again after Lewis’s drop and McGough’s missed kick.

Thorne, as he has been all year, continued to be part of the turnover problem as he and Lewis proved to be a deadly combination versus Missouri. In the second quarter Thorne kept around left end, ran into Lewis, and fumbled the ball away to Missouri. But again, it was a team effort by Auburn to not win the game.

Starting left tackle Percy Lewis didn’t play for long. In both of Auburn’s road games and on the first snap from scrimmage, Lewis failed to even get a hand on his man leading to a sack.

In previous games the key plays going Auburn’s opponents way offensively haven’t been limited to Thorne, Robert Lewis, McGough, and Percy Lewis. KeAndre Lambert-Smith hasn’t run the expected route leading to interceptions or incompletions in crucial situations.

Freshman phenom Cam Coleman has had a pair of slants bounce off his hands and into the hands of defenders. Running backs Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston have lost multiple fumbles. Backup Hank Brown threw three interceptions in a half of play in his only start.

Freeze has worn his frustration on his sleeves this season. He’s been open with the media about Thorne’s mistakes, and week to week he’s expressed frustration about others’ key mistakes. Seeing as it’s a wholesale effort week after week by the offense to find ways to give the game the game away, it ultimately falls at the feet of Freeze.

Freeze has a quarterback who continually makes poor decisions with the ball either through the air or option-running game. Freeze continues to leave the fate of the Auburn Tigers at the hands of the decision making skills of his quarterback.

Robert Lewis caught 111 passes and 14 touchdowns at Georgia State the last four years. But playing for Freeze at Auburn he doesn’t catch an easy touchdown that would have put Auburn up 24-6.

To a degree, Freeze has been getting a pass for his wins and losses because of the terrible roster he inherited and the work he has done to rebuild. But whether it’s communication, practice reps, focus, whatever the issues may be, it’s time for Freeze to fix the problem instead of blaming all of the individual players.

Saturday’s loss dropped Freeze’s head coaching record at Auburn to 8-12. Saturday’s game at Missouri would have been his first win over a ranked team, but alas his team gave another game away.

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247sports.com

With golden opportunities Auburn offense crumbles at Missouri

Nathan King

4–5 minutes

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Coming away with zero points after being set up with first-and-goal was the perfect summation of Auburn's late-drive meltdowns in yet another painful loss.

The Tigers put themselves in position for offensive success at Missouri but failed to capitalize on several opportunities. In the end, Auburn couldn't put enough points on the board before quarterback Brady Cook's late return sparked a 15-0 fourth quarter for the home team, as No. 19 Mizzou scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute and won 21-17.

Auburn was up 17-3 midway through the third quarter after a long Cam Coleman touchdown and a muffed-punt touchdown by Missouri. After Coleman's score, however, Auburn's offense started to crumble, going three-and-out three times, punting once again, missing a short field goal, and failing to pick up any first downs on its last-ditch drive in the final minute. 

"We seem to not make the right call as coaches or the right play from time to time in critical moments — still," Hugh Freeze said postgame. "And that's kind of been the story of the whole year."

Even before Missouri's rally, though, Auburn shot itself in the foot repeatedly when it could have added more points to the scoreboard. In the first half, Auburn entered Missouri territory three times, yet it came away with just 3 points. After crossing midfield, the Tigers seemed to go backwards every time. 

The biggest missed opportunity, however, was an impressive-looking drive late into the fourth quarter, where Auburn was set up with first-and-goal at the 10 after two nice plays to freshman receiver Malcolm Simmons. On first down, Payton Thorne threw a fade ball to Robert Lewis that appeared to go through the veteran receiver's hands. Thorne was then sacked on second down, and a throw to Jarquez Hunter made up some of the yardage on third down.

Freshman walk-on kicker Towns McGough missed a 30-yard field goal for the third straight game, and all the momentum swung Missouri's way when Cook, the starting QB who missed most of the game with an injury from the first quarter, checked back in and quickly led Mizzou to a touchdown.

McGough's field goal would have made it 20-6, and obviously Missouri ended up scoring enough to push past that mark. But a missed touchdown to Lewis was one that could have had Auburn up 24-6 going into the fourth quarter. Instead, the door was left open for a Missouri rally.

"I thought the fade ball was a really good ball," Freeze said. "And we've got to make those plays and score."

Freeze pointed to penalties, too, as Auburn was hit with a holding call two separate times in the first half immediately after picking up first downs in Missouri territory. On the game, Auburn had four different drives where it was set up with first downs at the Missouri 40-, 33- 19- and 10-yard line. It scored 3 total points on those four possessions. 

"Just got to be better when we get the ball down there," Thorne said postgame. "We need points, and more importantly, we need touchdowns. We talked about that. I talked to the guys in the huddle about that on the field. And unfortunately we weren't able to get it done. And it stinks."

For the second time in three games, Auburn held a double-digit lead over a ranked team in the second half but lost in the final minutes. Freeze said during the bye week that the Tigers needed to learn how to execute in critical moments to take advantage of some of the good things they've done this season.

Instead, it was another crushing defeat from what had the makings of a huge road win.

"You look at a couple of key plays, and it sucks not to say that, but there's a couple of key plays here and there," Thorne said. "It's like, man, we could have really been close. And so it's a small area of — either you get it done or you don't. And right now, we're not getting it done enough."

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wsfa.com

Auburn blows late lead, falls to Missouri on the road

WSFA 12 News Staff

~3 minutes

DISCLAIMER: The playlist above includes a number of recent WSFA 12 News video reports that are not related to the article below.

Missouri cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. (2) celebrates with teammates Jahkai Lang (52) and Sterling Webb, right, after recovering an Auburn fumble during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)(L.G. Patterson | AP)

COLUMBIA, Mo. (WSFA) - The struggling Auburn Tigers hit the road this weekend for another tough SEC matchup against the Missouri Tigers.

Despite holding a three-point lead with under a minute to play in the game, the team from the plains lost its fourth straight game and fifth of the season by a score of 21-17.

The first half was a defensive battle, with both teams not giving an inch. Each defense forced a fumble and a combined four punts, and at halftime, the score was deadlocked 3-3.

The Auburn offense came to life in the second half when Payton Thorne connected with freshman receiver CAm Coleman for a 47-yard touchdown strike.

Shortly thereafter, the Auburn defense made a big play of its own when Antonio Kite recovered a fumble in the endzone to extend the lead to 14 points. Missouri would later cut that down to an 11-point lead in the third, thanks to a 38-yard field goal by Blake Craig.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Missouri offense would not be denied. After a big 78-yard pass from Brady Cook to Mookie Cooper, Marcu Carroll punched it into the endzone from two yards out. They were then successful on their two-point conversion attempt, and it was a three-point game.

The Defense continued to put on a strong showing throughout the fourth quarter, but late in the game, Missouri orchestrated a 17-play, 95-yard masterpiece. After eating up nearly four minutes off the clock, Jamal Roberts muscled his way into the endzone from the four-yard line, giving Missouri a four-point lead with 46 seconds remaining in the game.

Payton Thorne and company looked to answer back even without time on their side, but the Missouri defense came up with a big sack and forced three incompletions en route to a dramatic comeback win against their SEC foes.

Auburn will stay on the road next weekend when they travel to Lexington, Ky, to take on Kentucky in what should be another thrilling SEC showdown in the 2024 college football season. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. at Kroger Field.

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Copyright 2024 WSFA. All rights reserved.

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al.com

Casagrande: Auburn forgot how to win

Updated: Oct. 19, 2024, 8:54 p.m.|Published: Oct. 19, 2024, 3:59 p.m.

5–6 minutes

This is an opinion column.

The third quarter clock read 11:08 in the best of times for Auburn.

This snake-bit team was finally getting the breaks, taking a 14-point lead at No. 19 Missouri after the homecoming hosts muffed a punt. The touchdown was the second of the half not four minutes deep.

They were in a groove. Missouri was a mess. And it was all about to unravel.

Because Auburn’s forgotten how to win.

It’s good enough to lead but not to finish the job and this season of heartache added another dimension on a sunny Saturday in Columbia.

A 21-17 Auburn loss was the latest example of a season slowly unraveling.

The Tigers are 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the SEC for the second consecutive season. This program has never lost its first four league games in back-to-back seasons because, well, you see the headline.

Twice they’ve blown double-digit fourth-quarter leads in SEC play after tripping on a 21-10 edge against Oklahoma three weeks ago. That mess centered on a backbreaking Pick 6 that snatched the lead away.

Seven games in, Auburn’s only wins remain Alabama A&M (a 3-3 FCS team) and New Mexico (2-4 in the Mountain West).

This time, it was more of a slow creeping death.

Like a 17-play, 95-yard slog for a Missouri offense led by a quarterback who appeared to be out for the game. Auburn had every opportunity to take advantage of the absence of Brady Cook but even with a few new wrinkles and a commitment to the ground game, no dice.

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So, up just three when Missouri got the ball one final time with 4:26 left, Auburn looked like a tractor-trailer stalled on the train tracks.

They looked gassed, not exactly accepting the inevitable fate but unable to crank that engine one final time.

It was a gut-check time and, see the headline above.

So with Cook back on the field after leaving on the first drive with an ankle injury, Missouri was that freight train. Those Tigers converted three third downs on that final drive. And when they came up short on third and 18, Cook found star receiver Luther Burden for 16 yards on fourth and five from Auburn’s 41.

Burden, an All-America caliber receiver, didn’t get a touch until the final moments of the first half but he was ready when it mattered. He had the 13-yard catch on the play before to make the fourth-down, convert-or-lose moment more manageable.

But it’s moments like that fourth-down crossroad that Auburn’s flunking consistently this season. This time it wasn’t about giveaways for a team that entered with the nation’s worst negative-11 turnover margin. In fact, Auburn had a 2-1 edge in takeaways.

And this isn’t just on the defense for not stopping that final drive.

Though field position was a huge Auburn advantage in the fourth quarter, it was no thanks to anything the offense did. The road Tigers gained exactly 22 yards in the fourth quarter when Payton Thorne completed 1 of 6 throws and nine rushing attempts averaged 0.4 yards a pop.

After Missouri punted from its own end zone with 5:56 to go, Auburn took over up 17-14 from the home team’s 37.

Blood in the water time.

Instinct should take over from there, but … see headline.

Auburn went 3-and-out with two straight negative running plays and a dropped pass required Oscar Chapman’s seventh punt of the day. And it’s not like there weren’t moments of positivity for this Auburn offense because they’ve been there all season.

The 47-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman just after halftime was exactly the vision from Freeze’s first full recruiting class. The 5-star who flipped from Texas A&M looked the part on the long touchdown reception after going without a catch in the last outing at Georgia.

The muffed punt touchdown followed moments later but there would be little more to celebrate for the Tiger offense. Outside of a 13-play, 63-yard drive that ended in a missed field goal, the offensive drive chart was a mess.

3 plays, 2 yards (punt)

13 plays, 63 yards (missed FG)

3 plays, 7 yards (punt)

5 plays, 26 yards (punt)

3 plays, -3 yards (punt)

4 plays, -8 yards (turnover on downs)

Game over.

When it was time to ice the win or steal one back, Auburn went backward.

A perfect illustration for a 2-5 team winless in SEC play.

This is a proud program that’s going in the wrong direction.

One that’s good enough to lead but forgot how to win.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.

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espn.com

Missouri 21-17 Auburn (Oct 19, 2024) Game Recap - ESPN

ByAPOct 19, 2024, 03:34 pmFacebookFacebook MessengerTwitterEmail

5–6 minutes

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- — Missouri quarterback Brady Cook returned from a midgame trip to the hospital to have an MRI exam on his ailing ankle and led his team to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead run by Jamal Roberts with 46 seconds remaining that gave the Tigers a 21-17 victory over Auburn on Saturday.

Cook was hurt on the opening series and did not return until late in the third quarter, after his hospital trip and a session in the nearby indoor practice facility, where Missouri coaches wanted to see whether his ankle could properly function.

“It was a long hour-and-a-half for sure. I did not think I was going to come back to play in the game. My stuff was off, my pads were off,” Cook said later. “Ultimately, I realized I had 2 1/2 games left to play in Faurot Field. We were going to find a way.”

The comeback began with Auburn leading 17-6, and Cook hit Theo Wease Jr. with a 72-yard pass, setting up Marcus Carroll's TD run. Then, as time was slipping away, Cook led a legacy-making drive that kept his team's College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Taking over at his own 5-yard line, and with 4:26 to go, Cook converted one third down by running on his sore ankle, then hit Luther Burden III on fourth-and-5 for another first down. Cook hit Wease later in the drive on third-and-10, then found Mekhi Miller inside the 10-yard line with just over a minute to go, setting up Roberts' go-ahead touchdown run.

“He could have sat out and watched the game from the sideline, or on TV,” said Roberts, who stepped up big himself in place of injured starter Nate Noel, “and that showed the brotherhood we have here.”

Cook finished with 194 yards passing in less than two quarters of play, while the Missouri defense repeatedly shut down Auburn (2-5, 0-4) when it had a chance to put the game away, holding coach Hugh Freeze's team to 286 yards total offense.

Payton Thorne finished with 176 yards passing and a touchdown. Antonio Kite recovered a muffed punt for Auburn's other TD.

“We seem to not make the right call as coaches or the right play from time to time in critical moments, and that’s kind of been the story the whole year,” said Freeze, whose team lost its first four SEC games in consecutive years for the first time.

What should have been a showdown between two efficient offenses — Auburn averaging 444.5 yards and Missouri tops in the SEC in time of possession — turned into a defensive slugfest thanks in part to injuries that ravaged the Tigers.

The biggest was to Cook, their steady senior, who slipped to the turf on the first series of the game. He got up and hobbled to the sideline, then up to the tunnel to the locker room — and eventually the hospital and indoor practice facility.

It was tied 3-all early in the second half when Auburn tried to seize control.

Cam Coleman ran past Missouri's Dreyden Norwood and Marvin Burks Jr., and Thorne hit him in stride down the middle of the field with a 47-yard touchdown strike to make it 10-3. Moments later, after Missouri had forced a punt, Burden was hit trying to field it and the ball skipped into the end zone where Kite pounced on it for another score.

Cook didn't know what had transpired — cellphones weren't allowed in the hospital — but he knew his team needed him, and the training staff did everything in its power to get him back on the field with time to make some magic happen.

“There's a lot of toughness in that team. A lot of young guys in that team that have never won like that before,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “There's a lot of fight in that team. And to figure it out like that bodes well for the rest of the year.”

Takeaways

Auburn's only wins this season remain against Alabama A&M and New Mexico. Turnovers have been the biggest problem, and Auburn lost another fumble on Saturday, though it also recovered two fumbles of its own.

Missouri won thanks to some heroics from Cook, though his health will be something to monitor going forward.

Up next

Auburn concludes its three-game SEC road trip at Kentucky next Saturday night. Missouri returns to the road to face seventh-ranked Alabama next Saturday.

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it is a lot harder to post losing media than winning media. it sucks. where is our hero to lead us old of the darkness and back?

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al.com

Breaking down Auburn's second half mistakes in 21-17 loss to Missouri

Updated: Oct. 19, 2024, 8:48 p.m.|Published: Oct. 19, 2024, 6:21 p.m.

4–6 minutes

When Antonio Kite dove on Luther Burden III’s muffed punt in the end zone, it finally felt like Auburn was going to break through.

In a season of a close losses, collapses and disappointing finishes, Auburn had a level of control over the game it hadn’t experienced against a Power 4 opponent all season.

Even after a Missouri field goal made it 17-6, Auburn found itself driving, moving the ball at a methodical and consistent pace with a chance to take either a commanding three-possession lead or restore its 14-point advantage.

After that, Auburn fell apart. Here’s how it happened:

Offensive misfires

After a 15-yard pass from Payton Thorne to Malcolm Simmons set up Auburn with first down at the 10-yard line, it seemed like the visiting Tigers were about pull away.

Then, after Auburn had run the ball on eight of its nine previous plays, Hugh Freeze and the offensive staff decided to throw the ball three straight times in a goal-to-go scenario.

The first was a nicely-thrown goal line fade to Robert Lewis, but the ball went right through Lewis' hands in the back corner of the endzone.

“I haven’t seen the film, but I thought it was a really good throw,” Freeze said. “We’ve got to make those plays to win games.”

The next play was a sack and after Thorne completed a 10-yard pass to Jarquez Hunter to set up an easier field goal, freshman kicker Towns McGough missed from 30 yards out.

In the fourth quarter, the pressure was on Auburn’s offense and it struggled to perform.

The visiting Tigers went three-and-out on their first drive of the fourth quarter.

After the defense got a stop, Auburn had another chance to put the game away and was putting together a good drive. With the ball at the Missouri 44-yard line, Thorne had Rivaldo Fairweather open on third down. With the pressure in his face, though, the pass sailed, landing on the turf, yards in front of his tight end.

With an even better opportunity at Missouri’s 40-yard line on the next drive, Auburn went three-and-out again.

It was the culmination of Auburn’s offensive ineptitude throughout the game, especially when it came to converting on important plays.

Auburn got one more chance after Missouri scored with 46 seconds remaining, but the drive felt doomed from the start. With no timeouts and no history of execution in the game, Auburn was once again stopped with little fight, ending any shot at a win.

“We seem to not make the right call as coaches or the right play from time to time in critical moments still,“ Freeze said. ”That’s kind of been the story of the whole year.”

Defense crumbles against Brady Cook

After the 30-yard missed field goal, quarterback Brady Cook re-entered the game for Missouri and Auburn’s defense could no longer bail the offense out.

Despite suffering an ankle injury early in the game, Cook hurt Auburn most with his legs. His ability to extend the play gave Missouri crucial first downs in the fourth quarter.

In general, Cook‘s presence brought more stability and control to Missouri’s offense. On his third play back, he completed a 78-yard pass to Mookie Cooper. Auburn helped Missouri on that play with a couple missed tackles, but it was a throw that backup quarterback Drew Pyne didn’t seem to have the trust and confidence to make.

On Missouri‘s game-winning, 95-yard touchdown drive, Cook carved up Auburn’s defense in every way. He had scrambles of nine and 14 yards and notable completions of 13, 16 and 10, further aided by an Auburn pass interference call.

Auburn‘s defense had been good throughout the game, but as this season has gone, couldn’t finish the game.

“Coach is putting us in great positions. I saw today guys being able to make plays in different spots,” Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante said. “In those key moments, it’s just understanding that if you get off the field, it gives another opportunity to our offense. I think that’s another key thing that we have to do. We didn’t do a good enough job today.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com

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