Observations: Auburn 31, South Alabama 15
A solid first half gave way to a frustrating second half in the Tigers' final tune-up before SEC play. It got the job done, but...
AUBURN — Will the 2025 Auburn Tigers be different from the last several editions?
That question defined the offseason on the Plains. The pressure had built around Hugh Freeze and his program after back-to-back losing campaigns, the latest of which didn’t even feature a bowl game. Auburn has had four straight sub-.500 seasons for the first time since right before Shug Jordan arrived.
There’s no question Auburn had the potential to be different. Freeze signed another top-10 recruiting class and landed impact transfers like new QB1 Jackson Arnold, star wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and two starting offensive tackles. There was also more depth and talent to be found in DJ Durkin’s defense.
The potential was there for Auburn to show it was different early in the season. And it did, in the season opener. Auburn went on the road and beat Baylor for its first quality win away from Jordan-Hare Stadium in several years.
The Tigers didn’t do things the same way they had under Freeze in Week 1, and that continued in a Week 2 pummeling of Ball State. Arnold and the offense took what defenses gave them. They didn’t force the issue through the air. They ran the ball well, even with a banged-up room, and attacked with efficiency.
Week 3 was an opportunity for Auburn to stack onto that by taking care of business against a South Alabama team that was better than what it saw in Week 2.
However, the Tigers looked different in some ways (positively) and didn’t look different in other ways (negatively). The result? A 31-15 win that got the job done but didn’t look like a team firing on all cylinders before a tough start to SEC play.
“A lot to work on, on both sides,” Freeze said afterwards.
Auburn continued to play balanced and efficient offense, avoiding turnovers and keeping the chains moving. The Tigers spread the ball to multiple playmakers and didn’t run headlong into quick but empty drives that have led to losses in the past. There were even needed improvements on the offensive line.
But problems in the pass defense that were prevalent in Week 1 — and at several times last season under Durkin — stood out against South Alabama. Auburn spent most of the second half not being able to get off the field, with penalties, tackling and execution errors piling up.
Combine that with an offense that eased off the accelerator and a rash of team-wide injuries, and you’ve got a team that’s 3-0 but still has its fair share of questions.
“We've got a lot we can obviously improve on,” Freeze said. “But the goal today was to be 3-0 and 1-0 today. … Our team achieved that, so we're gonna celebrate that and hopefully get some folks healthy and some rest this weekend and get ready to open conference play.”
Is this 2025 Auburn team going to be different from the last several? Even with a quarter of the season in the books already, that question will still be looming large as the Tigers get ready to head to Oklahoma next Saturday.
But, hey, maybe that was always going to be the case.
Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 16-point win over South Alabama, along with Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Day.
That was not the defensive showing you want before OU
At halftime, Freeze told the SEC Network broadcast that he felt like Auburn’s defense was “sleepwalking” and “slopping around” in the first half.
He could have easily said that after the second half, too.