Auburn Center Connor Lew Out for Season After Suffering Torn ACL

Auburn’s football season has been disappointing overall. The Tigers began the season with a promising 3-0 record, but a four-game losing streak has brought their record to 3-4 after a frustrating double-overtime loss to Missouri, with a score of 23-17. In that game, junior center Connor Lew exited during the first drive of the second half and did not return for the remainder of the contest.

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On Monday, multiple reports emerged that Lew would miss the rest of the season due to the junior pass blocker for the Tigers suffering a torn ACL.

Lew was a three-year starter for the Tigers and was recognized as one of the best pass blockers on the team, earning a pass blocking grade of 72.8 according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). During the season, Lew allowed only two sacks on his 244 pass-blocking opportunities. After Lew exited early in the second half, Auburn brought in 17-year-old true freshman Kail Ellis, who played center for the Tigers for the remainder of the game.

Auburn's head football coach, Hugh Freeze, highlighted the significant role that Lew plays on the team. He discussed how Lew's presence greatly impacts the offense and its overall functioning. Losing a key player who makes protection calls and manages pre-snap adjustments for the offensive line can seriously affect the team's performance for the remainder of the season.

“Obviously, when you lose a guy like Connor who battles for you against a really talented defense, it’s challenging.” Freeze added “I really don’t know how Karl performed. Obviously I think he’s going to be a really good football player. But you know, that was a huge loss to lose the leader of your O-Line. He makes all protection calls and all the up there, run game, pass game. So that was a tough loss for sure.”

This is a tough blow to an offense that has struggled this year. Auburn's total offense ranks 107th in the nation and 14th in the SEC, averaging just 5.08 yards per play and totaling only 335 yards of offense per game. The team has managed to score just 20 touchdowns in seven games, which places its scoring offense at 13th in the SEC, averaging 23.6 points per game. The Tigers still have challenging matchups ahead, including a road game against No. 10 Vanderbilt and the Iron Bowl at home against No. 4 Alabama. Compounding their difficulties, they will be facing these teams without their leader on the offensive line. Not only will a freshman be filling that position, but it will be a 17-year-old player who should still be in his senior year of high school if he hadn’t reclassified.

Freeze will roll Ellis out there this Saturday October 25th when the Tigers take on Arkansas on the road where they will look to break their four-game losing skid, and gain their first win in conference play on the season.

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