Auburn fans felt a sense of confidence following the Tigers‘ season-opening win over Alabama A&M. Auburn’s passing game showed signs of improvement and the defense displayed “brick wall” tendencies in the victory, making it appear as if the program’s struggles since 2020 were slowly dissipating away.
However, the sense of dread returned to Auburn fans on Saturday following the Tigers’ 21-14 loss to California at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Auburn’s offense committed five turnovers while the Tigers’ secondary allowed 233 passing yards. Auburn fans felt that their favorite team had progressed further than what Saturday’s performance showed. They are not alone as head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] shares the same sentiments.
“Disappointed. I hoped we were further along. I knew this would be a good test for us no matter what people said,” Freeze said postgame. “They are a very senior-laden football team, played extremely hard and are well-coached. Their quarterback played lights out in the first half. The positive I guess if we could take anything from it is that our defense, I thought, really, really improved as the game went on. In the second half, they gave us chances. Their special teams played really well in the third quarter and kept us pinned. But you cannot turn the ball over five times and expect to beat really anybody. We never got in any kind of sync offensively and that’s very disappointing and frustrating to me, and I’ve got to figure that out for us.”
There were several positive takeaways from the game and glaring negatives. Here are the winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to California on Saturday.
Winner: Keldric Faulk
Despite the loss, Auburn sophomore Keldric Faulk experienced his best game in an Auburn uniform on Saturday. Faulk led the Tigers in tackles with eight tackles with two registered as losses and a sack. It was his best performance since last season’s game vs. Ole Miss, when he made six stops.
It was Faulk’s first game with multiple sacks, and he became the first Tiger to record a sack on two consecutive plays since Reggie Torbor did so in 2003.
Loser: Auburn’s third-down offense
Several aspects of Auburn’s offense did not pass the eye test on Saturday, including its ability to convert on third down. Auburn did not make the most of its limited time of possession (24:44) as they only converted on five of their 10 3rd down opportunities. A few more conversions could have led to more scores.
Winner: Auburn’s ability to live in the backfield
Another advantage that Auburn had was tackles for loss. Auburn held the advantage over Cal, 8-5. Faulk led the defense with three, Jalen McLeod was next with 2.5, Austin Keys and Champ Anthony registered one each, and freshman Malik Blocton was credited with 0.5.
Loser: The Freeze Four
Auburn’s four freshmen receivers: Cam Coleman, Perry Thompson, Bryce Cain, and Malcolm Simmons, were brought in to revamp Auburn’s passing game. On Saturday, only two members of the infamous group recorded a catch. Coleman led the bunch with two catches for 53 yards while Malcolm Simmons logged a catch for 13 yards. Thompson and Cain were not targeted in the game.
If those stats seem surprising, this one will raise an eyebrow. Coleman was targeted six times but managed to only catch two. Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne will need to rely on these talented freshmen more this season and connect on each pass thrown their direction, in order to truly find success this season.
Winner: Run defense
Auburn outgained California on the ground, 121-99, and the run defense deserves the credit. Cal’s leading rusher, Jaivian Thomas, rushed for 53 yards on eight carries. Auburn also limited Cal’s premier back, Jaydn Ott, to 11 yards on 10 carries.
Loser: The pass defense
We have bragged about the defense plenty in this feature, but their performance was far from perfect. California quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 25 passes to nine different receivers on Saturday, gaining 233 yards. Cal’s top receivers, Jonathan Brady and Nyziah Hunter, caught all four passes thrown their way. Auburn’s defensive backs were hit the hardest by offseason departures last season and its current members will need to grow up fast in order to limit big passing performances going forward.
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Winners and losers from Auburn’s loss to California
