Auburn's offense has shown it can be explosive, but...
The turnovers are one (big) thing. But that’s not all. Here's a deep dive into that, plus more from Hugh Freeze to start Week 5.
WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith and TE Rivaldo Fairweather (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — Auburn’s 2024 offense has shown that it can be explosive.
However, too often, the explosions have been the self-destructive kind.
Auburn ranks No. 6 in the FBS at 8.03 yards per play, coming in at No. 14 in rushing yards per carry and No. 13 in passing yards per attempt. The Tigers are also tied for No. 6 in plays of 20-plus yards, No. 4 in plays of 30-plus yards, No. 2 in plays of 40-plus yards and 50-plus yards and No. 5 in plays of 60-plus yards.
Even when you cut out the performances against FCS opponent Alabama State and one of the worst FBS defenses (New Mexico), Auburn still has a top-30 overall offense, a top-25 rushing offense and a top-45 passing offense. And a good chunk of the teams ahead of the Tigers have only played just one power-conference opponent.
However, Auburn only scored 14 points in each of those power-conference matchups — home losses to Cal and Arkansas teams it beat on the road last year.
“It's sickening, truthfully, to know that you're averaging almost seven yards per rush and creating explosive plays, and not scoring the points that should come with what those stats say,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said Monday. “But I've never been to any team that turned the football over and won football games.”
The single-biggest reason for the low scoring, as Freeze says, is all the turnovers: The Tigers are tied for dead last nationally in turnovers with 14, and 10 of them came against Cal and Arkansas. No other FBS team has more than seven turnovers against power-conference opponents this season.
“We can't turn the football over, and obviously, we've got to coach the quarterbacks better and the running backs better in ball security and decision-making, to be able to be an effective offense,” Freeze said.
The fix, then, seems quite straightforward: Stop turning the ball over so much. If the Tigers didn’t hand over so many possessions in their two losses, they could have turned into wins.
That’s definitely the message coming from Freeze. When asked Monday what Auburn’s offensive identity was, he responded “Just exactly what we’re doing.”
“I think we're good, other than 10 turnovers in two games,” Freeze said. “I think there's open receivers. I think we're running the ball effectively. I'm not sure why we would want to change any of that — other than maybe we should call a few less shot plays… and maybe just stick to the RPO game. We gotta evaluate all of that.
“But… I mean, go watch the game and you see. I mean, we're moving the football. So I believe in what we're doing, and I don't think there's any changes that need to be made other than 10 turnovers, is tough in two football games.”
Eliminating those turnovers, though, is easier said than done.
Freeze’s teams have struggled with turnovers in recent seasons. Auburn was tied for 85th in turnovers last season and tied with Kentucky for the most in the SEC. In 2022, Freeze’s Liberty was tied for 126th in turnovers. In 2021, it was tied for 104th. In 2020, it was tied for 92nd. In 2019 — Freeze’s first at Liberty — the Flames were solidly tied for 49th in giveaways.
Additionally, Auburn’s turnover-filled losses against Cal and Arkansas came at home in what were, on paper, two of the most favorable non-paycheck games on the schedule.
Up next is Oklahoma (No. 20 in total defense), followed by Georgia (No. 4) and Missouri (No. 14). Kentucky is No. 33 but held Georgia largely in check in a close home loss. And Vanderbilt no longer looks like one of the worst defenses in America.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Auburn’s offense against power-conference opponents so far has been fairly boom-or-bust. The explosive plays are there, but the play-to-play efficiency that defines strong offenses in college football just isn’t.
The turnovers are undoubtedly a huge factor in that. But let’s take a look at Auburn’s drives that didn’t end in turnovers against Cal and Arkansas…