Tennessee 24, Auburn 14
Auburn led at the half, then shit the bed: three giveaways, 11 damn penalties and 220 rushing yards for one Tennessee back.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn 3-2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Tennessee 4-1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
- Total yards
- 345–323 Auburn–them
- Yards/play
- 5.31 4.82 allowed
- Turnovers
- -1 2 taken, 3 given
- Third downs
- 5/14 3/14 allowed
- Flags–yards
- 11–94 them: 4–30
The game
Auburn outgained Tennessee 345–323, led 7–3 at halftime and still got its ass kicked 21–7 after the break. A third-quarter interception set up a one-play, 44-yard Bishop TD; down 17–14, Auburn got stuffed on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 at its own 24, and Tennessee walked in from there. More yards, fewer points, and a whole lot of self-inflicted bullshit. Auburn recap, Tennessee recap, ESPN
Opponent offensive output below is what Auburn’s defense allowed. Defensive plays = opponent official offensive plays, tracked separately from offense; this measures team workload, not individual snaps. No additional special-teams or nullified plays enter these counts. Rates shown to two decimals are calculated from official counts. Official game book, pp. 1–4, official box
| Scoring and offense | Auburn | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 14 | 24 |
| Quarter scores: Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4 | 0 / 7 / 0 / 7 | 0 / 3 / 14 / 7 |
| Total yards | 345 | 323 |
| Offensive plays | 65 | 67 |
| Defensive plays | 67 | 65 |
| Yards/play | 5.31 | 4.82 |
| Rush attempts / net yards | 32 / 186 | 49 / 237 |
| Yards/carry | 5.81 | 4.84 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 3 |
| Pass completions / attempts | 22 / 33 | 11 / 18 |
| Completion rate | 66.7% | 61.1% |
| Passing yards | 159 | 86 |
| Passing yards/attempt | 4.82 | 4.78 |
| Passing TDs / INT thrown | 1 / 2 | 0 / 1 |
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| First downs: rush / pass / penalty | 8 / 9 / 0 | 11 / 3 / 3 |
| Third downs | 5/14 (35.7%) | 3/14 (21.4%) |
| Fourth downs | 0/1 (0.0%) | 2/2 (100.0%) |
| Red-zone scores / trips | 2/3 (66.7%) | 2/2 (100.0%) |
| Red-zone TDs / trips | 2/3 (66.7%) | 1/2 (50.0%) |
| Possession | 28:23 | 31:37 |
NCAA net rushing includes sacks: Auburn lost 17 yards on four sacks, Tennessee five on three. No kneeldowns this time. Tennessee’s 25- and 44-yard TD runs started outside the red zone, so three rushing TDs against one red-zone TD isn’t a typo. Auburn’s one failed red-zone trip was the late first-and-15 throw from the Tennessee 17 that got picked at the 1, which is about as fucking painful as a red-zone failure gets. A 40-yard Bishop TD run in the third was wiped out by a Tennessee personal foul and isn’t counted anywhere.
| Defense, turnovers and discipline | Auburn | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Sacks made / yards | 3 / 5 | 4 / 17 |
| Sacks allowed / yards lost | 4 / 17 | 3 / 5 |
| Tackles for loss / yards, including sacks | 9 / 32 | 8 / 25 |
| Pass breakups | 2 | 3 |
| Fumbles / lost | 1 / 1 | 3 / 1 |
| Giveaways / takeaways | 3 / 2 | 2 / 3 |
| Turnover margin | −1 | +1 |
| Forced fumbles / recoveries | 2 / 1 | 1 / 1 |
| Penalties / yards | 11 / 94 | 4 / 30 |
| Special teams and returns | Auburn | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals made / attempted | 0 / 0 | 1 / 1 |
| FG attempts | None | 36 made |
| PAT kicks | 2 / 2 | 3 / 3 |
| Two-point conversions | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
| Punts / yards | 7 / 291 | 6 / 265 |
| Gross / official net punt average | 41.57 / 39.40 | 44.17 / 44.20 |
| Calculated net using all return yards | 41.57 | 44.17 |
| Punts: long / inside 20 / touchbacks | 47 / 3 / 0 | 51 / 5 / 0 |
| Punts: 50+ yards / fair catches | 0 / 4 | 1 / 5 |
| Kickoffs / yards / touchbacks | 3 / 163 / 0 | 5 / 325 / 5 |
| Punt returns / yards / TDs | 0 / 0 / 0 | 1 / 0 / 0 |
| Kickoff returns / yards / TDs | 0 / 0 / 0 | 2 / 31 / 0 |
| INT returns / yards / TDs | 1 / 1 / 0 | 2 / 36 / 0 |
| Punts blocked / field goals blocked | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 |
Punting detail: Auburn’s official net is 39.4; the return-and-touchback formula used all season gives 291/7 = 41.57. The difference is a 15-yard kick-catch interference penalty: (291 − 15)/7 = 39.43 matches the printed figure. Both are kept, and the season trend uses the formula without penalty yards. Tennessee’s calculated 44.17 matches its printed 44.2. Auburn had zero kickoff returns because Tennessee booted all five for touchbacks. Game book, pp. 3 and 8
Week over week
The direct comparison is against September 26’s 21–15 win over Vanderbilt, the preceding played game. Change = latest minus previous; pp = percentage points. Improved/worsened refers to raw production, without opponent adjustment. Tennessee game book, Vanderbilt game book
| Auburn metric | Tennessee, Oct 3 | Vandy, Sep 26 | Change | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points scored | 14 | 21 | −7 | Worsened |
| Offensive yards | 345 | 279 | +66 | Improved |
| Offensive plays | 65 | 58 | +7 | Context |
| Defensive plays | 67 | 75 | −8 | Context |
| Offensive yards/play | 5.31 | 4.81 | +0.50 | Improved |
| Rushing yards | 186 | 139 | +47 | Improved |
| Yards/carry | 5.81 | 4.48 | +1.33 | Improved |
| Passing yards | 159 | 140 | +19 | Improved |
| Completion rate | 66.7% | 66.7% | 0.0 pp | Same |
| Passing yards/attempt | 4.82 | 5.19 | −0.37 | Worsened |
| First downs | 17 | 15 | +2 | Improved |
| Third-down rate | 35.7% | 46.7% | −11.0 pp | Worsened |
| Fourth-down rate | 0.0% | N/A | N/A | No comparable rate |
| Red-zone scoring rate | 66.7% | 50.0% | +16.7 pp | Context: prior game ended on knees |
| Red-zone TD rate | 66.7% | 50.0% | +16.7 pp | Context: prior game ended on knees |
| Giveaways | 3 | 1 | +2 | Worsened |
| Takeaways | 2 | 1 | +1 | Improved |
| Turnover margin | -1 | 0 | −1 | Worsened |
| Sacks allowed | 4 | 1 | +3 | Worsened |
| Sack yards lost | 17 | 2 | +15 | Worsened |
| Points allowed | 24 | 15 | +9 | Worsened |
| Yards allowed | 323 | 311 | +12 | Worsened |
| Rushing yards allowed | 237 | 112 | +125 | Worsened |
| Passing yards allowed | 86 | 199 | −113 | Improved |
| Defensive yards/play allowed | 4.82 | 4.15 | +0.67 | Worsened |
| Yards/carry allowed | 4.84 | 2.73 | +2.11 | Worsened |
| Passing yards/attempt allowed | 4.78 | 5.85 | −1.08 | Improved |
| Third-down rate allowed | 21.4% | 23.5% | −2.1 pp | Improved |
| Fourth-down rate allowed | 100.0% | 80.0% | +20.0 pp | Worsened |
| Red-zone TD rate allowed | 50.0% | 50.0% | 0.0 pp | Same |
| Sacks made | 3 | 4 | −1 | Worsened |
| Tackles for loss | 9 | 8 | +1 | Improved |
| Pass breakups | 2 | 0 | +2 | Improved |
| Penalties | 11 | 5 | +6 | Worsened |
| Penalty yards | 94 | 44 | +50 | Worsened |
| Possession | 28:23 | 22:28 | +5:55 | Context |
| Official net punt average | 39.4 | 39.4 | 0.0 | Same |
| Calculated net punt average | 41.57 | 39.40 | +2.17 | Improved |
Season to date
Season totals cover five games. Δ average/rate compares with the four-game baseline in the September 27 report. Opponents combine Baylor, Southern Miss, Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Baylor, USM, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
| Counting stat | AUB total | AUB/game | Δ avg | Opp. total | Opp./game | Δ avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 134 | 26.80 | −3.20 | 107 | 21.40 | +0.65 |
| Offensive plays | 349 | 69.80 | −1.20 | 375 | 75.00 | −2.00 |
| Defensive plays | 375 | 75.00 | −2.00 | 349 | 69.80 | −1.20 |
| Total yards | 1996 | 399.20 | −13.55 | 1786 | 357.20 | −8.55 |
| Rush attempts | 186 | 37.20 | −1.30 | 213 | 42.60 | +1.60 |
| Net rushing yards | 900 | 180.00 | +1.50 | 745 | 149.00 | +22.00 |
| Rushing TDs | 7 | 1.40 | −0.10 | 8 | 1.60 | +0.35 |
| Pass completions | 106 | 21.20 | +0.20 | 98 | 19.60 | −2.15 |
| Pass attempts | 163 | 32.60 | +0.10 | 162 | 32.40 | −3.60 |
| Passing yards | 1096 | 219.20 | −15.05 | 1041 | 208.20 | −30.55 |
| Passing TDs | 8 | 1.60 | −0.15 | 4 | 0.80 | −0.20 |
| First downs | 109 | 21.80 | −1.20 | 102 | 20.40 | −0.85 |
| Rushing first downs | 49 | 9.80 | −0.45 | 42 | 8.40 | +0.65 |
| Passing first downs | 54 | 10.80 | −0.45 | 45 | 9.00 | −1.50 |
| Penalty first downs | 6 | 1.20 | −0.30 | 15 | 3.00 | 0.00 |
| INTs thrown | 7 | 1.40 | +0.15 | 6 | 1.20 | −0.05 |
| Fumbles | 4 | 0.80 | +0.05 | 6 | 1.20 | +0.45 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 0.40 | +0.15 | 2 | 0.40 | +0.15 |
| Giveaways | 9 | 1.80 | +0.30 | 8 | 1.60 | +0.10 |
| Takeaways | 8 | 1.60 | +0.10 | 9 | 1.80 | +0.30 |
| Turnover margin | -1 | -0.20 | −0.20 | 1 | 0.20 | +0.20 |
| Sacks made | 14 | 2.80 | +0.05 | 18 | 3.60 | +0.10 |
| Sacks allowed | 18 | 3.60 | +0.10 | 14 | 2.80 | +0.05 |
| Sack yards lost | 79 | 15.80 | +0.30 | 60 | 12.00 | −1.75 |
| Sack yards inflicted | 60 | 12.00 | −1.75 | 79 | 15.80 | +0.30 |
| Tackles for loss | 38 | 7.60 | +0.35 | 33 | 6.60 | +0.35 |
| Pass breakups | 14 | 2.80 | −0.20 | 13 | 2.60 | +0.10 |
| Penalties | 38 | 7.60 | +0.85 | 44 | 8.80 | −1.20 |
| Penalty yards | 323 | 64.60 | +7.35 | 336 | 67.20 | −9.30 |
Possession: Auburn 131:52 total / 26:22 per game (+0:30); opponents 168:08 / 33:38 (−0:30). Time averages and changes are rounded to seconds.
Aggregate rates divide summed numerators by summed denominators. Opponent rates are what Auburn allowed; Δ compares with last week’s report.
| Efficiency | Auburn season | Δ rate | Opponents season | Δ rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards/play | 1996/349 = 5.72 | −0.09 | 1786/375 = 4.76 | +0.01 |
| Yards/carry | 900/186 = 4.84 | +0.20 | 745/213 = 3.50 | +0.40 |
| Completion rate | 106/163 = 65.0% | +0.4 pp | 98/162 = 60.5% | +0.1 pp |
| Passing yards/attempt | 1096/163 = 6.72 | −0.48 | 1041/162 = 6.43 | −0.21 |
| Third downs | 35/75 = 46.7% | −2.5 pp | 26/82 = 31.7% | −2.1 pp |
| Fourth downs | 5/9 = 55.6% | −6.9 pp | 13/18 = 72.2% | +3.5 pp |
| Red-zone scoring | 12/17 = 70.6% | −0.8 pp | 13/14 = 92.9% | +1.2 pp |
| Red-zone TDs | 11/17 = 64.7% | +0.4 pp | 8/14 = 57.1% | −1.2 pp |
Season special-teams and return totals are separate from offensive yardage and play counts.
| Season special teams / returns | Auburn | Opponents |
|---|---|---|
| FG made / attempts | 4/6 | 8/10 |
| PAT made / attempts | 16/16 | 9/9 |
| Two-point conversions | 1/1 | 1/3 |
| Punts / yards | 20 / 810 | 21 / 902 |
| Gross / calculated net punt avg | 40.50 / 39.85 | 42.95 / 41.00 |
| Punts inside 20 / touchbacks | 8 / 0 | 11 / 0 |
| Official kickoffs / touchbacks | 23 / 20 | 26 / 19 |
| Punt returns / yards / TDs | 6 / 41 / 1 | 3 / 13 / 0 |
| Kickoff returns / yards | 5 / 111 | 2 / 31 |
| INT returns / yards / TDs | 6 / 44 / 1 | 7 / 47 / 0 |
| Blocked punts / field goals | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 |
| Safeties | 1 | 0 |
Special-teams averages and rate changes follow; all counts are season totals above. Net punting uses the same return-and-touchback formula for every game. Auburn didn’t try a field goal at Tennessee, so the 4/6 season kicking line didn’t move. Seven punts is the most Auburn has had in a game this season, which tells you plenty about how the second half went.
| Special teams average/rate | Auburn | Δ | Opponents | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punts/game | 4.00 | +0.75 | 4.20 | +0.45 |
| Inside-20 punts/game | 1.60 | +0.35 | 2.20 | +0.70 |
| Kickoffs/game | 4.60 | −0.40 | 5.20 | −0.05 |
| Kickoff touchbacks/game | 4.00 | −1.00 | 3.80 | +0.30 |
| Punt-return yards/game | 8.20 | −2.05 | 2.60 | −0.65 |
| Kickoff-return yards/game | 22.20 | −5.55 | 6.20 | +6.20 |
| Gross punt average | 40.50 | +0.58 | 42.95 | +0.49 |
| Calculated net punt average | 39.85 | +0.93 | 41.00 | +1.27 |
| FG percentage | 66.7% | 0.0 pp | 80.0% | +2.2 pp |
| PAT percentage | 100.0% | 0.0 pp | 100.0% | 0.0 pp |
Trends
Points, game by game
Yards per play
Game-by-game trend; score is Auburn–opponent and defensive third downs are opponent conversions. Game 1 remains the baseline, with no previous-game comparison. Baylor, USM, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
| Game | Score | Off. plays | Def. plays | Off. Y/play | Def. Y/play | Off. 3rd | Def. 3rd | TO margin | Sacks allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 · 09-05 · Baylor | 17–16 | 76 | 99 | 5.12 | 4.40 | 10/18 (55.6%) | 7/22 (31.8%) | −1 | 5 |
| G2 · 09-12 · Southern Miss | 43–8 | 84 | 58 | 7.26 | 3.81 | 7/15 (46.7%) | 5/13 (38.5%) | +1 | 1 |
| G3 · 09-19 · Florida | 39–44 | 66 | 76 | 5.65 | 6.51 | 6/13 (46.2%) | 7/16 (43.8%) | 0 | 7 |
| G4 · 09-26 · Vanderbilt | 21–15 | 58 | 75 | 4.81 | 4.15 | 7/15 (46.7%) | 4/17 (23.5%) | 0 | 1 |
| G5 · 10-03 · Tennessee | 14–24 | 65 | 67 | 5.31 | 4.82 | 5/14 (35.7%) | 3/14 (21.4%) | −1 | 4 |
The last-three-game window is now Games 3–5 (1–2) versus Games 2–4 (2–1). These windows share Florida and Vanderbilt; the only swap is Tennessee in, Southern Miss out. This is not six independent games, it is one SEC road loss replacing one cupcake blowout.
| Metric | Last 3: Sep 19–Oct 3 | Prior 3: Sep 12–26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points/game | 24.67 | 34.33 | −9.67 |
| Points allowed/game | 27.67 | 22.33 | +5.33 |
| Offensive plays/game | 63.00 | 69.33 | −6.33 |
| Defensive plays/game | 72.67 | 69.67 | +3.00 |
| Offensive yards/play | 5.28 | 6.07 | −0.79 |
| Defensive yards/play | 5.18 | 4.91 | +0.27 |
| Offensive third-down rate | 42.9% | 46.5% | −3.7 pp |
| Third-down rate allowed | 29.8% | 34.8% | −5.0 pp |
| Turnover margin/game | -0.33 | 0.33 | −0.67 |
| Sacks allowed/game | 4.00 | 3.00 | +1.00 |
The breakdown
The ground game finally showed up; the passing game is still a goddamn dead zone. Auburn ran for 186 yards at 5.81 a carry, up from 139 and 4.48 against Vanderbilt, and Byrum Brown ripped off a 57-yarder. Passing yards per attempt, though, has dropped every damn week since Southern Miss: 8.09 → 7.74 → 5.19 → 4.82. The longest completion at Tennessee went 16 yards. Completing two-thirds of your throws means jack shit when they go nowhere, and four sacks plus two picks made it worse. Official box, Vanderbilt, Florida, USM
Fewer snaps on defense, way worse run defense. Auburn faced 67 plays, eight fewer than against Vandy, and still gave up 237 rushing yards (up 125) at 4.84 a carry (up 2.11). DeSean Bishop ran 34 times for 220 yards and all three Tennessee TDs. Nine TFL and three sacks are real disruption, but the 25- and 44-yard TD runs blew it to hell. Those are two verified scoring plays, not an explosive-play rate; nobody here is making one up. Tennessee’s passing was dead (86 yards), so this was a run-defense failure, plain and simple. Game book
Third downs: great. Fourth downs: a fucking sieve. Tennessee went 3/14 on third down and 2/2 on fourth, including fourth-and-1 at the Auburn 15 right before the clinching TD. SEC opponents are now 9/10 on fourth down across Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Small counts, yes. But when the third-down stop doesn’t end the drive, the pretty third-down percentage is lying to you. Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
The mistakes were expensive as hell. Giveaways jumped from one to three, penalties from 5/44 to 11/94, sacks allowed from one to four, and third-down offense fell 46.7% → 35.7%. Lane’s pick and 32-yard return set up a one-play TD drive; Brown’s fumble at midfield in the second quarter handed Tennessee the ball at the Auburn 49; the last pick, thrown from the Tennessee 17 and caught at the 1, came with Auburn down 10 and under a minute left. Tennessee also dropped five punts inside the 20, so Auburn kept starting in its own damn shadow. Out-gaining a ranked team on the road and losing by 10 is how you know the wounds were self-inflicted. Game book, team stats, drive chart and play-by-play
Key contributors: Byrum Brown went 22/33 for 159 yards, one TD and two INT, and was also the best runner on the field for Auburn with 107 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Omar Mabson II added 62 on nine; Keshaun Singleton caught seven for 54 on 12 targets. On defense, Xavier Atkins had 11 tackles and the interception, Da’Shawn Womack had three TFL including two sacks, and Elijah Melendez had nine tackles and two TFL. For Tennessee, Dejuan Lane had two sacks and a pick, and backup QB George MacIntyre went 8/10 for 86 after the starter went 3/8 for zero yards and an INT. Tennessee needed its backup QB and still won comfortably. Brutal. Official individual statistics
Fine print
Small-sample warning: five games, one true road game, and the latest window is three SEC opponents swapped in for one Southern Miss blowout. Every “trend” here is built on a handful of games and a handful of fourth-down tries. None of this is opponent-adjusted; Tennessee was ranked No. 17 and playing at home in front of 101,915. Also, last week’s 1/2 red zone included game-ending kneeldowns, so this week’s 2/3 is not some clean finishing upgrade. The pick at the 1 kills that idea anyway.
Source checks: This run re-downloaded every 2026 source. Fresh Baylor, Southern Miss and Florida box scores parse to the same team fields already on file, so there are no changes. The fresh Vanderbilt game-book file is byte-for-byte identical to the copy saved earlier. Auburn’s and Tennessee’s Week 5 game books are also the exact same file, so they count as one source, not two confirmations; the fresh Tennessee box score agrees with that book. The Auburn recap says Mabson had ten carries, but the books and full box say nine, and only nine adds up to the team’s 32 attempts. Tennessee’s third fumble is a team fumble in the play-by-play and wasn’t lost. An earlier same-day run already wrote the standard Week 5 files; this build reproduces its game and season stat blocks exactly. Game book, Tennessee copy, Auburn recap
Previously disclosed differences remain: USM-game Auburn totals use the full-box 610 yards / 84 offensive plays / 267 passing yards; Florida-game Auburn calculated net punting is 33.5 versus printed 46.5; Vanderbilt calculated net is 23.25 versus printed 32.8 because our formula includes all blocked-punt return yards. These are known source differences, not newly announced official corrections. Earlier reports are left unchanged. Pressure totals, success rate, EPA, opponent-adjusted metrics and individual snap counts still can’t be verified consistently, so they aren’t here. USM, Florida, Vanderbilt
Next up
Next: no game October 10 (no game is listed that week), then at Georgia on Saturday, October 17, at Sanford Stadium in Athens. The official schedule lists only an “afternoon” window, with no exact CDT kickoff yet. Next Sunday’s report will be a no-game status check that keeps this baseline unless a correction appears. Official schedule