When Auburn's defense reached its breaking point against Texas A&M Saturday, the Auburn offense didn't answer the call. Instead, it felt as if the offense was so far from the phone it didn't even hear it ringing.
After Auburn’s lackadaisical win over Cal in the hills of Berkeley, Calif. on Sept. 9, folks learned Eugene Asante’s name. Auburn fans saw his heart and his athletic ability. That same game, they also saw the ineptitude of the Tigers’ offense.and the Auburn offense’s struggles – paved the way for some fans jokingly asking if Asante could play on offense, too.Auburn fell to Texas A&M 27-10.
Asante went on to return the popped-up fumble for a 67-yard touchdown — Auburn’s only of the game — to bring the Tigers within 10 points of the Aggies with just more than 12 minutes to play, but not before he sprinted past Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, who inadvertently found himself in the middle of the play.The video of Fisher’s poor tackling form went viral on social media as “12th man” puns poured in.
The Tigers committed a pre-snap penalty in two of those opportunities, backing them up well behind the sticks. The average distance to go on third down was more than 17 yards during the third quarter.The Auburn offense neglected to convert a single third down and only tallied 10 total offensive snaps in the third quarter.
“They fought and fought,” Freeze said of the Auburn defense. “Obviously they gave up a few explosive plays in the third quarter, but we didn’t help them. I don’t know the timing -- it’s not broken down by quarter -- it couldn’t have been good. I think that took the gas out of our defense.” While his defense was running on fumes doing everything it could to give the Tigers a fighting chance, Auburn starting quarterback Payton Thorne stood on the sideline dejected and with his arms crossed after being benched. He was pouting.
One’s gotta wonder if after his touchdown — which brought Auburn within 10 points with more than 12 minutes to play — Asante had a sliver of belief in his offense to complement his touchdown with one of their own.
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