What did we learn from Auburn’s loss to Cal?

Following a dominant Week 1 victory over Alabama A&M, Auburn football had a great deal of optimism surrounding its program on where it could go this season. Now, that script has been flipped.

The Tigers posted a disappointing performance in a 21-14 loss to the California Golden Bears at Jordan-Hare Stadium , leaving many with the same questions the team had entering the season.

Auburn did not have many shining moments in this game. Despite the low score, it was dominated on both sides of the ball.

Here is what we learned about this Tigers squad after the defeat.

The first thought that popped into the minds of the majority of fans is how quarterback Payton Thorne will respond to this performance. The second-year starter went 14 for 27 on the day, throwing for just 165 yards and one touchdown.

The most alarming part of his stat line: He threw four interceptions. Much of that stemmed from bad decision making, throwing passes into traffic while being very inaccurate.

At the same time, the offensive line did not provide much time for the skill players to make much happen. Thorne was sacked four times and running back Jarquez Hunter gained 68 yards on 12 carries. His longest run was for 27 yards.

It seemed every player was being stuffed inside the box at any given moment. With only two weeks until SEC play begins, the offense may need to change scheme wise.

As for the defense, the story between the first two weeks was very different. It gathered only two sacks on Saturday, both from Keldric Faulk . There was not much pressure, something the defensive front will have to get around before the conference slate.

On the same page, coverage in the flats was not very active, consistently allowing two-yard gains to turn into 10 or 15 yards.

To wrap it up, the defense still has not forced a turnover through two weeks, trying to search for that first bit of disruption on opposing offenses.

Auburn has a chance to turn its luck around next week when it takes on the New Mexico Lobos for its homecoming game.

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