After a bye week, it was believed that Auburn would do well against Missouri and would have two weeks to recover and prepare.

The opposite happened. Auburn looked flat once again, but Missouri had the same problem.

The following game was full of failures, missed opportunities and drama, and once again Auburn failed, losing 21-17.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Offensive dysfunction

Auburn's first-half performance looked like a comedy of errors offensively.

Poor blocking, missed shots, fumbles, penalties and questionable play led to Auburn scoring just three points in the first half. The Tigers moved the ball at times, but the aforementioned issues prevented them from sustaining and finishing drives.

The problems continued into the second half, bringing back the familiar feeling of Auburn failing to make the most of game-winning opportunities.

When the defense forced Missouri into a field goal and Auburn maintained a two-possession lead, the offense responded by driving 63 yards and missing a 30-yard field goal.

The puzzling part was the decision to throw the ball three times in a row after finishing first at the 10-yard line on a drive that included runs of 10, 11 and 15 yards and runs on eight of the nine previous plays Improve field position.

Aside from a 47-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to Cam Coleman, Auburn's offense never really found its footing.

Bend doesn't break through the defense until the end

Despite all of Auburn's early offensive struggles, the defense did a great job of keeping the Tigers in the game.

One of the biggest factors that led to Missouri's offensive woes was an injury to its starting quarterback. Brady Cook left the game on Missouri's first drive with an ankle injury and did not return until the final minute of the third quarter.

The Black and Gold Tigers moved the ball at times with replacement Drew Pyne in the game, but most of it was on the ground as Pyne struggled to find consistency in the passing game.

Similar to Auburn, Missouri had opportunities with good field position and drove the ball into Auburn territory, but repeatedly had to settle for long field goals, two of which were missed.

Things seemed to be changing for Missouri when Cook returned to the game and caught a 78-yard pass on the final play of the third quarter to allow a two-yard touchdown on the next play.

At the end of the game, Auburn caught a break and a 95-yard touchdown drive by Missouri gave them a 21-17 lead that the home Tigers never lost.

Another game given away

Auburn had control of a game and several chances to win, but lost. Does this sound familiar?

If so, it's because Saturday's loss to Missouri is far from the first time this season. It was a similar story to Oklahoma, where a late pick-six turned the game around late.

Losses to Cal and Arkansas were games where Auburn had chances to win, but turnovers cost the Tigers the game.

It wasn't just turnovers against Missouri. Sure, a fumble in the first half didn't help, but Saturday's problem was much bigger than just one thing.

Auburn showed an inability to finish the game, an inability to actually win a game when given the chance.

What's worse for the program is that it's not much of a surprise.

Peter Rauterkus reports on Auburn Sports AL.com. You can follow him on X below @peter_rauterkus or send him an email at [email protected]M