Auburn falls 23-17 to No. 16 Missouri in double OT – Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 16 Missouri led off double additional time with a landing run, then stopped Auburn on fourth right down to win 23-17 Saturday at sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

“Another game where we find ways not to win,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze stated. “We’re discovering methods to not make sufficient performs collectively in all sides – teaching, offense, protection, particular groups. 

“We have the greatest fans, our administration. This place is special, and these kids are special. I’m so ready for them to enjoy success. They’ve had an incredibly difficult stretch of games against really good football teams, but they’ve proven every time that they’re a really good team. Any of them could’ve gone our way and none of them have. I can’t even explain how frustrating it is. They fought their guts out tonight again.”

Missouri (6-1, 2-1) transformed on third-and-10 to steer off the second additional time interval, then took the lead on Beau Pribula’s 3-yard landing run. An incompletion on the 2-point strive stored Auburn inside six factors, however the dwelling Tigers misplaced yardage on two of their 4 performs, ending the sport on an incompletion.

“Our plan in overtime wasn’t great offensively,” Freeze stated. “We tried to get the ball in Eric’s hands and they had a jet call on with their D-end at just the right time. That put us behind the chains.”

Auburn went first in additional time and misplaced seven yards on its possession, lacking a 50-yard discipline objective try. Missouri missed an opportunity to win the sport when its 38-yard discipline objective try was extensive proper. 

Trailing 10-7 on the half, Auburn’s Xavier Atkins continued his elite productiveness by recording his fourth sack of the season on the opening possession of the third quarter. Atkins and Robert Woodyard Jr. led Auburn with 11 tackles every. 

Jeremiah Cobb’s 41-yard run gave Auburn a primary down at Missouri’s 26-yard line however the Tigers missed an opportunity to tie when a 38-yard discipline objective try bounced off the fitting upright. 

After Auburn’s protection pressured one other punt shy of midfield, the Tigers put collectively maybe their finest drive of the season, marching 86 yards in 12 performs, changing on third-and-5 on Jackson Arnold’s 7-yard move to Cam Coleman. 

“Most of the game we were running the football effectively with Cobb and throwing the RPOs off of those pretty well,” Freeze stated. “That’s what worked the best on those drives.”

Cobb picked up 12 yards to offer Auburn first-and-goal at Missouri’s 5-yard line. After two quarterback runs netted 4 yards, hometown freshman Omar Mabson II scored his first profession landing on his first carry of the sport, giving Auburn a 14-10 lead with 35 seconds left within the third quarter.

“He’s practiced well this week. He’s going to be a really good player,” Freeze stated. “It was good to see him get that action and get in the end zone.”

After Auburn’s protection allowed zero yards on three performs and compelled a 3rd second-half punt, Cobb crossed the 100-yard mark for the third time in his profession with a 23-yard run.

On the following play, Arnold and Coleman teamed up for a 37-yard completion, organising Alex McPherson’s 22-yard discipline objective, giving Auburn a 17-10 lead with 10:31 to play within the recreation. 

Capitalizing on two 15-yard Auburn penalties, Missouri tied the rating at 17-17 on Ahmad Hardy’s 3-yard landing run on the 5:07 mark of the fourth quarter. 

On third-and-10, Auburn gained 34 yards when Arnold scrambled and located Perry Thompson for a 34-yard acquire into Missouri territory, however Auburn was pressured to punt, regardless of ample contact from a Missouri defensive again on Coleman on a deep incompletion, giving the ball again to Missouri with 3 minutes to go.

Auburn’s Crawfords – Keyron and Jay – made clutch performs to protect the tie after Missouri superior to Auburn’s 30-yard line. Keyron Crawford’s sack moved Missouri to the brink of discipline objective place, then on third-and-23, Jay Crawford intercepted Beau Pribula’s move on the 17-yard line to power additional time.

For the second straight week, Auburn acquired the opening kickoff and scored a landing on its first drive. 

The Tigers marched 75 yards in 12 performs, eschewing a punt on fourth-and-2 from midfield and choosing up a primary down on a defensive move interference penalty. 

Arnold rushed for 12 yards on third-and-5, then scored his seventh dashing landing of the season on third-and-goal from the 1 to offer Auburn a 7-0 lead. 

Auburn missed an opportunity to double its lead on the primary play of its second possession when Arnold’s on-target deep ball was dropped. On the following play, Arnold’s streak of 324 consecutive passes with out an interception ended when Missouri’s Toriano Pride Jr. picked off his move and returned it 2 yards to the Tigers’ 29. 

Auburn held Missouri to a 24-yard discipline objective however the visiting Tigers pressured a three-and-out, then drove 65 yards and took a 10-7 lead on Hardy’s 2-yard landing run with 10:21 remaining within the first half. 

After one other Auburn three-and-out, Missouri reached the purple zone earlier than Kayin Lee’s third-down interception at Auburn’s 7-yard line.

Arnold then linked with Coleman for 46 yards to Missouri’s 14-yard line, however after back-to-back sacks, the Tigers missed a 40-yard discipline objective, costing Auburn an opportunity to tie the rating earlier than the half.

Auburn (3-4, 0-4) travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas, subsequent Saturday to play the Razorbacks at 11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer