Auburn’s trip to Tennessee lands right where the Tigers have been circling the calendar all offseason: October, and a brutal one at that.
The month starts Saturday in Knoxville, where Auburn opens a stretch that also includes road trips to three vaunted stadiums and a visit from the most polarizing figure in college football. Neyland Stadium is first up, and it gives the Tigers another crack at a classic SEC rivalry game in a setting that should tell us plenty about Coach Golesh’s debut season on the Plains.
This week’s roundtable also featured Darrell Dapprich, the Montgomery radio legend and member of the Locked on Auburn and Auburn Daily teams. He’ll be on location at Neyland Stadium for Auburn’s game against the Volunteers.
The biggest question hanging over Auburn’s October is how the record shakes out, and the answers ranged from cautious optimism to a tougher read on the schedule. Zac Blackerby landed at 1-3, though he said, “I want to believe they find a way to get one.”
Christian Rauh went the other direction at 2-2, arguing that “The Auburn Tigers are closer than a lot of people are giving them credit for.” Trey Lee said the preseason outlook made it hard not to pencil Auburn in for 0-4, but called 1-3 the best-case scenario, with a chance to “go into Knoxville this week and knock off a reeling Volunteer team.”
The stadium itself drew mixed reactions. Zac put Neyland “somewhere around the middle” of his SEC rankings, while Christian slotted it at No. 5 behind Tiger Stadium, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Kyle Field and Jordan-Hare Stadium. Trey said his own view was shaped by a 2013 trip to the stadium, when he was “very high up on a very tiny seat on a rainy day,” and added that his in-person opinion shouldn’t count for too much.
Christian, meanwhile, said his favorite Auburn-Tennessee memory came in basketball, not football. He pointed to the 2019 SEC Tournament Championship Game, when “Auburn didn't just beat Tennessee.
The Tigers ran them out of the building.” Trey echoed that same game, saying, “Harper to Brown for the 3 had me so excited.”
As for the Tennessee side, one name kept coming up: DeSean Bishop. Zac called him “a stud” and warned that if Auburn’s run fits don’t improve, Bishop could find room to work. Trey highlighted a familiar face for Auburn fans in defensive back Kayin Lee, the former Auburn corner who picked off Cam Coleman last week and now figures to see Keshaun Singleton and Chaz Nimrod in coverage.
The main concern for Auburn, though, was less about one player and more about how the Tigers handle their first true road test of the season. Zac wants to see a fast start and said he’s not nearly as worried about the crowd as he is about what happens if Auburn’s offense stumbles early again.
Christian focused on the atmosphere, saying the Tigers will have to deal with the “energy and emotion” after a less-than-ideal response in the SEC opener at Jordan-Hare. Trey’s issue was offensive consistency, especially staying on the field long enough to avoid the kind of lopsided time-of-possession swings that come with a fast-paced attack.
There was also a lot of attention on the trenches. Christian named Jared Smith as the player he’d watch most closely, noting that Tennessee gave up 10 sacks to Texas last week. Trey liked Omar Mabson to have a big day on the ground if the conditions tilt toward the run game, and Zac said the Vols will likely do everything they can to run the football if weather becomes a factor.
The bold predictions leaned toward a grinding game. Zac predicted zero turnovers. Trey went even further, forecasting no passing touchdowns from either team, only rushing scores.
For his winner of the week pick, Zac went with Carlton Davis, saying the former Auburn Tiger is in a tough spot opposite Christian Gonzalez with the Patriots. Christian stayed with Jackson Koivun for a second straight week, pointing out that he “didn't lose a single match in the Presidents Cup, the only player to do so.”
When the picks came down, Christian backed Auburn to pull it out, saying the defense is trending the right way after the Vanderbilt game and predicting a 24-21 upset. Trey tied his view back to the weather and the run game, while also making it clear he sees the Tigers as the team that can land a signature win under Alex Golesh.
In Other News...
Auburn Found One Lifeline In An Uneven Win Before Tennessee
Auburn needed every bit of its special teams to survive Vanderbilt, and it got it in a game that was far from clean on offense. Cody Siglers blocked field goal and Cade Carlsons blocked punt returned for a touchdown supplied the kind of hidden-yardage swing that can change a tight afternoon, and head coach Alex Golesh pointed to those plays as decisive in the 21-15 win.
The performance still left plenty for Auburn to sort out before Tennessee arrives. The Tigers found a way to get a needed result, but the offense never fully took control, which makes the margin for error much thinner with a tougher SEC test next on the schedule. For a team trying to build momentum, the question now is whether those special teams sparks can carry over when the stakes get higher. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Just Earned New Hope With A Brutal Test Ahead
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CBS Sports ranking of Auburn at No. 13 in the SEC says plenty about where the Tigers stand right now: competitive enough to be intriguing, but not yet proven enough to command broad trust. The next few weeks will tell the story, with Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss all waiting on a schedule that leaves little room for the kind of uneven play Auburn has shown so far. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Defense Still Has One Issue Tennessee Could Expose
Auburns defense took a step forward in the win over Vanderbilt, doing a better job of limiting quarterback Jared Curtis than it had in the earlier loss to Florida. The improvement mattered, but it also came with a reminder that the Tigers are still working through some things on that side of the ball as the schedule gets tougher.
The main concern inside the program has been urgency, along with missed tackles that popped up even in a better showing. With Tennessee up next and Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss still looming, Auburn knows the margin for error is getting thinner, and several players along with the head coach have made it clear that the defense has to clean up those habits fast. [Read more 🡒]