Auburn came out of Saturday night with a 44-39 loss to Florida, and the biggest alarm bell wasn’t the scoreboard by itself. It was the way DJ Durkin’s defense spent the night getting dragged around, snapped after snap, until the Tigers simply couldn’t keep up.
This was supposed to be the side of the ball Auburn could trust. For two weeks, it looked that way.
The goal-line stand in Atlanta against Baylor in Week 1 had the defense feeling like the team’s anchor. Against Florida, though, the cracks showed fast and stayed open.
The Gators went 7-for-15 on third down and converted all three of their fourth-down tries. They ran 76 plays, held the ball for about 40 minutes and piled up 262 rushing yards. That kind of workload wore Auburn down, and the Tigers never really found a way to slow the bleeding.
The tackling numbers tell the story in brutal detail. Pro Football Focus charged Auburn with 24 missed tackles, with Xavier Atkins and Da’Shawn Womack responsible for five each. Auburn’s tackling issues showed up against Baylor too, especially with linebackers filling gaps and handling the run, and Florida attacked those same weaknesses with far worse results.
Jadan Baugh was the centerpiece of the damage, rushing for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores came on runs where he wasn’t touched. Duke Clark also hurt Auburn out of the backfield, including a touchdown on 3rd-and-20.
That last one stung because the situation was right there for Auburn to seize. Florida looked like it was settling for a field goal before halftime, but instead the Gators punched in a touchdown. Those are the kinds of plays that swing games, and Florida collected too many of them.
The problems weren’t limited to missed tackles. Auburn also had communication breakdowns, with misalignments and busted structure showing up when Florida used unbalanced looks.
"There were some misalignments," Golesh said afterward. "They did a good job with some unbalanced stuff that we didn't adjust as well as we needed to."
Golesh also pointed to the burden Auburn’s offense placed on the defense. The Tigers finished the first quarter with minus-3 yards of total offense, and that left the defense chasing the game early.
Auburn did manage to claw back and tie things at 17, but Florida answered with 17 straight points. When Auburn needed a stop most, the defense couldn’t provide one.
That’s the part that has to worry Auburn moving forward. The offense has issues to clean up, no question.
But this defense was supposed to buy the Tigers time while Golesh sorted out the other side of the ball. Instead, Auburn put up 39 points and still lost.
That’s not the script anyone expected. And for Auburn, it feels awfully familiar.
In Other News...
Auburn Fans Wont Love How Alex Golesh Framed The Vanderbilt Game
Auburn is still trying to find its footing in the SEC, and Alex Golesh is approaching Week 4 like a coach focused on the long view rather than a single alarm bell. He said the matchup with Vanderbilt is not a must-win, instead stressing preparation, consistency and the process of building the program the right way. Golesh also pointed to the Tigers recent defensive issues as an area that has to improve if this team is going to settle in and compete the way it wants to.
That framing may not sit well with a fan base that is already anxious about the early-season picture, especially with Vanderbilt entering unbeaten and working with a new starting quarterback. Auburn does not have the luxury of ignoring the stakes in conference play, and the game offers another test of whether the Tigers can tighten up on defense and show real progress in a league that rarely gives anyone much room to breathe. [Read more 🡒]
Byrum Brown Is Fueling Auburns Biggest Early Season Debate
Byrum Brown has quickly become one of the biggest reasons Auburn has stayed interesting through the first few weeks of the season. Entering Week 4, he ranks fourth in the SEC in passing yards with 756, while also adding 180 yards on the ground, and his production has come with a little bit of everything attached. He has thrown five touchdowns and four interceptions, and Auburn has leaned on a receiving group that includes transfers from USF and a true freshman as it tries to sort out its offensive identity.
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Alabama Fans Need To See Which In-State Standouts Are Taking Off
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There is also a broader pattern worth watching from last years top Alabama names once they got to college, with CD Morgan, EJ Crowell and DeShawn Spencer all beginning to show signs of early impact. Spencers path is especially relevant on the Plains, since Auburn coach Alex Golesh played a role in recruiting him, another small reminder that the states high-end talent is already linked back to Auburn in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]