Auburn's season came to an end in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday, as they were defeated 17-13 by the No. 20 Houston Cougars (12-2) at Protective Stadium. With 3:20 left in the game, Clayton Tune completed a 26-yard pass to Jake Herslow, giving the Tigers a 13-10 lead.
With a TJ Finley touchdown pass to Kobe Hudson in the third quarter, Auburn overturned a 10-0 deficit. Finley threw for 227 yards on 19-37 attempts for the day.
Tune earned MVP with 280 yards passing on 26-40 attempts.
Auburn's season comes to a close with a five-game losing skid. Since the 2012 season, the Tigers haven't lost five straight games. Let's take a look back at the competition.
FOURTH QUARTER Houston 17 Auburn 13
Houston 17 Auburn 13 (3:27)
— Tune regained the lead with a 26-yard touchdown throw to Jake Herslow. Tune's touchdown pass finished an 80-yard drive that lasted 3:20 in the fourth quarter and included eight plays.
With 7:47 left in the game, Chandler Wooten intercepted Tune at the 48-yard line.
IN THE THIRD QUARTER, Auburn leads Houston by a score of 13 to 10.
— Nehemiah Pritchett had a 33-yard interception return. A Smoke Monday targeting penalty canceled Pritchett's comeback. His Auburn career came to an end after he was ejected for a violation on Monday.
Auburn 13, Houston 10 (3:52)
—The Tigers took a 13-10 lead as TJ Finley connected with Kobe Hudson on a 12-yard touchdown throw. The drive covered 78 yards in 11 plays and took 6:12 to complete.
-- Houston 10, Auburn 6 (12:12)
On Auburn's first possession, Ben Patton kicks a 35-yard field goal to conclude an eight-play, 57-yard drive that took 2:42 off the clock.
SECOND QUARTER Houston 10, Auburn 3
-- Houston 10, Auburn 0 (3:10)
— Ben Patton kicked a 27-yard field goal to put the Tigers on the board after an eight-play, 67-yard drive.
-- Houston 10, Auburn 0 (6:58)
— The Cougars' Dalton Witherspoon kicked a 53-yard field goal to conclude a nine-play drive.
On 4th-and-3, Auburn turns the ball over on downs. At the 17-yard line, TJ Finley fired a catchable ball to Shedrick Jackson. The ball touched the ground, handing the ball back to the Cougars, according to the replay.
FIRST QUARTER: Houston 7, Auburn 0 .
— On Houston's second drive, Auburn's defense recovers and forces a three-and-out.
— On third-and-11, T.J. Finley is struck as he throws, and Auburn's first possession ends in a three-and-out.
-- Houston 7, Auburn 0 (8:46)
On the first drive, Auburn wasted a handful of opportunities to get off the field, and Houston punished the defense. On third-and-goal from the 5, Clayton Tune escapes Joko Willis' rush before connecting with Alton McCaskill for the touchdown. The touchdown came at the end of a 12-play, 87-yard scoring drive. On the first drive, Tune went 7-of-8 passing for 74 yards and a score.
— Auburn's linebackers will be Cam Riley and Chandler Wooten to start the game.
— Auburn wins the toss and elects to play in the second half. To start things off, the Tigers will kick-off.
PREGAME
Welcome to Birmingham for the 15th annual Birmingham Bowl, which will be held at the beautiful new Protective Stadium for the first time.
The matchup between Auburn (6-6) and No. 20 Houston (11-2) will start off at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Tigers will try to end Year 1 of the Bryan Harsin era on a high note after losing four straight games to end the regular season, while the Cougars will try to rebound from a loss to College Football Playoff semifinalist Cincinnati in the AAC championship earlier this month and finish the year with a signature win against a Power 5 opponent.
Due to injuries, transfers, and opt-outs, both clubs will be missing several key players. Along with injured kicker Anders Carlson and outgoing transfers Bo Nix, Shaun Shivers, Tashawn Manning, Ladarius Tennison, and others, Auburn will be without All-America cornerback Roger McCreary, All-SEC linebacker Zakoby McClain, and starting offensive linemen Brodarious Hamm and Nick Brahms (knee surgery). Houston will be without All-America return specialist Marcus Jones and defensive lineman Logan Hall, who both chose to sit out this season.
— Auburn's offensive depth chart has been updated: With Nick Brahms out, Jalil Irvin will start at center. With Brodarious Hamm out, Kilian Zierer will start at the right tackle. Brandon Council has replaced Tashawn Manning at left guard, where he started the last three games of the regular season.
— Updates to the defensive depth chart: In lieu of Zakoby McClain, Wesley Steiner will start at linebacker. Owen Pappoe is also listed as a starter at linebacker, despite the fact that he did not participate in the team's morning warmups. Chandler Wooten is labeled as a Star, but he should start with Steiner as a linebacker. With Roger McCreary opting out, Jaylin Simpson takes over as the starting cornerback.
— Defensive lineman Marquis Burks is set to miss the game due to a walking boot.
— Auburn's quarterbacks aren't warming up with Grant Loy, and he doesn't appear to be with the team. T.J. Finley's backup today will be Demetrius Davis. Although the former four-star signee has yet to play this season, he drew some notice during bowl preparation.
— Auburn has returned to its original navy facemasks and blue uniforms.
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