THE Auburn Tigers turned things around on Saturday night and won a game they tried to lose (or took from them) several times. Several players have established themselves, but there is still something to improve.

Let’s take a look at the following stock report Auburn wins 43-41 against Texas A&M.

Up – Real Freshmen

Auburn’s true freshmen contributors had an incredible night from start to finish. It was the receiver Cam Coleman early with big plays leading to scores, but safety Kaleb Harris made some game-saving plays at the end.

Harris, who has become a sure-if-there tackler from the safety spot, made a key tackle in the open field late in the fourth quarter. On a 3rd-and-13 play for the Aggies with 2:40 remaining, Amari Daniels was carried to left end. For a moment, it appeared he might have a chance to win the first down before Harris could get him to the turf.

Auburn was able to get the ball back and send the game into overtime. During the third overtime, Collin Klein organized a play targeting Harris and his compatriot Jay Crawford, on the left side of the formation.

Tight end Tre Watson moved across the formation then back to the left. Harris and Crawford stuck to their assignments, and Harris’ tight coverage forced the ball down and outside, giving the Tigers the stop.

Harris and Crawford had 12 tackles, including nine solo tackles.

End Malik Blocton made two stops in the Aggie backfield. Linebacker Demarcus Riddick, who has proven to be a demon in recent weeks in the open field, made several key plays as a third-down spy on Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed. He had a sack, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Malcolm Simmons handled punt returns perfectly after taking over responsibility mid-season. His only return lasted 13 yards. He also had an eight-yard catch on Auburn’s tying field goal.

Coleman’s big day resulted in seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

UP – Field Objectives

Needless to say, a key part of the debacle that was the 2024 Auburn football team – a 5-6 team that’s not that far from being 10-1 – was the inability to score goals on the field.

Ian VachonAuburn’s third kicker this season, missed a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter that looked more like a knuckleball. Hugh Freeze said after that game that he normally doesn’t approach kickers after misses, but he joked with Vachon that he had never seen Vachon take such a bad swing. Vachon responded to Freeze that he was fine moving forward, and that turned out to be true.

Vachon, formerly of Birmingham-Southern, made it 29 with five seconds left to force overtime. In overtime, after a series of extremely horrible officiating calls, the Zebras gave Auburn a 3rd and 25. Payton Thorne made a crucial play at a key moment, giving Auburn a chance to score points.

He could have been sacked on the play, but managed to escape and shorten Vachon’s field goal attempt about 10 or 12 yards from where he could have been sacked. Vachon delivered again, this time from 41 meters. Those three points were key in getting Auburn to a third overtime period.

Down – Officer in overtime

The referees played a quiet part of the game throughout regulation. On Auburn’s second possession in overtime, things got weird.

After an 11-yard run by Thorne on the first play of the series, Thorne completed a fade down the right sideline into the end zone to Lambert-Smith. A&M corner Jayvon Thomas was beaten, and just as he had a few possessions earlier on Cam Coleman, he reached out and held off Lambert-Smith rather than give up the score. Lambert-Smith couldn’t find the ball and so the officials ignored the fact that Thomas was holding Lambert-Smith’s nameplate.

The next play was an even more excruciating decision. Auburn ran a mesh-type concept with Lambert-Smith hanging around the middle, right to left. Robert Lewis and Rivaldo Fairweather, lining up on the left of the formation, drove toward the middle of the field about 10 yards deep to occupy the Aggie defenders while Lambert-Smith worked his way underneath. Thorne found him and Lambert-Smith heading toward the Aggies’ two-yard line.

Rub/pick plays in crucial moments and the officials surrounding them have been the center of controversy in college football over the past decade – see Notre Dame at Florida State or Clemson vs. Alabama. But that was not the case in this case. Although it was likely an intentional clearance, there was no contact. The linesman threw a flag based on what he thought might have happened.

Freeze joked after the match that he has never been more ready to fight in his life. And he was right. Officials erased what looked like a possible touchdown, and it took Thorne’s escape from a sack on third down for Auburn to have a chance at a field goal.

Down – Play calling and execution in the 4th quarter

If we’re being honest about it, Auburn’s first four offensive possessions of the quarter were, predictably, bad possessions. There is no “dropping stock” about it. They were consistent with how the Tigers’ offense performed late in games in losses to California, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

Unfortunately, this is what we expected. Auburn’s play and execution in the fourth quarter of games has been a dime a dozen, nowhere to go but up.

Thorne, who otherwise played one of the best games of his career at Auburn, rolled on the second play of the quarter and went into coverage. Any number of Aggies could have intercepted it, and after it ricocheted through the air, BJ Mayes took it down.

The next three series were three-and-outs. Jarquez Hunter had 130 yards for the game and was reliable throughout the season. However, he hit those series when the Tigers were behind the chains. Auburn players sided with the Tigers’ still-inconsistent aerial attack. The Auburn line struggled to pick up the blitz. Thorne rarely acknowledges a blitz, and the Tigers threw Interception, Punt, Punt, Punt.

Four possessions, 11 plays, -14 yards and an interception.

Fortunately for the team, the defense was able to make enough stops to keep the game close at 31-28. The Auburn offense recovered on its final possession of regulation with 74 yards in 15 plays to tie the game.

Above – Auburn Family

Auburn was a 4-6 team entering the game and Jordan-Hare Stadium was electric. There’s no doubt the Auburn fans and atmosphere played a role in disrupting the Aggies’ freshman quarterback and giving the home team a boost. The recruits present also notice these things.

Well done to the Auburn family.