AUBURN, Ala. — Even the best laid plans can backfire in football.

Gus Malzahn believes his plan to rotate three quarterbacks — and play two running backs at Wildcat — was a good one, but it obviously did not work as the Tigers struggled offensively in a 19-13 loss against No. 2 Clemson.

“We thought it was a good plan,” Malzahn said. “Obviously it wasn't. The change in and out (of quarterbacks), it hurt our tempo, obviously. That was the take on it.”

Malzahn is not one to often admit mistakes, but he seemed more open to accepting responsibility for the Tigers’ struggles than he was 48 hours earlier when speaking to the media. He was asked about his unorthodox approach in the wake of the loss Saturday at least 12 times, and Malzahn was uncharacteristically fiesty with the media.

“Going into the first game, the plan was that we were going to throw a lot at them,” Malzahn said. “We felt like all three quarterbacks had some things they could be successful with. We were going to give them a lot to think about. We weren't able to execute or run the — we weren't as successful as I thought we would be with those (plans), but that was the plan.”

Auburn substituted at least 20 times to switch quarterbacks. All three quarterbacks — Sean White, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin III — even lined up in the same formation once early in the game.

Subscribe to the FREE Auburn Undercover newsletter for the best, most-up-to-date Tigers coverage on the planet — it only takes five seconds to sign up!

The approach resulted in 38 yards of offense in the first half. The Tigers sided with a more conventional approach in the second half, though several players lined up in the Shotgun. Thirty-one of White’s 39 snaps occurred in the second half and Auburn subsequently out-gained Clemson with 224 yards compared to the visiting Tigers’ 166.

“Any time you lose a close game you have a chance to win, those are the ones that hurt,” Malzahn said. “Like I said, you’ve got to kind of categorize that and move forward. You’ve got to put that behind you and move forward, and the positive is we can play with anybody in the country. That’s what we learned Saturday night, and next time we have that opportunity, we need to win a game against one of the top teams.”

Four of Auburn’s five final possessions reached Clemson’s red zone. The Tigers scored one touchdown on a nine-yard run by Kerryon Johnson on a direct snap out of the Wildcat formation. The fifth and final possession ended with two unsuccessful Hail Mary heaves to the end zone.

Auburn’s approach in the second half seems to be the direction Auburn is headed toward as it prepares to face Arkansas State on Saturday.

Franklin III played more than 80 percent of his snaps in the second half. Meanwhile, Johnson’s opportunities were taken away. Three of his six snaps in the second half ended in negative yardage or an interception.

The approach in the second half lines up with Malzahn’s plans for the future: White as the starter and Franklin III as the backup. Johnson has been pushed to the third-team quarterback.

“We're moving forward with Sean White,” said Malzahn, “and bringing along John Franklin.”

Get the best Auburn coverage on the planet: Subscribe to Auburn Undercover.