Auburn HC DJ Durkin says exactly what fans are thinking on critical reasons Tigers lost to Alabama in Iron Bowl
DJ Durkin doesn’t shy away from turnover issues and slow start that derailed Auburn in Iron Bowl
The Auburn Tigers gave it their all on Saturday in the 27-20 loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl, but ultimately cost themselves the game with critical failures in pivotal moments. After the game, head coach DJ Durkin just told it like it was, saying exactly what Auburn fans were thinking. Turnovers, drops, and wild late game failures (unfortunately typical of the Tigers in this rivalry) defined this loss to the Tigers’ bitter rival Alabama once again.
Auburn turnovers and failures against Alabama
- The Auburn Tigers outgained Alabama 411 to 280 in total yards of offense in the Iron Bowl, but still lost 27-20
- The Tigers lost the turnover battle 2-0, which ultimately cost them the game, especially on Cam Coleman’s fumble on the final drive
- Ashton Daniels’ interception halted what could have been a tying touchdown drive
- Seven drops by Auburn Tigers players stifled what could have been a dominant offensive showing against Alabama
DJ Durkin tells it like it is after Auburn loss to Alabama in Iron Bowl
Auburn fans were left stunned following star wide receiver Cam Coleman’s fumble on what could have or should have been the game-tying, perhaps game-winning, drive. However, that loss wasn’t all on Coleman. It was on the litany of failures throughout the game that made that moment even necessary. Auburn’s offense racked up far more yards than Alabama. The defense did it’s job for much of the game, but still failed in a few big moments. DJ Durkin didn’t hold back on the failures that led to the loss, following the game:
“Obviously just disappointing. I feel like our guys prepared really well for this game. We had chances to win the game. You can’t turn the ball over in games like this and expect to win. We didn’t create turnovers on defense. There were some critical penalties in the game that hurt us. Obviously the turnovers hurt us. We outgained them 411 to 280 [total yards] and held them 122 yards passing. If you told me going into the game that’s what was going to happen, I’d tell you we won the game, but again turnovers are the most telling stat that pertains to wins and losses. Obviously, we started in a hole in this game. I don’t think we started very well. We had a drive on defense early in the game where we were really discombobulated…Other than that I thought we played really well defensively…But again, it was critical turnovers that were the story of the game.”
Auburn did start in a 17-0 hole thanks to a couple miscues that Durkin mentioned on defense, but when a team holds the other to 122 yards passing and wins the yardage battle by more than 130 in total they’re supposed to win. Durkin was proud of his team, but when asked about the slow start, Auburn’s head coach said exactly what every fan was thinking:
“Yeah, it was several three and outs to start the game. Our defense was on the field quite a bit. The drive I was talking about, you could tell we were discombobulated. We had a substitution error. We did not look like us. I really, other than that drive too, it just didn’t happen. I think we played 30-some snaps [of defense] in the first quarter. Credit to our guys. They hung together and kept going, and we made some adjustments, started attacking them a different way. We were just sloppy with the ball. There was too many drops. There was too many turnovers.”
Auburn’s offense was just absolutely awful through the air. Durkin wasn’t kidding with the drops. PFF and SIS (Sports Info Solutions) both credited Auburn offensive skill players with at least seven drops on the game. Quarterback Ashton Daniels completed just 46% of his passes on the game, but if not for the drops it would have been over 64%. That would have translated to a handful more of sustained drives and certainly more points than just 20 on the game. When you add in Daniels’ one late interception and Cam Coleman’s game-sealing fumble Auburn put together the absolute worst formula that made sure they lost the Alabama game. Seven drops. Two turnovers. A slow start. Colossal collapse. Auburn fans are getting far too familiar with this kind of finish as they have now lost six times in a row to Alabama.
Still, Durkin expressed just how proud he was of his team and leaders like star edge defender Keldric Faulk. Auburn truly stuck it out and pushed hard every week down the stretch despite all of the chaos, the firing of head coach Hugh Freeze, and disappointing losses:
“It’s a special group of guys. And I’ll start with Keldric Faulk because he is our team leader. You look at him in that locker room right now. He looks awful, and it’s no [poor] reflection on him. He’s my best leader I’ve been around in my entire career. These guys held it together when it was not easy to do that. I don’t have great answers, because it’s been different things at different times, but you see a team that fought for each other all the way to the very end when that wasn’t easy and most teams wouldn’t, in a a day and age where that’s not really something that happens all the time.”
Auburn fans now just have to look ahead to what can only be a brighter future than whatever this mess was supposed to be in 2025. This 5-7 record makes it six consecutive seasons for Auburn with just five or six wins. The next head coach clearly has his work cut out for him.
We’ll be back with more Auburn Tigers coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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