Auburn pulled out a 31-19 victory over South Alabama in the first-time meeting between the two schools to improve to 3-0 on the season. Still, not everything was rosy for the Tigers as familiar issues that reared their head in the season-opening win against Baylor were back again.
But first, let's look at the positives. With Damari Alston and Durell Robinson out, Auburn's rushing attack was still able to get it done as Jeremiah Cobb and Jackson Arnold (with a sprinkling of Omar Mabson) helped the Tigers cram the ball down the Jaguars' throats for 195 yards.
That helped the Tigers win the game, especially considering Arnold was not great in the passing game. The quarterback finished 13-of-24 for 142 yards, but was continually flushed out of the pocket as Auburn's offensive line continues to struggle with pass protection.
Before heading into the locker room at halftime with a 28-9 lead, Freeze wasn't happy with the effort he had seen from his defense. That continued on the first drive of the second half, as Jaguars QB Bishop Davenport led his team down the field for a touchdown, going 75 yards on 11 plays. More importantly, when it seemed the Tigers might have South Alabama stopped, Davenport was able to find open receivers, including on 3rd-and-goal from the Tigers' 12-yard line for the score.
Down 16 in the fourth quarter, South Alabama drove to Auburn's 18-yard line, but true freshman Jared Smith stripped Davenport with Xavier Atkins recovering to give the Tigers the ball.
Auburn had the ball on just three possessions in the second half, as the Jaguars used drives of 15 plays, 15 plays and 11 plays to eat up the clock and keep Arnold and the Tigers off the field.
It was an effort from a team that thought South Alabama would come in and lay down, and one that may have been looking ahead to next week's matchup in Norman against Oklahoma. Either way, with a chance to make an impression against an overmatched team, the Tigers did just enough to win.
That won't be enough going forward.