Running back Jarquez Hunter continued to be a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Auburn offense. Between highlight plays, furious runs and key third-down conversions, Hunter put his name on this game. The senior finished the contest with 85 all-purpose yards, helping the Tigers move the football in an otherwise inconsistent offensive performance.

Freshman kicker Towns McGough continued his unhappy first season as a Tiger on Saturday. After it looked like starter Alex McPherson had a chance to return this week, McGough was forced into action again and missed a key field goal late in the third quarter. The miss gave the home team great hope and momentum that Missouri would take an 8-point lead and an eventual 21-17 win just three plays later.

Auburn’s flashy new receiving core generated a lot of hype early in the season. With that hype came a lot of expectations, and while many of those expectations were met, freshman receiver Malcolm Simmons continued to exceed his own expectations on Saturday. The first-year Tiger made a huge impact in Columbia, catching four passes for 29 and, perhaps most importantly, disrupting a Luther Burden III punt return that led to a muff and an Auburn touchdown.

After being deadlocked on a field goal in the halftime locker room, Auburn controlled much of the second half until the Tigers didn’t. After Payton Thorne hit Cam Coleman on a long touchdown to give the Tigers the lead, the Auburn defense forced a quick Missouri punt that led to a muff and special teams touchdown that gave Auburn a lead of 14 scored points. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there for Hugh Freeze’s team, as the offense did nothing but drain their defense after Towns McGough missed the field goal.

With the Auburn offense sputtering throughout the fourth quarter, the Tigers’ defense, particularly the Tigers’ linebackers, stepped up significantly. Eugene Asante, Jalen McLeod and Dorian Mausi Jr. disrupted the Missouri backfield in the final frame of the game, combining for two key sacks on the Tigers’ second-to-last play and another on Missouri’s winning drive. The trio finished the contest with 19 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 4 tackles for a loss.

Aside from a long completion to set up a touchdown late in the third quarter and two key conversions on the game-winning drive, Missouri’s vaunted passing attack had little impact against a lackluster Auburn secondary. Kayin Lee, Jerrin Thompson and the Tigers defensemen held off Missouri’s powerful attack for most of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the tired legs were too much to overcome on the final drive of the game.