Observations: Houston 17, Auburn 13

The Tigers' final missed opportunity of 2021 was a big one — a low-scoring bowl loss to secure the program's first losing season since 2012.

(Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

The opponent changed. The venue changed. Some of the faces in key roles for Auburn did, too.

But the results from November to December did not.

Auburn football lost its fifth straight game Tuesday, a 17-13 defeat to a ranked Houston team in the Birmingham Bowl. It was also the fourth straight game in which the Tigers led in the second half but still lost late.

It’s a familiar story at this point for Auburn, one that goes even before the start of the Bryan Harsin era. The Tigers’ defense put the team in a position to win. The big moments for the Tigers’ offense came few and far between. And when the lead was lost, there was little hope for a comeback.

These last four losses for Auburn have come by a combined 19 points. Three of them came against teams who aren’t as talented as the Tigers, while the other was the No. 1 team in the nation. It’s not like this team is getting blown out against quality opponents. There’s some potential.

“What I see is there is a …