Auburn football report card: Defense shines, offense fails in comeback win over Cal

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was downright “sloppy,” as Hugh Freeze said postgame. But somehow, Auburn managed a 14-10 win at California on Saturday night in Berkeley, giving the Tigers’ program its first ever win in the Golden State and first ever road win against a current member of the Pac 12 Conference.

Auburn was the first team to win a game with 4+ turnovers, 12 or fewer 1st downs and 230 or fewer yards of offense since Troy did it in 21-9 win over Mississippi State on October 30, 2001.

It’s report card time.

Offense: D+

If not for the fourth quarter, this grade was going to be a “F.” Auburn turned the ball over four times (three fumbles and an interception), managed only 230 total yards, committed seven penalties, ran just 55 plays, and was ineffective most of the night, and that’s putting it kindly. Here’s a stat for you: From 2018-22, NCAA teams who turned the ball over four times and failed to record 15 first downs in a game went 1-65. Then whatever Auburn did against Cal happened. For most of the night, there was no rhythm, no push along the offensive line, no signs of an effective passing game. Until Auburn’s final touchdown drive that netted 10 plays for 69 yards, the longest drives before that were five plays and 26 yards.

Auburn completed 13 drives and netted on average 16 yards per drive for the game. The Tigers ran just 22 percent of their plays in Cal territory. Auburn went three-and-out four times, and two more drives ended in turnovers in less than two plays. That’s six drives that lasted three plays or less.

Credit Payton Thorne for hanging tough. He completed four of five passes in the second half for 56 yards and a touchdown. Jarquez Hunter found room in the second half, rushing for 41 yards. Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 20 yards and would have had more if not for a holding call on Izavion Miller. And then there’s Damari Alston, who managed only eight carries, but tallied 51 yards and some nice bursts, finishing with over six yards per carry.

Robby Ashford‘s impact on the game was non-existent. He finished with zero passing yards and eight rushing yards on four carries. He had no impact in the red zone the way he did against UMass in week one.

The best part: Rivaldo Fairweather, who finished with three catches for 39 yards, including a 3rd-and-17 reception and the go-ahead touchdown grab on a fade route. Fairweather showed what he’s capable of on that final touchdown drive, and it’s really big things.

The worst part: Can I say everything else? Let’s say the 55 total plays and only 25 minutes time of possession. Auburn will have a tough, tough time winning any SEC game by running only 55 plays and holding onto the ball for just 25 minutes. The running game has a lot of work to do. After the offensive line earned some congratulations during fall camp and after the first game, they didn’t show much in game two.

Player of the game: Despite his first-half struggles, Thorne is the pick here (there weren’t many options, to be honest). After a third quarter that didn’t see Thorne attempt a pass, he came back in the fourth quarter and completed four straight passes, including throwing the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes. Thorne accounted for Auburn’s only touchdowns on the night.

Defense: A

It’s hard to perform much better than the Auburn defense did against Cal. The Tigers held a team that rushed for nearly 400 yards against North Texas to just 113 on Saturday night, including 2.8 yards per carry. Jaydn Ott was held to 78 yards rushing, including only 15 yards in the second half. Ott carried the ball 20 times and 12 of those times he rushed for three yards or less. Auburn held Cal to 1-of-4 on red zone opportunities, thanks in part to the home team missing three field goals. Cal faced 18 third downs and only converted four. The Auburn defense faced 13 drives and 78 total plays, allowing only 10 points.

From the beginning of the third quarter until 11:08 in the fourth quarter, the Auburn defense faced 33 plays from Cal’s offense, gave up 119 yards and surrendered zero points after forcing a turnover on downs and two missed field goals. Those three drives constitute nearly half of Cal’s offensive production on the day. Cal ran 54 percent of their plays on Saturday night inside Auburn territory and only came away with 10 points.

The best part: The whole unit. Auburn showing some real backbone when it came to stopping the run. They clearly took the words of Ott during the week personally. Ott said Auburn isn’t the brand it used to be, then used words like “when we win.” The Tigers stood tall, tackled well, played physical, and set the tone from the beginning of the game. They showed a lot of grit. The last defensive performance against a P5 team on the road that would compare would be in Gus Malzahn’s last game, when Auburn held Mississippi State to 10 points and 240 total yards, forcing two turnovers in the process.

The worst part: Finding something wrong with Auburn’s defensive effort and performance was tough. Maybe you point to Cal’s 3-for-6 on fourth downs, but that’s about it. The Tigers didn’t miss many tackles, constantly made plays, forced turnovers, and did everything humanly possible to keep Auburn in the game.

Player of the game: Eugene Asante. “Mr. Let’s Work” finished with 12 tackles, nine solo, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. Asante was everywhere, with nine of his 12 tackles coming in the second half. Half of Asante’s tackles came on third or fourth down. The former North Carolina transfer was all over the field. From making plays in the backfield, to chasing down running backs in the flats, Asante showed himself to be Auburn’s best linebacker after two games. It’s not even close.

Special teams: B

It was a fairly uneventful evening for the Tigers’ special teams. Keionte Scott had a 12-yard return, but that was it for him. Brian Battie didn’t enjoy the same success as week one, finishing with an average of 19 yards per return on three returns. Oscar Chapman punted five times for an average of 41 yards per punt. Alex McPherson didn’t attempt a field goal, and Cal returned only one kick for 16 yards.

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