COLUMN: Pat yourself on the back, Auburn

Auburn fell to Alabama in one of the most heartbreaking ways imaginable. Auburn had this game won it felt like, then it slipped away.

Tough losses hurt. That does not even need to be said. That has been a recurring theme for Auburn this season.

Georgia and Ole Miss were other games that Auburn had a chance to win this season but could not quite close the deal. As big as those games are, it's not the Iron Bowl.

Auburn came into this game off a shocking loss to New Mexico State that shattered the momentum it had put together with three straight wins. Alabama came into this game as a winner of its last nine games and ranked No. 8 in the country.

You would never have been able to tell by the crowd, however. Jordan-Hare Stadium was packed. The student section gates opened two and a half hours before kickoff and it was spilling over less than 20 minutes later. The rest of the stadium was no different.

The noise was deafening. Everyone was into the game.

The team was surely able to feed off of the energy created by the Auburn faithful.

Alabama is better than Auburn in just about every way. The greatest coach in the game and a team loaded with NFL talent. It took that team scoring a miracle touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 31 to finish off an undermanned Auburn team.

This loss hurts if you're an Auburn fan, but the future is undeniably bright. The Tigers have seen a boost in nearly every area, most notably recruiting, since Hugh Freeze took over as the program's head coach.

Auburn still has a chance to finish this season with a winning record, something it has not done since 2020. Is that a good season in Auburn standards? Absolutely not. But progress is progress.

Auburn is in good shape moving forward.

Recruiting pages to bookmark

2024 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

2025 Auburn Tigers Commitment List and Evaluations

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