Every Tuesday right here you can read The Auburn Corner, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Auburn Tigers, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.
In this week’s edition, Auburn has all but locked up at least a winning season, sitting at 6-4 with New Mexico State coming to town. Perhaps even more impressive is the development of the offense from where it was at the start of the year to where it has come in the last few games:
Early on in the year, the Tiger offense appeared completely lost. Auburn was able to secure a road win at Cal in week two in which they had 230 total yards as a team and less than 100 passing yards. Once the gauntlet of SEC play began, this wasn’t going to cut it.
Saturday’s 48-point performance in Arkansas seemed impossible based on where Auburn was in the early part of the season. But Payton Thorne and the Tiger offense have figured things out, winning three games in a row in which the offense has looked better each week consecutively.
Granted, the opponents Auburn beat are now a combined 2-19 in SEC play, but this is what was expected to see in Hugh Freeze’s first year. Freeze has the Tigers back in a place where they are not just able to beat the teams at the bottom of the SEC, but they are expected to.
Now, Auburn turns its focus to New Mexico State in what should be a tune-up game before hosting its first Iron Bowl of the Hugh Freeze era the following week.
Alabama has already clinched the SEC West, but the Tigers have a chance to spoil the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes if they can win at home, a venue where Nick Saban has a 4-4 record in his career at Alabama.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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