STULTZ: The fight was there, but the Tigers need more

ATHENS, Georgia | No, a 2-4 start isn't exactly what Hugh Freeze, his coaching staff, his players and Auburn fans expected for this season. No, another defeat against rivals Georgia, the eighth in a row and the ninth in a row in Athens, was not the desired result for Saturday. And no, Auburn won't take any moral victories from its third straight loss this season.

But for the first time in a long time, the Tigers put up a big fight at Sanford Stadium, putting the Bulldogs into a fight in the fourth quarter and ensuring Kirby Smart's team earned the win.

That hasn't always been the case in this now one-sided rivalry, especially in a stadium that has become a nightmare for Auburn. In 2022 there was the 42:10 loss when Bryan Harsin threw in the towel early with a wrong punt. A 27-6 loss in Week 2 in 2020, in which the Tigers rushed for 216 total yards, was hard to watch for even the most die-hard fan. I could go on, but you know the story.

When Auburn took the field in Athens, it seemed like no effort had been made in the past. And while there were some players who still looked like they were somewhere else, the majority of the Tigers put it on the line.

And yes, the final score was 31-13, but Auburn had its chances to make it closer. The Tigers entered the red zone twice before settling for field goals. That's not going to beat a top-five team in Georgia, especially if the talent gap is still an issue. A fourth-and-1 call in which Payton Thorne was stuffed (and didn't pass it to Jarquez Hunter) gave the Bulldogs a short field. You know what good teams do with it.

But there was contention, particularly from KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Keldric Faulk and, yes, even Thorne. Although he didn't make every decision correctly, the quarterback still held his own against a defense that was out for blood.

It would have been easy for the Tigers to come in and lie down. After the narrow loss to Alabama last week, everything pointed to an easy win for the Bulldogs. The score was a massive 24 points, and UGA was so confident early in the season that the university made it their homecoming weekend.

And it would have been easy for the Tigers to put in a sloppy performance, especially after the way this season has gone, in which everything possible has gone wrong. We've seen this before. And if you want to know what I'm talking about, ask someone else about the 1998, 2008 or 2012 seasons.

Still, Freeze expects more, and according to the Auburn head coach, that's up to him.

“Well, to be honest, I expect more fight than what we saw in the 60 minutes today,” he said. “I think I told my team in the locker room and it's my job to get that out of them and I'll die trying and we'll be determined and find those who want to fight for 60 minutes.” .”

Given the way the first six games of this season have gone, it's difficult to see the positives. Losses to Cal and Arkansas would have been unthinkable in Freeze's second season, and the collapse against Oklahoma could have destroyed many teams. This is not what anyone imagined, especially Freeze, his staff and the experienced leaders who have been around for some time and have stuck around in hopes of turning this program around.

There is still a lot to do. Mental errors continue to bother this team, but in Athens they looked like they were addressing them. We don't know if this will lead to more wins than expected for the rest of the season, but it was a good start.