There were signs of life in the Auburn offense on Saturday — at least for 1 half — that we hadn’t seen since it ran up the score on a couple of cupcakes early in the season. Then, sitting on a 24-3 halftime advantage, all the air went out of the attack.

Still, the 27-13 victory over Mississippi State allowed the Tigers to stop a 4-game slide and even their mark at 4-4 (1-4 in SEC). They now need 2 more wins over the final 4 games (at Vanderbilt, at Arkansas, vs. New Mexico State, vs. Alabama) to become bowl eligible.

That would be the 1st step in rebuilding the Auburn program. Here are 6 fixes the Tigers need to make to more complete the process. None of them are “quick fixes,” but they are definite needs nevertheless.

1. Build depth/improve overall roster

It is said that good coaching starts with having the right “Jimmys and Joes.” That couldn’t be more evident than at Auburn. Hugh Freeze needs no introduction. His resume speaks for itself. Now he’s doing his best to bring the talent to The Plains.

Outside of maybe Colorado’s Deion Sanders, nobody hit the portal like Freeze. The Tigers needed a major makeover — they still do — and the portal is the quickest fix. That’s not to say that recruiting is taking a back seat. While keeping his eye on the transfer portal, Freeze has also hit the recruiting trail hard.

Topping the list so far is 5-star WR Perry Thompson, from Foley. That’s in addition to another 7 4-star verbal commits that include Little Rock, Ark., QB Walker White.

So Freeze is doing work in building back the Auburn roster.

2. Find a QB

The quarterback play has been less than stellar this season. True, it showed signs of life Saturday. But at the most important position on the football field, neither Robby Ashford nor Payton Thorne has excelled with any consistency to say the least. Now, as another saying goes, in victory the quarterback gets too much credit and in defeat he gets too much of the blame. The QB play at Auburn isn’t only reason the passing game has been a failure in 2023.

The offensive line play hasn’t been great — adequate, but not great. And the receiving corps has left a lot to be desired as well. That coupled with a sometimes-inaccurate Thorne has resulted in the worst passing game in the SEC, and it isn’t even close.

And that has been somewhat surprising given Thorne thew for 3,232 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2021 at Michigan State and another 2,679 and 19 TDs last season. Through 7 games this year, those numbers have plummeted to 845 passing yards and just 5 touchdowns, equaling his number of interceptions on 130 attempts.

So finding a signal-caller who can pump up those numbers is imperative for Freeze to build back the Tigers.

3. Have patience

At the risk of turning this piece into an old saying report, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Auburn isn’t exactly a place a coach comes with a long-term plan. The “what have you done for me lately” (there I go again) meme is understood at Auburn. Gene Chizik was fired 2 years after winning the program’s first national championship since 1957. Before him, Tommy Tuberville locked horns with Auburn administration despite 8 consecutive bowl appearances, the 2nd-longest streak in program history. Gus Malzahn was fired despite 8 consecutive bowl appearances and playing for a national championship. And Bryan Harsin was fired in his 2nd season to make room for Freeze.

It’s going to take time for Freeze to rebuild this program. Hopefully, Auburn will have the patience to see it through.

4. Find some playmakers

Nobody on the Auburn roster scares opposing defenses. The passing game is practically nonexistent. The run game is carrying it. But even there, Jarquez Hunter leads the Tigers in rushing with 309 yards. That ranks no better than 18th among SEC rushers. But it’s still better than Auburn’s leading pass receiver, Jay Fair, who has compiled 241  yards. That ranks 34th in the SEC.

No, that’s not going to get it done. And it’s a shame, too, because of the way the defense has played so far. Aside from the LSU game, it has played well enough to win.

So finding some playmakers to complement the defense appears to be the next step for Freeze in building the program.

5. Put together an OL

This will continue to be a work in progress, and improvement was evident on Saturday. Freeze hit the portal hard just to find enough bodies to fill all the spots this year. He plucked some talent, but that group is still looking to jell as a unit. Four-star interior lineman DeAndre Carter, from California, is a verbal commit for the Class of 2024 and that could be a start to building long-term.

But even then, it will take time to build continuity. Four of the 5 on this year’s team are transfers, and 3 are seniors. So next year looks to be another rebuild as well.

6. That schedule, though

No, this probably isn’t something that Auburn can fix. But the Tigers have annually played one of the more brutal schedules, and someone should be saying something to someone. It’s a schedule that includes, of course, the Iron Bowl, as well as the Oldest Rivalry in the South. But in addition to playing Alabama and Georgia every year, the Tigers face the SEC West gauntlet that includes games with LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

The 2024 schedule isn’t any easier. Georgia and Alabama remain, and LSU is replaced with Oklahoma. And Nick Saban has the nerve to complain that his schedule includes LSU and Georgia? C’mon man.