COLUMBIA, SC | Auburn's offense went dormant in the second half — again — on Saturday in Columbia as the Tigers fell to South Carolina 21-17. In its three-game losing streak, Auburn has combined to score nine points in the second half.

Three points came in Columbia and six were scored against Mississippi State — Auburn was held scoreless in the second half at Texas A&M.

“I have used the word finish," Bryan Harsin said. "It’s a combination of execution. It’s a combination of putting our guys in position. You’ve got to be clutch. That’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to be clutch in those situations. You’ve got to be able to make plays when you need to and do it properly.

"We’ve got to be able to put them in the best position and give them a chance to go make plays and be successful moving the ball down the field. It’s a combination of all those things is what it is."

Auburn's lone points in the second half came on a 37-yard field goal from Ben Patton. The Tigers actually outgained South Carolina in the second half with 180 yards to South Carolina's 143, but points didn't follow suit.

Auburn has now been outscored 57-9 in the second half by Texas A&M, Mississippi State and South Carolina.

"You’ve got to finish. To win games it doesn’t matter, you’ve got to finish," Harsin said. "That’s always been something that is important, certainly in the programs I’ve been a part of. It’s no different here, but we’re not getting it done. That’s the bottom line. We’re not getting it done. That’s on me to make sure we get that corrected and get that done and those things happen when we step back on the field and play. That’s the bottom line.”

And dating back to the Ole Miss game, Auburn has scored 12 points in the second half over the last four games.

"It just goes back to being consistent," Shedrick Jackson said. "I don't think they changed up anything or did anything special. It just comes down to us making plays and knowing what we've got to do to just continue to make plays and keep that momentum going."

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