Auburn's Fight Wasn't Enough as Florida Exposed Major Problems in SEC Opener
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The Auburn Tigers showed against Florida that they aren't going to quit when things get difficult, but they also learned that fighting isn't enough to win football games in the SEC.
Auburn fell to Florida 44-39 Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, dropping to 2-1 in Alex Golesh's first season. And although the final score suggests a close game, the Tigers spent much of the night trying to overcome mistakes on both sides of the football.
The biggest surprise was Auburn's defense.
After helping carry the Tigers to a season-opening victory over Baylor, DJ Durkin's group struggled to get Florida off the field. The Gators rushed for 262 yards, including 162 from Jadan Baugh, and converted all three of their fourth-down attempts.
And the missed tackles were a major part of it.
Pro Football Focus credited Auburn with 24 missed tackles, and players such as Xavier Atkins and Da'Shawn Womack were credited with five apiece.
That's not going to get it done against SEC competition, especially when main pieces on your defense struggle in a big way.
But the offense didn't exactly help Auburn's defense, either.
The Tigers finished the first quarter with minus-3 yards of total offense. Byrum Brown threw an interception on Auburn's opening possession on a throw he shouldn't have made, and the offense struggled to establish any rhythm.
Auburn eventually fought back to tie the game at 17, but that's when things really started to unravel.
Florida scored 17 unanswered points, turning a tie game into a 34-17 advantage.
"The story of the game is that middle part of it," Golesh said afterward.
Auburn's offense couldn't stay on the field consistently, while its defense couldn't get off it. Florida finished with 76 offensive plays compared to Auburn's 66, and the Gators controlled roughly 40 minutes of possession.
That's a difficult combination to overcome, Auburn was absolutely gassed.
The Tigers also struggled to establish the running game that Golesh has emphasized throughout the offseason. Auburn finished with 102 rushing yards, while Jeremiah Cobb managed just 32 yards on nine carries.
Brown eventually helped Auburn find some offensive production, and the Tigers scored 14 points in the final 6:20 to make things interesting.
But the comeback couldn't erase everything that happened before it.
Golesh acknowledged that Auburn has plenty to correct, particularly in execution, communication, and its ability to eliminate explosive plays.
And now comes the first real adversity of his tenure.
Auburn has shown it will continue fighting regardless of the circumstances. That's an important foundation. But this one stings.
This is the most points the Auburn Tigers have allowed at Jordan-Hare Stadium since their 2019 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide, where they won 48-45. And it's their biggest loss at home since 2012 against Texas Tech.
There are many ways to look at this game, and most of them are not in a positive light. It's the worst loss on the Plains in 14 years. If the Tigers want to start winning games like this one, that fight has to be paired with much better football.
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