TUSCALOOSA — It wasn’t a textbook example of a team giving away a game, but it was evident enough that Auburn football had many chances handed to it by the Crimson Tide in another Iron Bowl loss.
Jalen Milroe looked as good as he ever has, willing 13th-ranked Alabama to a 28-14 Iron Bowl win. But even as he turned in just his second performance with 200 passing yards and 100 yards rushing this season, he still turned the ball over three times.
The Auburn offense slouched in a lot of respects. It failed to get Jarquez Hunter off the ground, but it still somehow found its way to the red zone on nearly half its drives. A little more than half its drives actually ended within 30 yards of the goal line.
Still, with bowl eligibility on the line, all the Tigers could muster was two scores worth of points. They lost another contest like they had for much of the season — with an inability to capitalize on opportunities time and time again.
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“That’s what will set in your stomach,” coach Hugh Freeze said postgame. “That we didn’t score, and the opportunities we had.”
Auburn (5-7, 2-6 SEC) forced a season-high four takeaways against the Crimson Tide, falling on two Milroe fumbles, picking him off once and recovering a loose ball off a Ryan Williams reception on Alabama’s opening drive.
In all? The Tigers generated just six points off those Alabama turnovers, coming up scoreless on two of them and finding a field goal on two others.
What made matters worse was an inability to get off the field on third downs, which reared its head earlier in the season. The Crimson Tide converted on 12 of 18 third-down attempts, averaging 8.7 yards per play on third downs.
On Auburn’s third-down conundrum, linebacker Eugene Asante had an answer that was apt for the situation. But more than that, it was true of the game. And bigger than that? It was fitting for what’s been a disappointing season.
“I think the biggest thing for us was honing in on those moments, understanding our assignments,” he said. “There were some situations where we were in great calls, and we have to just make plays as players. It really just comes down to executing. We didn’t execute enough tonight, and that was the tale of the tape.”
While Auburn leaves the season without a shot at the postseason, Freeze and his staff’s metaphorical Super Bowl comes this Wednesday. They’ll try to put Year 2’s regression behind them and secure a top-five signing class, which could go a long way for the program’s future — and Freeze’s tenure on the Plains.
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“We think we’re improving with a lot of young kids that are very talented,” Freeze said Saturday. “Again, you’ve got to go recruit. I’ve said it before: Some of the teams we’re playing, and in this particular game, they’ve had top-five recruiting classes a lot of straight years. We’ve had one top-10 class, and hopefully we’re getting ready to have a second. Nobody really wants to hear that — I know it’s true. At the same time, we had chances to win games with who we are, and that’s the frustrating part for everyone, me included.”
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What’s next for Auburn football after flubbing Iron Bowl opportunities?
