Auburn Football Enters Bye Week Searching for Answers

The Auburn Tigers enter their bye week with a 3-6 record after a disappointing 17-7 loss to No. 24 Vanderbilt. 

Their rocky season has featured significant offensive concerns that need to be addressed.

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— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 2, 2024

Leaving Points on the Board

Despite averaging 419.8 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play, the Tigers only average 25.3 points per game.

Against Power 4 opponents, that number drops even further to a paltry 15.7 points. This disparity is due in large part to their struggles on third down and in the red zone.

Last week, they were a dismal 2-for-13 on third down conversions and failed to even snap the ball inside the 20-yard line.

Passing Inconsistencies

Senior quarterback Payton Thorne has not lived up to expectations, and the offensive line has struggled to protect him.

While he did not throw an interception against Vanderbilt and completed 20 of 29 passes for 239 yards, he missed several opportunities for big plays. Thorne missed an open Luke Deal early and underthrew Cam Coleman on a deep route. He also made a critical mistake late in the game when he threw an inaccurate pass to Rivaldo Fairweather, allowing a Vanderbilt defender to break up the play.

Defensive Bright Spots

One positive takeaway from the loss last week was the defensive play.

Auburn held Vanderbilt to just 227 total yards and a resounding 2.2 yards per carry. The team’s offensive struggles made the effort futile, but it’s still an element to lean on in future games.

Narratives in the Bye Week

The Tigers have three games remaining, starting with a home game against Louisiana Monroe on November 16th.

After that, their season ends with back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 11 Alabama. Auburn must use the bye week to regroup and find solutions to its offensive woes.

Head coach Hugh Freeze spoke on what his team’s mentality is as they look to regroup from the loss.