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Auburn Football: 5 worst losses in program history

By Jake Mitchell

Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) walks off the field after Auburn Tigers take on New Mexico State Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. New Mexico State Aggies defeated Auburn Tigers 31-10.
Auburn Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne (1) walks off the field after Auburn Tigers take on New Mexico State Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. New Mexico State Aggies defeated Auburn Tigers 31-10. /
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22 Nov 1997: Tailback Rusty Williams of the Auburn Tigers (center) runs past quarterback Dameyune Craig (right) during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn won the game 18-17. Mandatory Credit: An
22 Nov 1997: Tailback Rusty Williams of the Auburn Tigers (center) runs past quarterback Dameyune Craig (right) during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. Auburn won the game 18-17. Mandatory Credit: An /

3. 1997 vs. Mississippi State, 20-0

In 1997, Terry Bowden’s final full season as the head coach at Auburn, the Tigers lost three games. Two of those defeats came at the hands of top-ten opponents, seventh-ranked Florida and third-ranked Tennessee.

Then, there was the Mississippi State game.

Auburn was a 17-point favorite, yet they were defeated handily. Even more perplexing is the fact that this Bulldog team was not a great one by any stretch. They’d been blown out by Georgia 47-0, handily defeated by LSU 24-9, and they struggled against a pretty weak non-conference schedule. Against UCF, Memphis, and NE Louisiana, the Bulldogs beat their opponents by a combined 24 points.

If there was an on-field sign that the bottom was about to fall out of the Bowden era, this was it. Auburn went 11-0 in his first season and a combined 46-12-1 from 1993-97. From this game forward, Bowden’s record at Auburn was 4-7.

The Tigers started 1998 with a 1-5 record and a bevy of concerns surrounding Bowden. He faced criticism for recruiting, off-the-field issues with players, and other more salacious rumors regarding his relationships with boosters.

The Tigers finished the year 3-8. It was the worst season since 1976, and the worst until 2012.

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