Auburn had Tennessee in a vise for a half, and then the game changed the moment the Vols changed quarterbacks.
The Tigers went to the locker room with a 7-3 lead after holding true freshman Faizon Brandon to zero passing yards before halftime. But Tennessee made the switch to another freshman, George MacIntyre, just before the break, and the offense immediately found a different gear. MacIntyre finished 8-for-10 for 86 yards, did enough as a passer to keep Auburn honest, and that opened the door for Tennessee’s ground game to take over.
DeSean Bishop was the hammer. The Vols’ RB1 ripped Auburn for 220 yards and three touchdowns, the biggest individual day anyone has put on the Tigers this season.
After the game, Alex Golesh walked through what he saw from the quarterback change and Auburn’s pass rush. “He was as efficient as you can imagine,” Golesh said.
“I think at one point he was 6-for-6… we forced a ton of pressure in the first half, but in that second half… we just didn’t get any pressure. They max protected him; they did a good job of protecting him, but we certainly didn’t affect him in any way.”
That pressure had been the clear game plan from the start. Tennessee had allowed 10 sacks in its loss to Texas, and Auburn came in looking to attack that weakness and keep the Vols from getting comfortable no matter who was taking snaps.
For a while, that worked. Brandon’s first-half line of zero passing yards came with Auburn living in the backfield, and Da’Shawn Womack had two sacks on the same first-quarter drive to blow up an early Tennessee possession. After that, though, the Tigers only added one more sack.
Even with the second-half collapse, Auburn still held its own in some areas. The Tigers finished with 345 total yards to Tennessee’s 323, but they lost the turnover battle 3-2, and the inability to keep the pressure coming for four quarters proved costly.
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Auburn Just Gave Fans A Reason To Watch One Elite Recruiting Battle
Auburn has jumped into one of the earliest recruiting races on its calendar, extending a scholarship offer to Jeremiah Tillman, a four-star edge rusher and linebacker in the 2029 class. The offer puts the Tigers in the mix with a prospect already drawing attention from programs such as Alabama, Florida and Tennessee, and it gives Auburn another chance to sell what has long been one of its calling cards on defense.
Tillman already has a visit to Auburn lined up for Oct. 24, a date that should offer the staff a chance to make a strong impression in person. He has shown interest in Auburns defensive culture and atmosphere, which is exactly the kind of feedback the Tigers want to hear as they try to stay competitive in a battle that figures to only get bigger from here. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Heads Into Bye Week Clinging To One Reason For Hope
Auburn heads into its bye week with a lot to sort through after taking a second loss to Tennessee, but there was at least one encouraging sign to carry forward. Center Cole Best pointed to the teams unity and its refusal to quit even as the game turned difficult, and Auburn did show some improvement in the run game during the second half. For a team still trying to settle into the grind of SEC competition, those are the kinds of small but meaningful details that can keep a locker room from splintering.
Head coach Alex Golesh has kept the focus on accountability without turning to finger-pointing, which matters when the results are not matching the effort. The bigger concern is the sense that Auburn may simply be working through a talent gap against the leagues more complete rosters, a challenge that does not disappear over a bye week. Still, if there is one reason for hope, it is that the Tigers continue to play for one another even while the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Tennessee Loss Exposed A Problem Up Front Fans Feared
Auburns loss at Tennessee did more than add another blemish to the record. It put a spotlight on the kind of issues that have been hovering around the Tigers for weeks, especially up front, where the run defense and offensive line both drew harsh reviews in Pro Football Focus grading of the game. In a 24-14 defeat, the numbers backed up what the eye test suggested: Tennessee was able to control too much of the game at the line of scrimmage.
The PFF breakdown also offered a closer look at how individual players fared in the matchup, with Donovan Haslam, Mark Matthews, David Sanders Jr. and Dejuan Lane all evaluated for their roles. On the other side, Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre earned strong marks for his efficient work after replacing Faizon Brandon, which only added to Auburns frustration. For a team trying to steady itself, the concern is not just the result in Knoxville, but what it says about how difficult the Tigers are becoming to trust where the trenches decide games. [Read more 🡒]