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Oct 19, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) runs the ball against Missouri Tigers safety Sidney Williams (3) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Auburn Tigers enter college football week 9 as one of 27 teams in the country with at least 6.5 yards per offensive play. The Tigers are also one of 29 FBS teams in the nation to allow 5.0 yards per play or less on defense this season. Only seven programs have accomplished both feats. The other six, Army, Indiana, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Texas, are a combined 36-4. Auburn is 2-6.
On the surface, it’s easy to point the finger at Auburn’s quarterback play, specifically Payton Thorne’s turnover issues, but the underlying problem lies in the second half inefficiency of an offense that displays a bland and uninspired scheme. Auburn’s last 8 non-desperation drives in the fourth quarter in winnable games (Missouri, Oklahoma) have yielded a grand total of 76 total offense yards. Of those 76 total yards, 48 have come from Jarquez Hunter on the ground. Another 10 have come from Payton Thorne quarterback runs.
Auburn’s offensive script, that has been critiqued by fans and experts throughout the season due to the lack of running the football, has tried to even itself out at the end of games by doing just that. Instead of using a variable set of plays in each half, or each drive, Hugh Freeze and the Auburn coaching staff has opted towards the often ineffective strategy of “throw, throw, and throw some more” in the opening stanza before shifting to a run heavy attack in hopes of clinging to a late lead when the game is often up for grabs.
Of the last eight of the aforementioned Auburn fourth quarter drives, five have started with a Jarquez Hunter run. Two of the other…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/brians-column-auburns-second-half-220012933.html
Author : Auburn Wire
Publish date : 2024-10-25 22:00:12
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