Auburn Football: Tigers struggle early, bounce back late to beat UL-Monroe

Auburn football had somewhat of a bye week against UL-Monroe to prepare for Alabama next week and it wasn’t pretty.

It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes wins don’t have to be. Auburn football was able to pull away from UL-Monroe after going into halftime with a 14-7 lead. The Tigers didn’t play their best game, but they may have been caught looking ahead to Alabama a bit early. The Tigers did win 42-14 despite sloppy play early.

In fact, the game was tied after the first quarter and with a seven-point halftime lead, Gus Malzahn took his guys into the locker room and they came out in the second half and fared much better.

Jarrett Stidham had a much better second half showing, finishing with 235 yards and two touchdowns in 18-of-24 passing. He did throw an interception, though. Will he be ready to face off against one of the nation’s top defenses?

This may have been a case of scoreboard watching by the Tigers. With the division title and a playoff spot on the line next weekend in Auburn for the Iron Bowl, the Tigers may have been thinking too much about Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide rather than the cupcake at half. This game should have never been close, even for a half.

Malzahn must get his guys mentally prepared for the biggest game of their lives as Alabama comes to town in Week 13 for what could be a playoff play-in. The Tigers rank No. 6 in the country and could use a win over No. 1 to get in.

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However, a win over Alabama will likely only ensure them a trip to the SEC title game and nothing more. The Tigers will have to beat Georgia twice this year to make the playoff.