TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (EETV) – Auburn football traveled northwest this week to take on Alabama in the 89th edition of the Iron Bowl. Riding high on momentum from last week’s upset of Texas A&M, many Auburn fans felt like this could be the year the Tigers finally broke through vs the Tide. However, it wasn’t to be, and Auburn fell 28-14.
Despite the lack of scoring the game wasn’t without opportunity for Auburn. The Tigers forced four turnovers in the game, good enough to secure a +2 differential despite two interceptions. Despite that, the Tiger offense could only muster six points off of turnovers. Auburn found itself in the offensive red zone six times in the game, but only managed one touchdown.
“We had the opportunities,” Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze said. “We had Dre [KeAndre Lambert Smith open and just missed him on one of those. I regret calling the tempo play on third and one. I should have slowed it down.”
Much of the issue for Auburn was unforced errors. Negative plays inside the 20 yard line killed consecutive Auburn drives in the second quarter, leading to just six points rather than the 14 that could have been. To add to the frustration, kicker Ian Vachon missed a 39 yard field goal in the first quarter, another three points left on the board.
That missed kick led to Auburn going for it on fourth down in the same range on the next drive, and the Tigers were unable to convert as Payton Thorne threw the ball away out of bounds. In just the first half, the Auburn offense had left as many as 22 points on the board due to penalties, lost yardage, and redzone miscues.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Tiger attack though as the possible future of the Iron Bowl made an encouraging showing. Freshman wideout Cam Coleman reeled in seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, a spectacular leaping grab in the end zone from 29 yards out.
The defensive performance for Auburn was also encouraging. Senior linebacker Jalen McLeod forced two fumbles and a sack, sophomore defensive lineman Keldrick Faulk had two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, and junior safety Colby Wooden intercepted Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the second quarter.
The Auburn defense did a solid job forcing Milroe into mistakes on the evening. The Crimson Tide quarterback turned the ball over four times, tying his single-game career high. However, the Tiger defense struggled to contain the quarterback’s legs. Milroe ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts, accounting for three of the four Alabama touchdowns.
The loss left a bad taste in the mouth of Auburn, as not only did it lose the Iron Bowl, it lost any chance of bowl eligibility by falling to 5-7 on the season. The Tigers finished 2-6 in SEC play, one of the worst marks in recent history. Coach Hugh Freeze knew that wasn’t the way he wanted his seniors’ Auburn careers to end.
“I hate to see them [the seniors] hurt and go out on that note, obviously,” Coach Freeze said.
With the Iron Bowl loss, Auburn will finish the 2024 season with a losing record, the fourth consecutive losing season for the Tigers. Coach Freeze and Auburn will look to build momentum through recruiting over the winter break, early national signing day, and national signing day in hopes of turning the tide next season, in more ways than one.
