Byrum Brown’s first month in Auburn colors has been a mixed bag, and Josh Pate’s latest SEC quarterback rankings made that plain by leaving him off the top 10 altogether.
That omission lands after a start that has been uneven more than anything else. Through Auburn’s first four games, Brown has thrown for 869 yards and six touchdowns, but he’s also coughed up five interceptions - enough to keep his stat line from looking as clean as it could. The Tigers have seen both sides of him already: the dynamic playmaker who can move the offense, and the quarterback still trying to settle in.
Brown arrived from USF with a resume that turned heads. Last season, he was the only quarterback in FBS to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards, and he finished second in total touchdowns accounted for behind eventual Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.
The problem is that Auburn hasn’t gotten that version consistently yet.
His debut against Baylor was rough out of the gate, with three interceptions, though he did bail the Tigers out by using his legs to score the eventual deciding touchdown. That performance immediately raised questions about what the season might look like with Brown running the show.
He looked more comfortable against Southern Miss, where he completed 62.1% of his throws for 226 yards and two touchdowns while adding 88 rushing yards. That game also stands as the only one this season in which Brown has not rushed for a touchdown.
Then came Florida, Auburn’s first SEC test of the season, and Brown still put up numbers even after an early pick swung momentum toward the Gators. He finished with 271 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
The Vanderbilt game, though, was his quietest outing as a Tiger. Brown completed 66.7% of his passes but managed only 140 yards with one touchdown and one interception. That showing appears to be the one that pushed him out of Pate’s rankings.
Brown will get another shot to change the conversation this Saturday against Tennessee. And with Auburn heading into a brutal stretch, the Tigers need him to be steadier - especially early - if the offense is going to keep pace against some of the better defenses in the country.
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
Auburn finally got the kind of result it had been chasing at home, snapping a stretch that dated back to 2024 and nudging its record to 3-1 in the process. For a program still trying to settle into a rhythm under Alex Golesh, it was the sort of win that can steady a season, even if the bigger questions around consistency still linger.
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 🡒]