“It was devastating”: Third down mistakes hold Auburn’s defense back against Arkansas

Auburn's defense was not the reason for the loss to Arkansas on Saturday.

In fact, that's exactly what kept the Tigers in the game after the offense lost the ball five times. But it was far from perfect, and many of its worst plays came in critical situations.

Take, for example, third-and-19 in the third quarter, when Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green escaped the pocket and threw a 58-yard bomb that gave the Razorbacks a lead they never relinquished. Or you can look at a roughing the passer on third down in the first half that extended a drive that resulted in another Arkansas touchdown.

From afar, it's easy to watch Auburn hold Arkansas to under 350 yards and feel good about the defense, but upon closer inspection, the unit is far from what it needs to be to continue to save the offense.

“It was devastating, to be honest,” Hugh Freeze said after the game about the third and long plays. “I'd say it was three or four third and longs. If we can get off the field and get the ball back, we have a chance to tie.”

The problems were mainly due to penalties and Auburn's inability to contain Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.

Most third-down conversions came about when Green either ran for a first down or made a throw after escaping the pocket.

“Man, finishing tackles. That was the most important thing. The guy has what it takes,” defensive tackle Philip Blidi said of Green.

It's the second week in a row that Auburn has struggled with a mobile quarterback, and after Oklahoma benched starter Jackson Arnold against Tennessee, Auburn could face another problem next week with true freshman Michael Hawkins.

The other problem on third downs was penalties, which were in part the result of a lack of discipline and poor technique. Most frustrating for Auburn was Austin Keys' roughing the passer on a third-and-7 attempt in the first quarter, a play that resulted in Green throwing the ball out of bounds.

Arkansas finished the game with an astonishing six third-down conversions of 10 or more yards, converting 6 of 9 of those third-down opportunities.

The defense was good for most of the game, but like the offense, it couldn't get out of its own way. The poor defense on third down might not be as damaging if the offense was more consistent, but as things stand now, Auburn doesn't have much room for error on defense.

Peter Rauterkus reports on sports in Auburn for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or send him an email to [email protected]M