Auburn edged by Missouri 23-17 in double overtime after fast start

AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - Another strong start ended in disappointment at Jordan Hare Saturday night as the Tigers lost a fourth-quarter lead in overtime to fall 23-17 to No. 16 Missouri in a slow, drawn-out tug of war.

Missouri entered the game 5-1 overall after dropping their first conference game of the season last week to Alabama.

Auburn, looking to avoid an 0-4 SEC start, failed to seize on several critical opportunities and walked away winless for another week.

Game Recap

First Quarter

Arnold put his legs to work immediately, scoring on a 1-yard rush to kick things off with a 7-0 lead.

After allowing Missouri only one first down conversion, Auburn looked to grow their lead on their second possession.

The drive was cut short however, as Arnold threw his first interception of the season to Torriano Pride Jr., who returned for two yards to Auburn’s 29-yard line.

Auburn’s defense held Missouri at the 5-yard line on third down, forcing a 24-yard field goal by kicker Robert Meyer to get them onto the board, (7-3).

Second Quarter

Missouri’s Beau Pribula threw for 19 yards to Marquis Johnson to get the Tigers into Auburn’s redzone in the first few minutes of the second quarter. Two plays later, Ahmad Hardy ran the ball in for 2 yards to snatch a 10-7 lead for Missouri.

Auburn’s defense dug in for a long drive against Missouri, which ended with an interception by No. 4 Kayin Lee on the 7-yard line to get the ball back into Auburn’s hands.

Despite a 46-yard pass to Cam Coleman into the redzone, Arnold struggled to avoid Missouri’s defensive pressure, being sacked twice and forcing a fourth down field goal attempt that missed, (10-3).

Halftime:

Auburn - 3

Missouri - 10

Third Quarter

Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 41 yards to get Auburn onto the 26-yard line, but again, the Tigers could not follow up. After failing to convert a first down, Auburn settled for a second field goal attempt, and once again, it missed.

Auburn found another opening on their next possession with a 12-yard run by Jeremiah Cobb into the redzone, where Omar Mabson II ran it one yard to slide ahead 14-10.

Fourth Quarter

Another redzone push by Auburn came up just short, forcing them to opt for a field goal to make it a one-score game in the opening minutes of the final quarter, (17-10).

With just over two minutes left on the clock, Beau Pribula threw for 27 yards to get Missouri onto the Auburn 3 before Ahmad Hardy ran it in to even the game 17-17 and force overtime.

Overtime

After inching their way in the redzone, Beau Pribula ran for 3 yards for the go-ahead score of 23-17 in a second overtime, but Missouri failed to secure a 2-point conversion.

Despite failing to follow up, Missouri only needed to keep Auburn from scoring, which they did.

Takeaways

After Arnold was given more room to breath against Georgia’s lack of pass rush last week, he was once again the target of a more aggressive Missouri defensive line being sacked a total of five times.

Two sacks came on a key drive from inside the redzone, which kept Auburn from capitalizing on a massive pass to Kayin Lee which had set them up perfectly to score.

What’s Next

Now 0-4 in conference play, Auburn heads to Razorback Stadium to face Arkansas next Saturday.

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