Vols fall short against Auburn; UT offense continues to struggle

It was too little, too late.

Completing three of four passes on the final series, UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton led the Vols to a last-second touchdown, only to come up four points short as Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC) handed the Vols (2-3) their second SEC loss Saturday 26-22.

Crompton finished the game 20-of-44 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite the close score, head coach Lane Kiffin said his team not only failed to win offensively, but they also came up short on defense and in the kicking game.

“I thought we lost on all three phases today, which is disappointing, especially in our SEC home opener,” Kiffin said.

The Tigers dominated the Vols in time of possession, keeping the UT defense on the field for 34:46. Auburn racked up 459 total yards against the Vols’ No. 8 defense, while forcing eight punts from UT’s offense. The Tigers scored all five times they reached the red zone.

But Kiffin emphasized his disappointment in Tennessee’s third-down conversions.

“You go 4-and-17 on third downs, I don’t know if you’ll ever win a game,” Kiffin said. “We need to be a lot better on third down. We need to play a lot better.”

While the offense had its own third-down woes, safety Eric Berry said the defense was having trouble preventing Auburn’s third-down conversions as well.

“We just need to make those plays on third down, and we’ll be alright,” Berry said.

The Vols’ inability to convert on third down was evident early. After receiver Nu’Keese Richardson gained 41 yards on the first play from scrimmage, UT then failed to score from 24 yards out after kicker Daniel Lincoln’s 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

UT then punted on its next two series, lengthening the Vol defense’s time on the field and giving the Tigers a chance to move the chains.

Auburn scored 13 unanswered points thanks to two field goals by kicker Wes Byrum and a 12-yard touchdown run by tailback Ben Tate.

On a third-and-10 play, Crompton threw a pass over the middle to tight end Luke Stocker for 40 yards, setting up a Montario Hardesty touchdown run that narrowed the score 13-6 before halftime.

But failed third-down conversions would hurt the Vols again. A defensive stop early in the third quarter gave UT a chance to take the lead with a first-and-10 at its own 29. Instead, Tennessee lost four yards before punting and setting up another Auburn field goal, giving the Tigers a 16-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

When Auburn scored again early in the final period to boost its lead to 23-6, UT fans began to stream out of the stands.That’s when the Vols tacked on 10 unanswered points, a 31-yard touchdown pass to Hardesty and a 26-yard field goal by Lincoln.

The UT defense needed a stop to keep the Vols in the game. Instead, the Tigers returned the ensuing kickoff for 52 yards, putting themselves in scoring position and eventually tacking on a late field goal to seal the game.