Auburn’s 27-21 loss to Oklahoma Saturday afternoon might’ve been its most heartbreaking loss yet.
It was all downhill from there, though, as Auburn fell apart down the stretch, leading to the disappointing result.
Here’s how we graded Auburn’s performance:
Offense
Grade: B
Auburn’s offense gained more yards against Oklahoma’s defense than any other team so far this season.
The Tigers never had much trouble moving the ball and if it weren’t for a handful of plays, they’d earn an easy A here. Unfortunately for them, those plays were the difference in the game.
Auburn put together a great drive early in the game, but after getting all the way inside the five-yard line, the offense stalled.
Hugh Freeze opted to go for a wildcat look for two of those plays near the endzone, where Oklahoma had little trouble stuffing wildcat quarterback Sam Jackson V on designed runs.
Late in the fourth quarter, a Payton Thorne pick-six gave Oklahoma a lead it never lost as the turnover bug once again delivered a fatal bite to Auburn’s offense.
From the missed fourth down to the last four drives of the game, the offense was great, but to beat good teams, you have to take advantage of opportunities.
Auburn’s offense didn’t do that when it mattered and paid the price.
Defense
Grade: A-
Auburn’s defense deserves a lot of credit for how it played Saturday afternoon.
At this point in the season though, the defense is probably used to its good performances going to waste. The unit held Oklahoma to under 300 yards and 20 points. Those are numbers that seemed good enough to win.
The defense even did a much better job of containing Oklahoma’s mobile quarterback, something it struggled with in each of the last two games.
Outside of a 48-yard run and a 60-yard pass, Auburn’s defense held Michael Hawkins Jr. in check. The problem was both of those plays led to touchdowns.
The 60-yard pass set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter that cut Oklahoma’s deficit to five and immediately led to the pick six that gave the Sooners the lead.
Outside of a couple big plays, Auburn’s defense did its job again, but as long as the offense keeps making critical mistakes, it won’t matter.
Special Teams
Grade: D
Auburn’s special teams won’t be what everyone talks about, but they certainly didn’t help the cause.
Towns McGough missed both of his field goal attempts and the attempt before halftime looked especially ugly. After Auburn was stopped in bounds with just under 20 seconds left, the kicking team was forced to rush onto field and McGough missed the kick.
McGough had another chance after an Oklahoma penalty, but missed the kick again, this time from 27 yards out.
The second miss of the game was a little more expected from 51 yards out, but it capped off a poor performance that affected the game.
Coaching
Grade: C-
Auburn played a good, clean game for much of Saturday’s contest, but a few key mistakes went a long way toward Auburn losing.
The clock management at the end of the first half was the first major mistake, partly costing at least three points and the possibility of a touchdown.
The more costly mistakes came later in the game, though, when Auburn had a chance to either pad its lead or salt the game away when it had the ball in Oklahoma territory with around 10 minutes left in the game.
It’s hard to explain the decision to throw the ball three times in a row after a big run from Jarquez Hunter to put Auburn in Oklahoma territory. From there, Auburn lost control of the game.
Coaching isn’t the sole reason Auburn lost the game, but the inability to manage a two-score lead in the fourth quarter falls on coaching before anything else.
Overall
Grade: C+
Auburn beat itself again, plain and simple.
The Tigers continue to show that they have talented players and can play well, but they haven’t yet shown an ability to beat good teams and avoid making costly mistakes.
This loss gives Auburn three already on the year. Three losses out of a five-game stretch that many expected the Tigers to win at least four.
Now, they have to face the toughest part of their schedule with three consecutive road games. If Auburn can’t figure out how to avoid the same costly mistakes, it’s only going to get worse.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m
