With a 14-14 tie at halftime and what looked like a chance to get what would be the first SEC win of the Hugh Freeze era, Auburn’s offense (and quarterback situation) was once again the story of the night in the 28-21 loss.
A late Auburn touchdown drive put the Tigers at 21 (and put them over 100 yards passing on night), but the final score was not really reflective of how things went through the air.
Almost unbelievably, through three quarters, Auburn had a total of just 26 passing yards. Robby Ashford had accounted for 22 of them, and Payton Thorne just 4.
Even worse, before Auburn’s final drive of the night in the game’s final minutes to put a third touchdown on the board, the two quarterbacks had a combined 45 yards and two interceptions.
For Auburn fans hoping to finally see third string Holden Geriner, they (sort of) got their wish, with Hugh Freeze throwing Geriner out there on a double pass attempt which didn’t even come close to working:
If you’ve been wanting to see Holden Geriner….here he is. #auburnfootball @thewarrapport pic.twitter.com/D0FaY3hEJ9
— Mike G. (@mikegittens) October 22, 2023
Jarquez Hunter had a nice game on the ground for the Tigers, accounting for 91 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns including a 53-yard score which tied the game at seven in the first quarter:
Full speed ahead @jarquezhunter ? https://t.co/RO9DunsrlU pic.twitter.com/yR98ngFR95
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 21, 2023
It’s becoming the same old story week after week for the Auburn Tigers. The ground game is somewhat effective, the quarterback situation and passing game is a complete and utter mess, and Freeze continues to insist on using both guys.
It is painfully clear at this point that whatever experiment Freeze wanted to run with this two-quarterback system has failed miserably and it is time to simply pick someone and go with them.
Up next, Auburn is going to have another home game against Mississippi State, who showed tremendous offensive issues themselves today in a 7-3 win over Arkansas. We will see what Freeze’s plan is to fix this offense.
Follow Michael Brauner on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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