Here are five takeaways from Auburn’s 55-44 loss to Alabama:

  • Elite offense: No matter how critical pundits have been of Auburn’s offense during its less-than-stellar two-game stretch against Georgia and Samford, the Tigers proved on Saturday night that, when healthy and clicking, no defense in the country can stop them. Yes, Auburn has been inconsistent offensively this season, but inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night, its three best players put together their best games of the season on the same night and the Crimson Tide had no answer. The Tigers ran the ball well early, but didn’t have a lot of success down the stretch. However, the majority of the work on Saturday came through the air as Nick Marshall, Sammie Coates and Duke Williams all racked up career performances.
  • Missed opportunities … again: Missed opportunities have been an underlying theme of the 2014 campaign for the Tigers, and the narrative remained the same this week. Auburn had eight red zone chances on the night, and came away with just one touchdown while having to settle for five field goals. The Tigers took a five-point lead to the locker room, but had they converted one or two of the first half field goals into touchdowns, the margin could’ve been much wider. For the seventh consecutive game, Auburn totaled seven or more penalties, giving its opponent free yardage. Alabama won the game with its dominant second half, but the Tigers gave away their share of opportunities to put the game away early.
  • Still rebuilding to do: Last season’s 12-2 mark chucked Gus Malzahn’s reconstruction plan out the window and brought back the expectation of championships to the Plains. After a fast start this season, a brutal midseason stretch of schedule in which the Tigers played six consecutive opponents either currently or formerly ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press Top 25 took a toll as Auburn lost three of five games. The defense needs players, in terms of talent and added depth and the Tigers must play with more discipline, as we saw down the stretch. Malzahn has proven himself as a head coach in this league, as evidenced by going toe-to-toe with Nick Saban and nearly becoming 2-0 against him. However, there’s still work to be done.
  • Refusal to quit: One thing you can’t fault this team for is its fight. The Tigers didn’t quit on Saturday night — they haven’t all season — and overcame an early 14-3 deficit to take the lead and hold it until late in the third quarter. Even as the game was decided late in the final period, with the Crimson Tide up 19, Auburn marched down the field and scored to cut the lead to 11.
  • The gap’s closing: Yes, in terms of head-to-head wins and championships, Auburn is still the little brother in the state of Alabama, but the gap is closing. Twice now have Malzahn’s Auburn teams been able to compete with the Tide, and in not-so-fluky ways, mind you. If the Tigers can get more talent and depth into the program, this rivalry could be taken to another level, as if it already hasn’t been, and the Yellowhammer state could continue its storied run of college football dominance.