Sloppy But Successful: Auburn vs Kansas State Review

Sep 18, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Ricardo Louis (5) breaks away from Kansas State Wildcats defenders during a 20-14 win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night’s matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats proved to be a true test for the Auburn Tigers. Though there were opportunities to put the game away early, the Wildcats managed to cling on until the fourth quarter. There were plenty of opportunities for the Wildcats to put it away as well. A lack of special teams success for K-State really turned out to help Auburn in the end.

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Why was it so close? Was it bye week that made both teams look so sloppy? Or was the environment that hostile, making Auburn’s efforts even harder to accomplish?

During the game Gus Malzahn had a plan. But it seemed hard to establish tempo early in the game. Auburn had six penalties for 65 yards throughout the game. The game was not only sloppy in penalties, but in various other areas as well.

I have broken down the five key reasons that the game was close in the fourth quarter. Hopefully through this article I will effectively highlight some areas that truly changed the momentum of the game, as well as some areas that must be polished before SEC play continues.

If Auburn wants any shot at winning the SEC West (let alone the SEC), these next few weeks the Tigers have to improve. Auburn will have a bit of a break against Conference USA opponent Louisiana Tech, but will use this game to regain composure.