I don't think any logical person thought Auburn had a realistic shot at winning last weekend's game. Especially after the performance at Oklahoma. I think the fan base would have been satisfied if they saw a hard fought close game, regardless of the of the outcome. A&M has a very good team this year, and Kyle Field is a notoriously difficult place for visiting teams. After the performance at Oklahoma, Auburn winning in College Station would have been quite a surprise. While the score did indicate a close game (Auburn covered), the offense somehow appeared to regress over the previous week.

First off, the defense is clearly the best part of Auburn's 2025 squad. Head and shoulders above the rest of the team. I don't think that statement will surprise anyone. The defense is the only reason Auburn had any chance in the past 2 games. Last weekend, I kept waiting for them to run out of steam, having seemingly been on the field for 80% of the game, but they just kept making plays. The only note I have for the defense is that I would love to see them working more deceptive (what the color commentators call "exotic") formations into the playbook. These pro formations are becoming more prevalent at the larger schools, and offenses need to be practicing against them.

What is going on with the offense!? Xavier Chaplin is a 2-year starter who's acting like he's never played in a loud stadium! If he's not false starting, someone else on the line is holding! Get past those two hurdles, and any pass protection collapsed within 1-2 seconds more often than not. Is A&M's front 4 that much better than Oklahoma's!? In Norman, Arnold often had 4-5 seconds to stand in the pocket, not finding an open receiver or any dump off receiver, before being sacked.

On that note, it's often hard to see on TV, but are the receivers just not getting open? I thought Auburn had 2 of the best in the SEC, and some of the catches they've made seem to back that up. There's clearly some disconnect between Arnold and the receivers. I don't know if he doesn't trust them or himself.

Beyond consistently running the ball up the middle on 3rd and stupid, I didn't really see any offensive strategy. Sometimes they seemed comfortable passing, and others it was as if they were scared to. Freeze has made a bunch of headlines in the off season with recruiting. Where are the results of that? Has Auburn hired another HC who really should've peaked at OC (this is how I feel about Gus)?

Auburn is 3-2, with 4 of the 7 remaining teams currently ranked. Fortunately, they get 3 of those teams at home. Additionally, they get a severely needed bye-week before the next game against Georgia. Short of half the UGA starters being injured leading up to that game, I don't see any chance of Auburn winning. That is, unless a completely different, more confident and better prepared/coached, offense takes the field on October 11. If Auburn can manage some form of offensive threat in that game, maybe there's hope for the rest of the season. I think at this point the best we can hope for against UGA and UAT are "good efforts," but maybe they can upset Vandy and/or Mizzou? Right now, is anyone confident Auburn can beat Kentucky or Arkansas?