Report Card: Grades for Auburn’s stunning loss to New Mexico State
Auburn entered their game against New Mexico State with plenty of momentum but after a stunning upset, the Tigers will have to do some soul-searching.
Auburn never led as the Aggies, who entered as 25.5-point underdogs, controlled the game from start to finish to hand Hugh Freeze and the Tigers one of the worst losses the program in program history
The Aggies shut down Auburn’s offense which has looked to turn a corner after abandoning the two-quarterback system earlier in the season and dominated a Tigers’ defense that has been great for most of the season.
Here are grades for every Auburn positional group as well, as the coaching staff.
Quarterback: D
Payton Thorne completed 79% of his passes but with New Mexico State loading the box to stop the run he and the receivers were unable to do enough to make them respect the passing attack. He has some good scrambles but it was far from enough.
Running Back: F
Jarquez Hunter had rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games before Saturday’s game but managed just 27 yards on eight carries. The run game was completely taken away by the Aggies and the offense was unable to counter.
Tight End: B
Rivaldo Fairweather was the only bright spot on offense, catching three passes for 44 yards and had another impressive touchdown grab. He is clearly Auburn’s best weapon in the passing game and getting him the ball needs to be the priority.
Wide Receiver: F
It has been a disappointing season for the receivers and the trend continued. The coaching staff has preached closing the talent gap with the rest of the conference but the group is more talented than a Conference USA secondary and managed just seven catches for 91 yards and there has been minimal improvement during the season.
Offensive Line: F
Auburn’s offense line was dominated by the Aggies and never gave the offense a chance. The group committed five penalties for 30 yards, something that can’t happen when the offense can barely move the ball.
Defensive Line: F
Auburn was unable to generate enough pressure, part of that was because New Mexico State did a great job moving the pocket and getting the ball out quickly but they should be able to create at least one sack. The Aggies were able to run the ball at will in the second half, allowing them to burn more clock and prevent a comeback bid.
Linebacker: D
Auburn’s linebackers made a couple of plays but it wasn’t nearly enough to make up for the rest of the defense.
Secondary: D
Auburn’s secondary was gashed by Diego Paavia, who used his legs to extend plays and allow his wide receivers to get open. He finished the day with 201 yards and three touchdowns and was the best player on the field. The group was also flagged for pass interference three times, one was declined but the mistakes only helped the Aggies on a day when they didn’t need any.
Special teams: C+
As a whole, it was another good game on special teams but one of the plays of the game was New Mexico State’s fake punt that kept their drive alive and ultimately ended in them going up 24-7 and putting the game away.
Coaching: F
Auburn came out flat and did not look like a team that was taking New Mexico State seriously and that is on the players and ultimately the coaches. The defense was unable to make the mid-game adjustments that have been so crucial and the offense looked out of sorts all game. This was a major step back for the coaching staff after several strong games.
