Auburn’s first year under Alex Golesh hasn’t been a clean climb, but the Tigers have started to look like a program moving in the right direction. After six straight seasons of mediocrity and a coaching change following Hugh Freeze’s firing, Auburn has taken some real steps forward this fall - and the win over then-No. 1 Georgia changed the mood around the entire program in a hurry.
That doesn’t mean the early part of the season was pretty. It wasn’t.
Auburn stumbled badly out of the gate, and even with the surge after the bye week, there’s still a long way to go before anyone can call this a finished product. The Tigers will try to keep that momentum rolling this week against LSU.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg pointed to the defense as one of the biggest reasons Auburn has had success at all. Even before the breakthrough against Georgia, the Tigers had shown stretches of strong football, especially on that side of the ball, helping fuel wins over Vanderbilt and Baylor. Rittenberg also noted that Auburn has allowed only six passing touchdowns, which is tied for 22nd fewest nationally, and said Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod have given the Tigers a solid receiver pairing.
The offense, though, has been the bigger problem for much of the season. Auburn had trouble stringing together complete performances before Week 7, and the scoring output was too often stuck in the mud, with 21 points or fewer in three of five games. The offensive line also became a major concern, surrendering 23 sacks - the most among Power 4 teams and more than all but three FBS teams.
That protection issue has been a headache all season, and it didn’t disappear against Georgia. Byrum Brown was still sacked five times in that game.
But the Tigers did find something offensively in Athens by leaning more heavily on Brown’s legs and giving the offense more freedom to flow through him. Auburn also got more out of improvisation when passing plays broke down, and that adjustment helped spark the turnaround in a big way.
Rittenberg also zeroed in on the dismissal of Atkins, calling it “jarring.” He added that the move came against a backdrop where Atkins was Auburn’s top returnee, though the situation appeared isolated. Still, the Tigers managed to beat Georgia without him, and that’s hard to ignore.
For now, Rittenberg’s overall view of Golesh’s start is positive, even if the road has been uneven. “Golesh's review would have been lukewarm, at best, before the Georgia win, but there's no minimizing what the Tigers accomplished in Athens,” he said.
“They showcased both their talent and mettle, rallying from 14-0 down with 24 consecutive points. The team has been competitive in both losses.
Golesh, a gifted recruiter, will have more talented rosters in future seasons, but he is establishing some good culture elements in Year 1.”
In Other News...
LSU Faces A Dangerous Road Test Auburn Is Built To Exploit
LSU heads to Auburn for an SEC matchup that already has the feel of a stress test for both sides. The Tigers are still carrying the energy from Auburns upset over Georgia, and both coaching staffs have acknowledged how hard it can be to keep that emotional edge once the next week arrives. For LSU, the setting matters almost as much as the opponent, because recent SEC road trips have been a problem and this one lands in a place where Auburn should have a crowd fully behind it.
The numbers point to LSU as the steadier team on paper, with advantages in several offensive and defensive categories, but the trip to Jordan-Hare has a way of shrinking those edges. Auburn does not need to be perfect at home to make life uncomfortable, especially when the atmosphere is already primed after a signature win. For LSU, the challenge is turning statistical superiority into a road performance, and for Auburn, it is about using the home-field surge before the emotional letdown has a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Waiting On Key Signee As Eligibility Fight Drags On
Auburns exhibition matchup with Alabama in Birmingham is already feeling the effects of a legal fight that has pushed back the arrival of international signee Mantas Rubtaviius. The delay in the lawsuit between Rubtaviius and the NCAA means he remains unavailable for the game, leaving Auburn to move forward without one of the newcomers it was counting on this fall.
Rubtaviius situation has become a reminder that roster building does not always move on a clean timetable, especially when eligibility questions are still tied up in court. For Auburn, the bigger concern is simple: a player expected to be part of the mix is still stuck in limbo, and there is no clear resolution yet as the Tigers prepare for the next step of their preseason schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is Giving Jordan-Hare An Extra Edge For LSU
Jordan-Hare Stadium is set to sound a little different for Auburns next home test. The university plans to amplify the crowd atmosphere for Saturdays matchup with No. 18 LSU by using microphones for the marching band and field-level speakers, a move aimed at turning an already charged setting into something even more difficult for the visitors to navigate.
It comes on the heels of Auburns upset of No. 1 Georgia, which only sharpened the anticipation around another major home stage. The LSU game is set for 11 a.m. Central on ABC, and with kickoff coming early in the day, Auburn is clearly looking for every possible edge to make Jordan-Hare feel as loud as it can from the start. [Read more 🡒]