Byrum Brown’s first three weeks at Auburn have not matched the hype that followed him into town.
CBS Sports left the Tigers’ transfer quarterback completely off its top-50 quarterbacks list, a sharp fall for a player many Auburn fans expected to arrive as one of the sport’s breakout stars in his new uniform. Instead, Brown is sitting behind names like Toledo’s John Alan Richter, North Dakota State’s Nathan Hayes and Memphis’ Marcus Stokes.
The numbers help explain why. Brown has completed just under 65% of his passes for 780 yards and five touchdowns, but he has also thrown four interceptions.
That line would look solid enough on its own, but the turnovers have kept it from feeling like a true step forward. Three of those picks came in Brown’s first game as a Tiger, and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon and head coach Alex Golesh took responsibility for two of the three interceptions.
Even so, a quarterback with a 5:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio is hard to place among the nation’s top 50.
The bigger concern, though, is that the part of Brown’s game expected to separate him hasn’t shown up yet. Last season, he was the only quarterback in FBS to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000.
Through three games at Auburn, he has only 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. That’s a long way from the kind of dual-threat production that made him such an intriguing addition in the first place.
Auburn’s offense has struggled alongside him, and Brown now leads the Tigers in total rushing yards ahead of RB1 Jeremiah Cobb, who has not seen much action so far this season. That puts even more on Brown’s shoulders, and it also means the Tigers are leaning heavily on his reads and decisions. With a longer throwing motion, he has to get the ball out quicker, especially in the SEC.
Brown has not found that rhythm yet, but the Tigers still have a chance to see things turn. This weekend brings one final unranked matchup before Auburn enters a brutal stretch of four straight ranked SEC opponents, including three road games and three games against teams in the top 10 right now.
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Auburn's O-Line Shuffle Is Putting Fresh Pressure On One Freshman
Auburns offensive line came out of the Florida game with plenty to clean up after allowing seven sacks and never really getting the run game going. For first-year head coach Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, the larger concern is how quickly they can settle a front that is still being adjusted on the fly, with true freshman Wilson Zierer making his first start in the middle of the shuffle.
Zierers debut gave Auburn a glimpse of both the upside and the growing pains that come with asking a first-year player to handle a major role this early. The inconsistency was part of the story, but so was the support around him, as teammates pointed to his work ethic and attitude after the game. The question now is how much more responsibility the Tigers are willing to place on him while the line keeps searching for its best version. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Homecoming Test Just Got More Dangerous Than Fans Expected
Auburns Homecoming weekend now comes with a little more edge than usual, as the Tigers prepare to host undefeated Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. The 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium will put Auburn in front of a team that has already handled every challenge it has seen, and it arrives with freshman quarterback Jared Curtis set for his first road start.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh has already pointed to Curtiss talent while also noting Vanderbilts aggressive defensive style, which adds another layer to a matchup that looked dangerous from the start. The game will be carried on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network, and for Auburn, the timing makes it feel like more than just another conference game. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan-Hare Faces An Uncomfortable Test Auburn Fans Never Expected
Jordan-Hare Stadium has long been the kind of place Auburn expects to tilt games its way, but the latest SEC opener offered a less familiar picture. After Floridas 44-39 win on the Plains, coach Jon Sumrall said the crowd at Floridas opener was livelier than the one Auburn brought for its conference debut, a blunt comparison that lands at a difficult moment for a program trying to rediscover its edge at home.
Auburn has now dropped five straight SEC games at Jordan-Hare, a stretch that has only sharpened the scrutiny around Alex Golesh as Vanderbilt comes to town. The home field is supposed to be an advantage, especially in a season with so much riding on each conference game, and this one feels especially important for Auburns chances to steady things before the pressure around its home performances grows any louder. [Read more 🡒]