Since averaging 37 points a game through its first 3 outings, the offense has dried up on The Plains. Auburn has scored only 27 total points in its first 2 SEC games — both of them defeats.
After peaking at 7.4 yards per play in the 42-3 win over Ball State in Week 2, Auburn has been less efficient with the ball each week. Negative plays dragged the unit down in Norman. Against Texas A&M in College Station, Auburn, which averaged 3.1 yards per play, simply couldn’t get going.
The Tigers rank 89th nationally in offensive success rate, per Game on Paper. Coming off a bye week, coach Hugh Freeze is expecting things to look different.
“They better,” Freeze responded on Thursday night when asked if fans would see a different offense against Georgia on Saturday.
“I take great pride in that,” he continued. “You work your whole career for opportunities like coaching at Auburn. I’ve done it before and had great success with offensive numbers and things. It’s something that doesn’t sit well, for sure, with you. I anticipate that not happening again.”
Auburn gained just 177 yards of total offense against Texas A&M. It was the worst offensive day of Freeze’s tenure and only the second time in the last 8 years that an Auburn offense had been held under 200 yards in a game.
Quarterback Jackson Arnold has been sacked 14 times in the last 2 games. Simply shoring up his protection will go a long way toward moving the offense in a positive direction. Fortunately for the Tigers, Georgia’s pass rush (7 sacks in 5 games) has largely been ineffective this season.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
