Auburn’s night at Jordan-Hare started with promise but ended in heartbreak. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and dominated stretches of the second half, but costly mistakes, missed field goals, and missed opportunities proved fatal in a 23–17 double-overtime loss to No. 16 Missouri. Despite flashes of balance from Jackson Arnold and a defense that kept Auburn in control for much of the night, mental errors, penalties, and a cold finish on offense doomed the Tigers late. After multiple chances to seal the game in regulation, Auburn’s offense stalled in overtime, while Missouri capitalized on its second extra-period possession to hand Auburn another crushing defeat.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the second straight Saturday, Auburn’s offense opened the game with a touchdown drive. Jackson Arnold capped it with a one-yard run around the right side to give the Tigers a 7–0 lead. The drive featured 17 rushing yards from Arnold, a 15-yard sweep by Malcolm Simmons, and a crucial fourth-down pass interference penalty drawn by Perry Thompson to keep the possession alive.
Later in the first quarter, Missouri took over deep in Auburn territory after Arnold’s first interception in 325 pass attempts. The turnover came one play after Arnold delivered a perfect deep ball to Cam Coleman, who dropped a potential touchdown in stride down the right sideline. Missouri later converted a third-and-10 but eventually stalled, settling for a field goal. Auburn’s defense held firm after the sudden change.
After an Auburn drive that included another drop by Coleman and a false start that turned a manageable third-and-5 into third-and-10, Arnold was sacked, stalling the possession. Missouri took over and marched 52 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. What began as a solid start for Auburn on both sides quickly shifted, as the momentum swung firmly to Missouri’s side with 10 minutes until halftime.
With Missouri driving late in the second quarter and looking to score on its third straight possession, cornerback Kayin Lee came up with a massive interception. Lee jumped an out route, tipped the pass, and secured it against his helmet before pulling it in and stepping out of bounds. Missouri had controlled the clock nearly four times longer than Auburn since the opening drives, but Lee’s pick was a huge momentum swing with two minutes remaining before halftime. It felt like the opposite of the Georgia game, when Auburn was the victim of a turnover that flipped momentum before halftime.
Auburn couldn’t capitalize. After a roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Tigers some breathing room, Arnold connected with Coleman for a 46-yard strike down the left sideline, setting up inside the Missouri 20. But the momentum stalled quickly — a short run followed by back-to-back sacks — and Alex McPherson missed a 40-yard field goal, sending Auburn into halftime trailing 10–7.
Auburn’s first drive of the third quarter showed promise once again. The Tigers went 60 yards on eight plays, highlighted by a 40-yard run from Jeremiah Cobb and a strong catch by Thompson, but the drive stalled, leading to another field goal attempt. Just like before halftime, McPherson couldn’t convert — this one clanged off the right upright. McPherson entered the night with only two career misses, but it’s been that kind of night for Auburn’s offense.
Finally, Auburn found the end zone after putting together a complete drive. The Tigers marched 86 yards on 12 plays, capping it with a one-yard touchdown run by freshman Omar Mabson. You could argue Auburn should be up 20–10 given earlier missed opportunities, but instead the Tigers led 14–10 entering the fourth quarter. After that drive, Auburn had totaled 217 yards of offense over its last three possessions — a clear sign of life from an offense that had struggled early.
At that point in the game, early fourth quarter, Auburn’s defense had allowed just 52 yards on 15 plays in the second half. Their ability to get off the field on third down gave the offense the chance to find its rhythm.
For the fourth straight drive, Auburn’s offense stayed hot. A 41-yard run by Cobb and a 37-yard catch by Coleman set the Tigers up for another scoring opportunity. A high snap on third-and-goal spoiled a potential touchdown, but McPherson converted the short field goal to give Auburn a touchdown lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Missouri finally found some traction midway through the fourth quarter, helped by two costly Auburn penalties. A defensive pass interference on Jay Crawford and a late-hit personal foul on Keyron Crawford handed Missouri 30 free yards, moving the ball to the Auburn 30-yard line. A missed tackle on a short completion then pushed the visiting Tigers inside the 5, where they soon punched it in for a touchdown. Mental mistakes proved costly, allowing Missouri to tie the game with just minutes remaining.
Then came a brutal sequence for Auburn. After a 34-yard completion from Arnold to Thompson on third down, officials missed what appeared to be an obvious defensive pass interference on Coleman. On the next play, Preston Howard dropped a would-be first down, forcing Auburn to punt with three minutes remaining. Combined with two earlier missed field goals, this drive — and a missed call — kept Missouri hanging around late.
If Auburn’s mistakes weren’t enough, Missouri joined in on the chaos during its final drive. After reaching the Auburn 30-yard line with under a minute remaining, Beau Pribula was sacked by Crawford, then threw a backward pass that went out of bounds for a big loss. A false start pushed Missouri back even further before Crawford sealed the drive with an interception. Auburn’s defense held firm, sending the game into overtime.
Another sack of Arnold in overtime pushed Auburn into a hole it couldn’t climb out of, and McPherson followed by missing a 50-yard field goal. Missouri gained five yards on their drive and then they missed their 39-yard field goal attempt. To a second overtime!
On Missouri’s second overtime possession, Pribula converted a clutch third-and-10 with a pass over the middle, and the Tigers punched it in a few plays later. Sylvester Smith broke up the two-point conversion, but Missouri still took a 23–17 lead, leaving Auburn with one final chance to respond. Unfortunately, the home team didn’t respond. Auburn went four plays and out as they tried to tie the game. Game over.
UP NEXT
Auburn will travel to Arkansas on Oct. 25 for an 11:45 am CT kickoff. The game will be televised on SEC Network. The Tigers lead the all-time series 20-13-1 and have won the last four meetings in Fayetteville. The teams have split the last four meetings overall, with Arkansas winning two straight inside Jordan-Hare Stadium.
