Auburn fans don’t need a reminder of the Tigers’ record last season (for the record, it was 5-7), nor the fact that it seemed every game came down to the wire with the other team pulling it out in the end.
That’s been the nature of Auburn over the past five seasons, as they have all ended with losing records. But how much bad luck have the Tigers had in one-score games? Well, don’t look, Auburn fans, but the Tigers are right at the top.
In a story by CBS Sports, they looked at teams that did the best in one-score games (Arizona State, surprisingly, finished 5-1 in such games last season), while Auburn, well, it wasn’t as good. Out of the Tigers’ seven losses, six were within one score, leading the nation by two games in that category over Arkansas and Penn State, who each finished with five.
Auburn's offense let down its defense in one-score games last season
But, as Tom Fornelli points out, the reason for those losses wasn’t exactly turnovers, but as we all saw last year, it was offensive inefficiency.
“I don't think this was about luck as much as I think it was about a horrific offense. The reason Auburn was in so many close games last year was its phenomenal defense, which kept games close. At the same time, there was the wild 45-38 overtime loss to Vanderbilt, but the Tigers' defense didn't allow more than 27 points in any other SEC game. The offense just couldn't score any damn points of its own to win these games. That's why Alex Golesh is in charge now. So if the Tigers do rebound in 2026 and improve upon their 1-7 mark in the SEC, it'll likely be due to an improved offense, not the luck evening out.”
Yes, it seemed that every possibility given to Jackson Arnold and the Auburn offense by the defense was for naught as the Tigers struggled to put up points in SEC play, hitting a new low in a 10-3 loss to Kentucky in Jordan-Hare Stadium in November that ended the Hugh Freeze era on the Plains.
If Golesh can get things turned around in these one-score games, the Tigers will likely end up with their first winning season since Gus Malzahn was in charge.
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