Auburn not ready for prime time yet, but still plenty dangerous
By David Wasson
Published:
Way back in October 1975, a new variety show debuted on NBC featuring the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.” The show was on the brink of cancellation even before it started, yet was eventually given enough room to blossom into the institution known as Saturday Night Live.
The 2025 Auburn Tigers gave off a decidedly “not ready for prime time” vibe Saturday afternoon as well – showing plenty of promise but not enough juice to overcome the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station.
The final score – Texas A&M winning 16-10 – was not wholly indicative of how close this Auburn team is to being considered in the upper echelon of the insanely difficult Southeastern Conference. These things can sometimes be measured in tantalizing inches or moments that could truly go either way.
But precisely because the SEC is the insanely difficult conference that it is, the distance between the haves and have-nots are beginning to show themselves like they did on a steamy Saturday in front of 100,000+ at Kyle Field.
Auburn had plenty of chances to shock the conference and earn a huge road win Saturday, somehow scrapping to the final minute of action despite being outgained more than 2-to-1 in offensive yardage. The same finger can be pointed at the Aggies, of course, who racked up 414 yards yet managed only a 1st-quarter touchdown run by Le’Veon Moss and 3 Randy Bond field goals.
The Aggies imposed their will on Auburn’s defense early and often, piling up 246 yards of offense in the first half – 146 of which came on the ground. That Texas A&M managed only 13 points in a grinding first half was a statement of Auburn’s defense to keep the Aggies out of the end zone twice to force field goals.
But Auburn’s offense, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold, couldn’t get too much going at all in the same time span. The Tigers mustered just 30 rushing yards in the first 30 minutes and only a 32-yard Alex McPherson field goal.
It was much more of the same in the second 30 minutes of action – with Auburn sputtering 3 times to a punt and twice more on downs with only Arnold’s 2-yard touchdown run with 10:20 remaining being something to genuinely cheer about from the Auburn perspective.
Still, that Auburn was in it with a chance to win it up to the moment Arnold was sacked on a 4th-and-1 with 59 seconds to go at the Tigers 25 is a definite building block.
Not that coach Hugh Freeze was having any of it.
“Very disappointing and difficult,” Freeze said to reporters after the game. “Our kids are playing too hard. Offensively, that was unacceptable. Our defense played their tails off, well enough to win the game.
“We have 2 weeks to prepare for Georgia and we’ll take that time to re-evaluate everything related to our offense and how we prepare — personnel and everything. This isn’t on Jackson (Arnold) or any other player. It’s on our staff, and that starts with me, to fix it. It was just unacceptable today.”
While it would be easy to agree with Freeze and proclaim Auburn having taken a step backwards against Texas A&M, a more reasoned perspective is that seeing Auburn playing a top-10 SEC team on the road down to the nub is proof that Freeze has the Tigers pointed in the right direction.
They want no moral victories do the Tigers, nor should they. But anyone who watched all 60 minutes at Kyle Field on Saturday could plainly see that this isn’t the same Auburn program that has stumbled its way to 4-straight losing seasons coming into 2025.
They always say you are what your record says, and Auburn’s record clearly says it is 3-2 with precious little relief in sight. No. 5 Georgia visits the Plains in 2 weeks, with No. 20 Missouri right behind it. And don’t even think about the likes of a resurgent Vanderbilt or the annual Iron Bowl tussle against Alabama at the end of the regular season.
For now, Auburn fans, simply widen out the lens a bit. This Tigers team may have lost on Saturday, but it didn’t get crushed. This Tigers team might have issues on third down – converting just 3 for 27 in the past 2 games (both narrow losses on the road to top-12 SEC teams). This Tigers team may not be in contention for the SEC title or a College Football Playoff berth this season.
This Tigers team may not quite be ready for prime time yet. But it is still playing a brand of football worthy of attention.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
