OK, die-hard Auburn fan. Give me all your excuses for another offensive dumpster fire against Clemson. You have 10 seconds. Go.

It was one game, an early game, a game that doesn't count in the SEC standings, a game against the reigning national champions in their house. Kam Pettway has a bad heel, Kerryon Johnson was out, Jarrett Stidham is still rusty. We can still win the SEC!

Time's up for you, and the clock's ticking on Gus Malzahn.

If Clemson 14, Auburn 6 was merely one ugly outing on the road against a great team, with a new Malzahn low of 117 total yards, it would be understandable. It would be easier to believe Malzahn's postgame vow: "We're going to be a good offense before this is all said and done. I promise you that."

The trouble is, this debacle just adds to the growing mountain of evidence that, against the better teams on the schedule, Malzahn has lost his way on the side of the ball where he made his name.

Consider some of these not-so-fun facts:

This is the third time in the last six games that Auburn has produced fewer than 200 total yards. This is the seventh time in the last 15 games that Auburn has produced fewer than 20 points.

Since the start of the 2016 season, Auburn has lost games in which Kevin Steele's defense has held opponents to 19, 13 and 14 points.

In Malzahn's first two years as head coach in 2013 and 2014, Auburn won games in which its defense, before Steele arrived, allowed 41, 38, 42, 35 and 31 points.

Auburn has produced 30 or more points against a ranked team only once since the start of the 2015 season. That came in last year's 56-3 destruction of then-No. 17 Arkansas.

In Malzahn's first two seasons as head coach, Auburn scored 30 or more points against ranked teams 10 times.

As good as Clemson's defense has become, it's not as if Brent Venables unit has shut down everyone in its path. Last year, Clemson held Auburn to 262 yards in a 19-13 Clemson victory. Eight of Clemson's other opponents put up more yards than Auburn did and seven put up more points.

In this year's opener, Clemson beat Kent State 56-3. The Golden Flashes had 120 yards of offense - or 3 more than Auburn did in Death Valley.

So, yes, there's no doubt, have faith that Auburn will have a good offense this season - against the likes of Mercer and Missouri. But what happens when the Tigers meet LSU in the other Death Valley or Georgia and Alabama in Jordan-Hare Stadium?

The good news for the Tigers: It's a long way from here to there.

The bad news: It's been a long time since the Auburn offense made noise against a defense with a pulse.

Why will the rest of this season be any different?