Nov. 13, 2016
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
ATHENS, Ga. - One thing was notably absent after Auburn's 13-7 loss Saturday at Georgia: finger-pointing.
"They're my teammates. We believe in them like they believe in us," said defensive lineman Dontavius Russell. "Every now and again, you have some tough times. If our offense scores 7 points, we can't let (Georgia) get those two field goals that they got."
Auburn's defense held the Bulldogs to a pair of second-half field goals, but the Tigers' normally high-powered offense misfired between the hedges.
"It happens sometimes," said linebacker Tre' Williams. "The whole Auburn Tigers took an L today. If we would have stopped the run even more, they wouldn't have had the field goals."
Still, Williams took positives from the defensive performance.
"Relentless effort," Williams said. "Going to the ball. Not letting them in the end zone. That was our key and we did that."
With the SEC's leading rusher, Kamryn Pettway, sidelined, Kerryon Johnson, who's also battled injuries, gained 99 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown.
"Whenever you're not healthy at your key skill spots, that hurts," said offensive lineman Alex Kozan. "I definitely thought we could have put up more than this. Definitely disappointed."
The loss knocked the Tigers out of the race for the SEC West championship.
"One game doesn't make your season at all. That's something I've learned," said Kozan. "The most important thing for our team is to continue getting better each week. Our season's not over. We've got Alabama A&M and the Iron Bowl. That's huge.
"For us seniors, we're just trying to keep the team together and get everybody to really focus on those goals."
"We're just going to finish out," Williams said. "There's nothing else we can do. Took an L today. Just have to finish out the season. Put this one behind us."
"We're still going to fight hard. We're still going to give everything we've got," defensive back Tray Matthews said. "Going to meetings, and focusing on our corrections and try to get better."
"The whole Auburn Tigers took an L today. It's not separated" b/t D & O, says @FootballAU LB Tre' Williams. pic.twitter.com/rNDcnb3C0R
- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) November 13, 2016
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer