AUBURN, Ala - Auburn (2-3, 0-2) blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to fall to Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) 27-21 Saturday afternoon. Through three quarters, Auburn seemed to have turned the corner on the last two games but disaster struck in the fourth quarter.
Auburn started the game with a three-and-out on offense before Oklahoma scored on a 48-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to take a 7-0 lead. After failing to convert on 4th and goal from the one on the second drive, Auburn responded after Payton Thorne found KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 31-yard touchdown. Auburn then controlled the game until the fourth quarter.
Auburn outgained Oklahoma 482 to 291 in total yards. The Tigers outrushed Oklahoma 144-133 and threw for more yards through the air, 338-161. The Tigers also won the time of possession by over ten minutes.
"You know we outgained Arkansas last week by a good amount and today also," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. "But we are not winning football games, so we've got to do something different to win these games."
However, those stats don't matter when you leave 13 points on the board and throw a pick-six. Auburn's inability to punch it in on the goal line on the second drive of the game and missed field goal before the half came back to haunt the Tigers. Auburn also had a chance to extend the lead to 14 with 11:43 left in the fourth quarter but instead missed another field goal.
Auburn's clock management also came into question late in this game. With the lead, up 11 in the 4th quarter, Auburn chose to throw the football on first and second down. Both passes resulted in incompletions.
"The second down, me and Dre had miscommunication there," Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said. "They loaded the box and I saw a soft corner, so you know, I was going to spit it out there to him."
Why did Auburn not just run the ball? The answer remains unclear.
"I've got to make sure he understands the situation better and we should have run there," Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. "I've got to be clear with him knowing what we're trying to do at that moment."
Oklahoma would ultimately score, but Auburn still had the lead with a chance to put the game away with a score. To this point in the game, Auburn had avoided any turnovers. With four minutes left to go in the game, the turnover bug would bite again. Thorne was picked off by Kip Lewis of Oklahoma who took it 63 yards to the house. Oklahoma took the lead and the comeback was complete.
Yet again, Auburn was close. The difference between the Tigers sitting at 5-0 versus 2-3 seems small. However, Auburn players nor fans are interested in moral victories or silver linings.
"We played well today for the most part," Thorne said. "So you know, after a while you get tired of silver linings. To be honest with you, it gets old."
Unfortunately, for Auburn, the worst-case scenario played out over the five-game stretch at home to open the season. The schedule only gets tougher from here. The Tigers will play their first road game of the season next Saturday at Georgia in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Can Auburn right the ship in Athens?
Kickoff is set for 2:30 on the Auburn Sports Network and ABC.
