The Auburn Tigers looked like a renewed team for less than a full half against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday before resorting back to the same old lose-in-the-fourth-quarter choke artists they've been for the entirety of Hugh Freeze's coaching tenure on the Plains.
For a few drives, as the Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole explained, AU was alive offensively. Different than the Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma Sooners over the last several weeks. But then they weren't, and they were on the wrong side of a 20-10 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A Jackson Arnold sneak into the end zone that resulted in a fumble, after review, stalled momentum. Once again, though, regardless of the circumstances, Auburn has blown a lead and lost in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
At least this time, it wasn't on the final drive. Saying that again out loud proves the momentum is swinging in the wrong direction.
Cole labeled the state of Auburn as "caught in a perpetual swirl of heart-breaking defeats" in a game recap of a showing Tiger fans will want to forget.
"Early on, Auburn’s offense didn’t look like the stagnant mess it’d been against Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Instead, it came out and dominated, grinding its way to a 10-0 lead," Cole wrote.
"Right before halftime, Auburn was one yard from another score, which would’ve mustered a commanding three-possession lead. The Tigers ran a goal-line sneak with quarterback Jackson Arnold, and what appeared to be a touchdown was ruled a fumble in favor of the Bulldogs.
"That was upheld after a lengthy review, and Georgia carried momentum the rest of the way. It outscored the Tigers 17-0 in the second half after cutting the Tigers' lead to a touchdown just before intermission.
"It’s a been a familiar tune for three consecutive games now. Auburn lost another game against a ranked opponent, in one-score fashion, seemingly caught in a perpetual swirl of heart-breaking defeats under Hugh Freeze."
With the Missouri Tigers coming to town, it's do-or-die for Freeze at AU. These results aren't acceptable anymore. Especially the single-digit points per game total in SEC play.
No more daydreaming about future recruits reviving this program. They won't come if this dysfunction continues. Nor should they.
Freeze needs to start getting it right or show himself the door. It's past time for him to have given up money in his contract for the greater good of NIL. Put up or shut up right now, before the Tigers slip below .500 yet again.