2017 Auburn Tigers football team
The 2017 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Gus Malzahn. Auburn finished the season 10–4 overall and 7–1 in SEC play to win a share of the Western Division title with Alabama. Due to their head-to-head win over Alabama, they represented the Western Division in the SEC Championship Game where they lost to Georgia. They were invited to the Peach Bowl, where they lost to American Athletic Conference champion UCF. Recruiting Position key Recruits The Tigers signed a total of 23 recruits. Schedule Auburn's 2017 schedule was announced on September 13, 2016. It consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games in the regular season. Auburn hosted SEC opponents Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss, and the Tigers traveled to Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and Texas A&M. The Tigers hosted three of their four non–conference games: Mercer from the Southern Conference and Georgia Southern and Louisiana–Monroe, both from the Sun Belt Conference. Auburn traveled to Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Auburn had seven home games during this season because it was playing non-conference Clemson on the road, a return date for Clemson's visit to Jordan–Hare in 2016. Game summaries Georgia Southern Auburn opened the season against Georgia Southern. Prior to this meeting, the two teams had only met once, a 32–17 victory for Auburn in the 1991 season. Auburn suspended QB Sean White, RB Kamryn Pettway, and WR Kyle Davis prior to this game. The Tigers struggled on offense early, turning the ball over 3 times in the first half. However, in the second half the Tigers started to find their rhythm. On defense, however, the Tigers never struggled. The Tigers held the Eagles to 78 yards and no third down conversions on 15 attempts and allowed no points (the only Georgia Southern score was a fumble return). Auburn now leads the all-time series 2–0 and has never lost to a Sun Belt Conference team (26–0). Clemson Auburn had one of their worst offensive performances in recent memory in a 14–6 loss at the defending national champions, Clemson. The Tigers only mustered 117 yards of offense. The offensive line allowed 11 sacks on the night, one short of the Clemson record of 12 in a game. The defense was a bright spot, though, as Auburn held Clemson to its lowest point total since November 15, 2014 and stopped Clemson's run game effectively, though Clemson was able to convert on third down many times due to the passing game. The Tigers' 6 points were the fewest since they were shut out at Alabama in 2012. Mercer The third game of the season was against the Mercer Bears. It was Auburn's first game against Mercer since the 1922 season. Many people expected it to be a blowout, but Mercer kept