AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - Auburn's offensive struggles continue to haunt the Tigers as they faced a familiar opponent on Saturday, the Missouri Tigers. The game was back and forth from the start, but fatigue got the best of the home squad as they couldn't hold on and fell in double overtime 23-17 for their fourth straight SEC loss in just four games this season.
Saturday was Auburn's second consecutive home night game, and there was a sellout crowd in attendance. After coming up short in the previous two games, Auburn was looking to make a statement against No. 16-ranked Missouri.
At the beginning of the game, a statement was made by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who snuck the ball into the endzone for a one-yard touchdown. This put Auburn up 7-0 with half of the first quarter left.
The next drive would bring Missouri all the way to Auburn's 29-yard line, knocking on the door of the red zone, but the Auburn defense forced them to settle for 3. The quarter was slow for both teams, ending with a 7-3 score, but things would get interesting from then on.
The second quarter was rough for the home Tigers on offense, as they struggled to make plays and advance the ball against the Missouri defense, which seemed to be everywhere. Arnold would complete three of four passes for only 58 yards. The run game went nowhere, only gaining six total yards in the quarter.
Missouri, on the other hand, fought its way back in front with Ahmad Hardy and Beau Pribula leading the charge on the ground. They clawed through 65 yards in nine plays and punched the ball into the endzone with a two-yard rush from Hardy, going up 10-7. Auburn would end up going three and out the next drive, but made up for it with a red zone interception by junior cornerback Kayin Lee on Missouri's next possession.
After that, Auburn was kept out of the end zone and forced to kick a 40-yard field goal, which was missed by Alex McPherson to keep the score 10-7 at halftime with Missouri in front.
The first three drives of the second half saw no action, with Auburn's elite defense shutting Missouri out and forcing two punts. The offense continued to struggle and couldn't do much, and set McPherson up for a 38-yard field goal, but he missed this one as well.
However, Auburn would make some adjustments and get something going in the third quarter, resulting in a touchdown at the one-yard line. Omar Mabson II, a true freshman who went to high school less than four miles from the Jordan-Hare at Auburn High School, punched it in for the first touchdown of his career.
The Auburn defense responded with a three-and-out, and on the next drive for the offense, McPherson found his footing and kicked in three more points to give Auburn a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Despite all that, Missouri wasn't done with Auburn yet, as they made big plays in the final five minutes and scored a touchdown to tie the game.
In the final drive of regulation, Missouri was moving the ball downfield quickly and was near midfield when Pribula threw the ball downfield looking for Marquis Jonshon, but instead connected with Auburn's Jay Crawford for the game-saving interception, with the game going to overtime after Arnold kneeled to end regulation.
In overtime, both teams come up short on their first attempt thanks to missed field goal kicks, which sent the game to a second overtime. To start the second overtime, Missouri took the ball and was too much for the tired Tiger defense, leading to a Missouri touchdown. However, Auburn held on to stop the two-point conversion. Auburn's offense was up next and needed a touchdown and the two-point conversion to win, but the Missouri defense got to Arnold and forced a turnover on downs, ending the game.
After the game, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz commended Pribula and Kevin Coleman for their game-winning connection in double overtime.
"Auburn is a really good football team," Drinkwitz said. "They've got players all over the football team, those wideouts are unbelievable, and their defense runs and hits incredibly well."
After Saturday's game, Auburn falls to 0-4 in SEC play and 3-4 on the season after a 3-0 start. The Auburn Tigers will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. next week to play against the Razorbacks for their fifth SEC game and eighth game this season.
