Winners and losers from Auburn’s win over California
A win is a win, no matter how sluggish.
The Auburn Tigers committed four turnovers on Saturday night and managed to gain just 230 yards of offense in their 14-10 win over California.
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne failed to pass for more than 100 yards and Jarquez Hunter rushed for just over 50 yards. Saturday was a defensive-heavy game as Eugene Asante, DJ James, Donovan Kaufman, and Jaylin Simpson all played a role in the win for the second straight week.
There were plenty of highlights and lo-lights in Auburn’s win over California. Here are the winners and losers of Auburn’s second victory.
Loser: ESPN
Normally, this feature would begin with a winner. However, this gripe needs to be addressed. The Tigers played sluggishly on Saturday night, and there are several reasons why. However, forcing an SEC team to play a game at 9:30 p.m. local time is less than ideal. Auburn fans across the country will yawn in agreement on Sunday morning.
Winner: Eugene Asante
Auburn welcomed several transfers over the offseason, with most occupying spots on the defensive side of the ball. However, the player that is making the most noise is Eugene Asante. Asante, a transfer himself, has been Auburn’s leading tackler for two straight games. In Saturday’s win over California, he recorded 12 stops.
Loser: Offensive efficency
Auburn struggled offensively in Saturday’s win. The Tigers managed to gain just 230 yards of offense (99 of those yards were in the first half), and 12 first downs. Quarterback Payton Thorne completed 9-of-14 passes for 94 yards and two scores in the game, and the offense as a whole committed four turnovers. Auburn managed to earn the win despite the poor play and will need to correct several aspects of the unit ahead of SEC play in two weeks.
Winner: Breaking the mold
“Just Auburn being Auburn” is the headliner of this next “winner.”
We have already covered the lack of first downs and the abundance of turnovers, but how often does an offensive performance of that magnitude result in a win? ESPN’s Bill Barnwell reports that teams were 1-65 when committing four turnovers and failing to record 15 first downs between 2018-22.
Here’s to breaking the mold.
Loser: Payton Thorne's arm
Thorne’s completion percentage rose this week, but he has yet to hold a completion percentage of 70% or higher in two games at Auburn. In an offense scheme that favors passers, Thorne must continue working to improve his completion percentage in order to truly help this offense thrive.
Winner: The white masks
Auburn has not had the best luck with its recent uniform tweaks.
Prior to Auburn’s game at California, the Tigers had worn white face masks just three times, losing all three. However, the curse was broken on Saturday as Auburn earned the 14-10 win over the Bears.
