Auburn vs Mizzou Report Card: Another Rough Week for the Offense

See which positions across the Auburn Tigers were graded highly and which could use some work

The Auburn offense didn't do much to improve its grades this week. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers first test after their bye week was a road matchup against the No. 19 Missouri Tigers and they were unable to pass.

Despite leading 17-6 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Auburn was not able to hold on and falls to 0-4 in SEC play ad 2-5 on the season.

With the game in the review mirror, it’s time to grade each position of the team. These areas on offense and defense are given a letter grade just like in school. No plusses or minuses though.

Offense

Quarterback: D

Payton Thorne had one of his better performances of the season. He went 17-of-29 on passing attempts, completed 59% of his passes and had a touchdown pass. He had his second game without an interception.

However, Thorne he failed to find the end zone when reaching Mizzou’s 10-yard line. He was also responsible for Auburn’s lone turnover of the game. Even if Mizzou failed to score, it’s a missed opportunity to score.

Running back: C

Jarquez Hunter finished with 57 yards off 19 carries, Jeremiah Cobb had 16 yards off two touches and Damari Alston had four yards off two carries. The group did not take advantage of the opportunities it had to make a bigger impact in the game.

Wide receiver/tight end: B

Cam Coleman led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns with 47 and one respectively, but that was his only reception. 

Robert Lewis and Malcolm Simmons each had four catches, finishing with 39 and 29 receiving yards respectively. The road Tigers had two dropped passes, one belonged to Lewis and the other to Sam Jackson.

Nothing special, but they played a solid game at their positions.

Offensive line: C

While Auburn’s offensive line only had one penalty, holding on Jeremiah Wright in the second quarter, it allowed Missouri to record three sacks and eight tackles for loss. Additionally, Auburn’s running backs did not have many open lanes to run through. This unit has had worse performances but was nothing special against Missouri.

Defense

Defensive line/linebacker: A

Auburn’s front seven stepped it up a notch against Missouri. The group had five sacks, an additional tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. Auburn also held Missouri to 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.

Secondary: C

Auburn did not allow Missouri to put any points on the board through the air. However, it did allow 272 passing yards and two penalties, both on Kensley Louidor-Faustin, for a total of 25 yards. The group did have four pass deflections and contained Missouri’s deep wide receiver room.

Special Teams: B

Towns McGough made a 32-yard field goal attempt but missed one from 30 yards as well in a crucial moment. Antonio Kite did recover a muffed punt for a touchdown, giving Auburn’s special teams units a significant boost.

Apart from the missed field goal, the special teams did its job.