(Photo via Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
Every Tuesday right here you can read The Auburn Corner, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Auburn Tigers, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between. In this week’s edition, Auburn got its first SEC win of the Hugh Freeze era against Mississippi State and faces a favorable schedule the rest of the year as it searches for bowl eligibility:
For the first time all season against a real opponent, the Auburn Tigers looked like a competent offense and Payton Thorne looked comfortable as a passer. It was by far Thorne’s best game as an Auburn Tiger throwing for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns in just the first half.
While the Tigers’ offense died a bit in the second half, they were still able to secure a 27-13 victory and for the first time ever in the Hugh Freeze era, a win against an SEC opponent.
Auburn’s middle of the season schedule was incredibly difficult, facing a four game gauntlet once conference play began which it simply was not prepared for.
With that gauntlet, however, comes an incredibly light back end of the schedule. The Tigers hit the road the next two weeks, this week in Nashville to take on Vanderbilt and next week in Fayetteville to take on a struggling Arkansas team who flat-out is not scoring points right now.
Auburn should handle Vandy, and while Arkansas presents more of a test, it’s a game the Tigers can win as well. After these two it’s New Mexico State at home followed by the Iron Bowl at home.
Sitting at 4-4, the path to 6 wins and bowl eligibility for Hugh Freeze is beyond clear. 2-2 should be the absolute bare minimum over these final two, with the potential to be 3-0 headed into the Iron Bowl if Auburn plays how it did against Mississippi State.
Despite the fact that it has been a rough season for the most part, Freeze, Thorne, and the Auburn Tigers have a chance to end things on a very strong note over the next month or so.
