Rapid Reaction: Auburn can’t overcome poor offensive showing, falls to Houston in Birmingham Bowl

Auburn’s first-half in the Birmingham Bowl didn’t go according to plan.

The Houston Cougars jumped out to a 10-0 lead and held a 10-3 advantage at halftime, leading to some frustration from Auburn fans on social media.

The third quarter didn’t start much better from an offensive standpoint, but the Tigers’ defense kept the Cougars off the scoreboard. By the end of the third, the Tigers had scored on a pass from QB TJ Finley to WR Kobe Hudson to take a 13-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

Here was the pass from Finley to Hudson, with some nifty footwork in the end zone by the Auburn WR:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475911449222414337

Fellow WR Ja’Varrius Johnson deserves some credit for that TD drive, too, as he made this incredible catch to keep the chains moving:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475910102523596801

Nehemiah Pritchett made a big play on the ensuing drive, snagging an interception off Houston QB Clayton Tune:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475912507592040450

But, on the play, star Auburn DB Smoke Monday was ejected for targeting. It was the second time he’d been flagged for targeting, with the first call reversed:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475913408776073217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1475913408776073217%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsaturdaydownsouth.go-vip.net%2Fauburn-football%2Fsmoke-monday-ejected-from-birmingham-bowl-following-targeting-call-during-interception%2F

Later in the fourth quarter, it was Chandler Wooten’s turn to make a big play, sniffing out some Houston trickery to snag this impressive interception:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475920189514338306

The Tigers’ offense failed to score after that, though, giving Houston the ball back. Then, the Cougars scored in controversial fashion.

On back-to-back plays, including the touchdown, there were penalties that could have been called, but weren’t. The first was a Clayton Tune intentional grounding. Then, on this touchdown pass, there was a clear holding the officiating crew missed:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475924415447650305

Earlier on the same drive, another Auburn defender, Jaylin Simpson, was ejected for targeting:

https://twitter.com/FTB_Vids_YT/status/1475923572094750723

Auburn failed to convert a fourth down on its next offensive drive, giving the ball back to Houston with under 3 minutes left. The Cougars closed out the 17-13 victory after converting a first down. The Cougars finish with a 12-2 overall record. Auburn ends the year with a 6-7 overall mark.

The SEC is now 0-3 in bowl games this year. Mississippi State will have a chance to pick up win No. 1 for the league later on Tuesday night against Texas Tech.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.