Auburn Football Week 3 Recap: 31–15 Win Over South Alabama

Ground Game Gets the Win, Defense Takes a Step Back, and Second-Half Fallout.

Takeaways and Auburn Football Highlights
Auburn 31 – South Alabama 15
3-0
Auburn moves to 22nd in the AP Poll.

Auburn avoids a trap game against South Alabama, winning 31–15. They left Jordan-Hare with a two-score victory, but it felt uninspiring. The defense regressed from its dominant Ball State performance, the run game looked strong, and concrete takeaways are tricky, as Freeze rotated in 14 freshmen.

Keeping It on the Ground

Auburn continues to have one of the SEC's best rushing attacks, even with a depleted running back room. Jeremiah Cobb notched another 100+ yard game, Jackson Arnold ran for two touchdowns, and Omar Mabson logged five carries.

The Tigers struck a nice balance between passing and rushing – 195 total yards on the ground and 142 through the air, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Cam Coleman in the first quarter. On critical third and fourth-downs, Auburn finished 10-of-16.

The offensive line showed marked improvement. Auburn gave up five sacks against a weaker Ball State team. South Alabama was held to just one, earning praise from Jackson Arnold:

"I thought today, they played their butts off again," Arnold said. "Fantastic in the running game, fantastic in the passing game. They were heating us up a good amount, and they picked up blitzes phenomenally. Says we got sacked one time. They did a phenomenal job today. I'm proud of them."

Another positive takeaway is Alex McPherson hitting his longest field goal of the season at 34 yards. Prior to the game, Freeze mentioned McPherson would only have duties from 25 yards and in. It’s still unclear where McPherson’s range ends and Connor Gibbs’ begins — Gibbs is still expected to handle longer attempts, though he has yet to attempt a field goal this season.

Auburn's offense looked like a well-oiled machine with its balanced approach, improved pass protection, and success on the ground. Following Coleman’s first-quarter touchdown grab, Arnold ran for two second-quarter touchdowns, and Cobb closed the half with one of his own. As good as Auburn looked in the first half of the game, the second-half was agonizing. But as with everything else, there's nuance.

Second-Half Setback

Auburn led South Alabama 28-9 going into halftime with 258 yards of offense to USA's 162 yards. Cobb's two-yard touchdown run with 40 seconds left in the first half would be the last time Auburn would finish a drive in the end zone.

Following the second-half kickoff, USA strung together an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. They continued to outwork and outscore Auburn while holding the Tigers to just three possessions in the second-half.

Freeze didn't sugarcoat in an interview with SEC Network:

“Defensively, we look like we’re sleepwalking to me. It’s frustrating,” Freeze said. “We’d rather talk too much than line up and play. We have to get some things corrected.”

The Jaguars controlled time of possession in the second-half (just over 17 minutes) and outgained Auburn 176 to 79. The scoreboard shows the defense giving up only 15 points along with two forced turnovers, but they won't walk away happy from this one.

Having said that, the Tigers had key defensive players sidelined in this game. Team captain and DB Champ Anthony was out along with CB Rayshawn Pleasant. DE Amaris Williams left the game in the first quarter with a separated shoulder. Freeze rotated in 14 true freshmen, with a few standing out, and all gaining valuable experience.

Noteworthy Freshmen

Jared Smith (Edge, 5⭐ — Hoover, AL)
3 QB pressures, 1 sack, 2 TFLs, and a forced fumble.

Omar Mabson (RB, 3⭐ — Auburn, AL)
First reception of his career, 20 total yards. Earned praise from Freeze:

“I thought Omar played a great game, was very physical," Freeze said. "It gives me peace of mind knowing our RPO game, if there’s any indecision at all, if I hand that ball off, I know we’re going to get 4 or 5 yards."

Elijah Melendez (LB, 4⭐ – Kissimmee, FL)
Three tackles, two solo. "As physical as they get," says Coach Durkin about Melendez.

Looking Forward

Coach Freeze's goal on Saturday was to be 3–0 and the team achieved that. Not much else can be said about this game – a win is a win. With plenty to clean up before Oklahoma, it still feels like Auburn hasn’t shown its full hand. John Mateer and the Sooners will be Auburn’s toughest challenge yet.