Auburn Finding New, Creative Ways to Lose, Falls to Mizzou 21-17

A series of self-inflicted wounds leads to another loss for the Auburn Tigers, keeping them winless in the SEC.

Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter had 19 carries for 57 yards in Auburn's 21-17 loss to the Missouri Tigers / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers put two touchdowns on the board in the first five minutes of the second half to temporarily shift the momentum to their side, but it was not enough for them to upset the No. 19 Missouri Tigers on the road.

Missouri picked up a 21-17 win after driving the length of the field for the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute to play.

The teams went into their locker room at halftime even at three, but Payton Thorne connected with Cam Coleman for a 47-yard touchdown on Auburn’s first drive of the second half.

This was a pretty pitch and catch from Payton Thorne to Cam Coleman. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/6BbpWzH09X

— Auburn Tigers on SI (@AuburnOnSI) October 19, 2024

After a quick three-and-out for Auburn on its next possession, a muffed punt by Missouri’s Luther Burden III was recovered in the endzone for a touchdown by Antonio Kite.

Auburn special teams getting in on the act. pic.twitter.com/QkbBMe3Bkk

— Auburn Tigers on SI (@AuburnOnSI) October 19, 2024

Those were the last points Auburn would score.

The final nail in Auburn’s coffin started with a converted fourth-and-five by Missouri with 1:29 left in the game. That drive, which started on Missouri’s own five-yard line, ended with Jamal Roberts finding the endzone on a four-yard carry.

Missouri’s starting quarterback Brady Cook went down with an injury early in the game, resulting in veteran backup Drew Pyne coming into the game. Auburn’s secondary took advantage of this, holding Missouri to six points through the end of the third quarter. 

Cook did return near the end of the third quarter, connecting with Mookie Cooper for a 78-yard gain that set Missouri up with a first-and-goal from the one-yard line to begin the fourth quarter. Missouri scored a touchdown on the next play followed by a successful two-point conversion attempt to make it a three-point game.

Thorne had one of his most complete performances of the season but made some costly errors. He had a fumble late in the second half and took a bad sack that resulted in Auburn having a third-and-goal situation from the Missouri 22-yard line. Towns McGough missed the 30-yard field goal attempt that followed.

Another questionable decision by Thorne was to keep it on third-and-three for no gain on the drive that followed Missouri’s early fourth quarter touchdown to cap off a three-and-out. 

Auburn entered the game 105-1 with a 14-point lead in the second half. They're now 105-2 in those games as head coach Hugh Freeze's unit keeps finding new and more creative ways to lose games they should have won.

Auburn finishes its three-game road stretch against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. next week. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT and the television broadcast can be found on SEC Network.