Auburn Tigers Stock Report Following Loss to UGA

See what is trending upward and downward following the Auburn Tigers loss to rival Georgia

Another weak showing for Auburn did have its moments / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers blew an early lead against rival Georgia to take another tough loss. With each game, we have an idea of who is trending upward, even in a loss, and who is trending downward.

With that, here is this edition of the weekly stock report. Individuals aren't necessarily highlighted, with one exception, but general aspects of the team are looked at under a microscope.

Trending Down – Finishing Games in the Hugh Freeze Era

Over and over in Freeze’s three seasons, Auburn has been in control of the game and walked away with a loss. The Tigers had a chance to beat Georgia in the previous matchup in Jordan-Hare as well and let that slip away, along with opportunities last year to get wins over ranked teams like Oklahoma and Missouri last year.

In the first two losses this year at Oklahoma and Texas A&M, the offense had the ball late in the game with a chance to win with a touchdown. The Tigers didn’t get it done in either of those. They didn’t get it done versus Georgia after having their way for the first 28-and-a-half minutes versus the Bulldogs.

After losing so many winnable games in a short period of time under Freeze, it’s a statistical anomaly that Freeze can’t seem to win any of them, and the confidence that he can get it done is certainly dwindling.

Trending Up – Bye Week Corrections

The Auburn offense came out with some plays it hadn’t run all year, wildly different play-calling, stayed ahead of the chains and had great success against a program known for dominating defense in the 10 years under Kirby Smart.

As opposed to several third-and-longs, second-and-longs, and even first-and-longs in the last two games, the Tigers' offense kept out of those situations. In the first half, Auburn’s third-down attempts were from  2, 8, 1, 1, 2, 6, 6, 6, 1, 14 yards, and they converted on eight of those.

In the second half, the offense went back to some plays that had worked previously, and they were no longer open. They weren’t able to get the edge on sweeps, tight ends were covered, and Auburn has to tip its cap to the corrections made by Georgia throughout the game.

Trending Down – Auburn’s Record Versus Georgia

Pat Dye’s 1983 squad, ranked #3, marched into Athens and upset the #4-ranked Georgia and handed Vince Dooley’s senior class their only SEC loss of their careers. Starting with that win in 1983 under Dye, followed by Terry Bowden, and Tommy Tuberville, the Tigers were 15-7-1 against Georgia as Auburn through 2005.

On Nov. 11, 2006, Auburn was #5 in the country, heavily favored, and playing at home versus unranked and 6-4 Georgia. Matthew Stafford and the Bulldogs romped the Tigers 37-15 that afternoon, and the Georgia program has owned Auburn ever since.

Georgia has won nine in a row, 12 of the last 13, and 17 of the last 20 in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. What was once a 53-49-8 in Auburn’s favor is now a 10-game lead for Georgia at 66-56-8.

Georgia was perhaps a sleeping giant under Ray Goff and Jim Donnan, but Mark Richt and Kirby Smart have owned Auburn since 2006.

Trending Down – Second Half Performance

Trying to identify something Auburn did well for 60 minutes or did poorly for 60 minutes is impossible to find in a game that was the biggest tale of two halves as you’ll ever see.

Late in the first half, Auburn held a huge advantage in anything and everything statistically – 43 to nine in plays, 240 to 19 in yards, 15 to two in first downs.

Following the goal-line fumble by Jackson Arnold, everything changed. Georgia finished the game with more plays (69 to 67), more yards (296 to 277), and more first downs (21 to 18).

From coaching, play calling and player execution, Georgia did everything better than Auburn and deserved the win more than Auburn regardless of officiating.

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