Auburn's 4-Overtime Loss to Arkansas Crushing Blow to Tigers' Bowl Game Hopes

Auburn needed a win at Arkansas on Saturday to grab some momentum and virtually seal a bowl berth in what has been a season of frustration.

But Gus Malzahn's team dropped the ball—literally—in a 54-46 quadruple overtime loss in Fayetteville to drop to 1-3 in SEC play.

The Tigers showed great resolve to battle back from an early 14-0 hole against the Razorbacks. The way things were going for a while, they could've easily folded.

Samantha Baker/Associated Press

The offense found some rhythm with true freshman quarterback Sean White. The defense made a few key stops, including a diving interception near the end zone by Kris Frost that sparked a mid-game comeback.

Consistency was the main issue, as it has been all year for Malzahn and company.

Auburn wouldn't have been in its early hole to the Razorbacks if it weren't for an absurd amount of drops in the first half by receivers. White completed two of his first eight passes, and all six he missed hit the hands of his targets.

When the Tigers were able to hold onto the ball again—White completed his next eight passes on a pair of touchdown drives—the offense moved with efficiency. An Arkansas pass defense that has struggled all season gave up chunk plays, which opened up some good gains for Auburn's running backs.

After halftime, the drops decreased, but they still came in huge situations. A White throw just out of the reach of a wide-open Chandler Cox forced Auburn to go 3-and-out, and Arkansas retook the lead on the ensuing drive.

But, continuing the theme of inconsistency, Ricardo Louis came up with two absurd catches on a last-minute drive that sent the game into overtime. Louis, who had issues with drops at times against Kentucky and got off to a dreadful start Saturday, came up big in a clutch situation and kept the game alive.

However, as the offense found its stride again, the Auburn defense looked nothing like the unit that put together a few stops in the second half.

The game was there for the taking as running back Peyton Barber ripped right through the heart of a tired Arkansas defense on the first drive of overtime.

Auburn forced a fourth-down situation with the game on the line, but Arkansas tied the game up on Brandon Allen's short pass to Drew Morgan.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Razorbacks—the nation's fourth-worst team in red-zone offense this season—weren't held to anything less than the best possible result on each of their overtime possessions. When Arkansas needed two-point conversions after the third overtime, they got them.

The spotlight shifted back to the Auburn offense, which faced an eight-point deficit in the fourth overtime. After a short run, Auburn threw three straight incompletions, with Louis dropping a potential touchdown and a fourth-down conversion.

Auburn showed some sparks on both sides of the ball Saturday at Arkansas just like it did last Thursday night against Kentucky.

But the Tigers couldn't keep the momentum going when they needed to most, and now they're staring down a future in which they could completely miss the postseason.

Never mind the summer picks of high-caliber bowl games or even championship showdowns. Auburn is in real danger of staying home this holiday season.

Auburn might have closed as seven-point underdogs to Arkansas, according to Odds Shark, but the trip to Fayetteville represented its best chance at getting that crucial fifth win.

Date	Opponent	Record	Location
Oct. 31	Ole Miss	5-2	Auburn
Nov. 7	Texas A&M	5-1	College Station, Texas
Nov. 14	Georgia	5-2	Auburn
Nov. 21	Idaho	2-4	Auburn
Nov. 28	Alabama	6-1	Auburn

Even with the Tigers' struggles this season, they should defeat Idaho, currently 2-4, at home. That leaves Auburn needing a win against either Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia or Alabama.

Three of those teams are currently ranked, and they've combined for a 21-6 record heading into Week 8.

One could point to a number of repeated miscues from Auburn's marathon loss to Arkansas on Saturday.

The real heart-breaker for the Tigers is that all they realistically had to do was make one stop or catch a few more drops in order to lock down a postseason spot.

A comeback win on the road could have led to an upset or two down the stretch. The Tigers would fall short of their lofty preseason goals, sure, but they'd have a winning record and crucial bowl practices.

But Auburn now faces a different and much harsher reality as it jets back to the Plains this weekend.

Game statistics courtesy of StatBroadcast. Unless otherwise noted, other statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.