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The Auburn Corner: Tigers have a chance to salvage season in coming weeks

Every Tuesday we present “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.

The Auburn Tigers are fresh off the bye week and getting set to take on the Missouri Tigers on the road this week in a game that all of the sudden feels much more winnable than it did before the season.

Despite the Tigers losing their last three and four of the last five — including an 0-3 start to conference play — the team actually has the chance over the next few weeks to get things back on track and win some ball games. They could potentially even salvage what looks like a disaster of a season.

Despite a 31-13 loss to Georgia, Auburn showed some improvement if you look at the stat sheet. Evening the Bulldogs up in rushing yards, close behind in first downs, and comparable through the air, Auburn’s offense is taking baby steps towards improvement. Most importantly, the team did not turn the ball over in a tough road environment and were in the game in the second half in a matchup where many expected them to get smoked.

RELATED: The Auburn Corner: Are things trending up with the arrival of the bye week?

It’s another road game at Missouri this week, but the northern Tigers are not the team they were billed up to be in the regular season after getting exposed at Texas A&M. If Auburn can move the ball as effectively against Missouri as they did against Georgia and limit turnovers once again, they absolutely will have a fantastic shot at winning the game.

From there, it’s not exactly gimmes against Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but on paper in terms of roster talent, Auburn should potentially be able to grab two more wins before a cupcake against Louisiana-Monroe heading into the final stretch of the season.

It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel if you’re a Tigers fan sitting at 2-4 after expecting to start the season at 4-2 at the worst. But hang in there Auburn fans, the season isn’t done just yet.

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.

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