Alex Golesh isn’t about to scrap Auburn’s offensive identity after one ugly SEC loss, but the Tigers clearly can’t keep playing the same way and expect different results.
That much was on display in Saturday night’s 44-39 loss to Florida, a game in which Auburn’s defense spent far too much time on the field and the offense never quite did enough to take the pressure off. Florida held the ball for roughly 40 minutes, ran 76 plays to Auburn’s 66 and kept stringing together drives that Auburn couldn’t stop.
The Gators also rushed for 262 yards, converted all three of their fourth-down tries and repeatedly found ways to extend possessions. For a defense already fighting its own issues, that was a brutal combination.
Auburn didn’t exactly make life easier early. The Tigers finished the first quarter with minus-3 yards of total offense, and Byrum Brown threw an interception on the opening possession. Even with that break, Auburn never found much rhythm.
Afterward, Golesh said he needed to do a better job getting Brown going. But that doesn’t mean Auburn is about to tear up what Golesh and the players on the roster have spent years building.
The real issue is what happens when Auburn falls behind.
Golesh admitted he got a little too aggressive trying to force the kind of explosive play that could flip the game.
“I think I say selfishly, maybe greedy would be the word, of trying to create a chunk to get it going,” Golesh said.
That’s understandable in a game where you’re chasing points. Sometimes you do have to press. Sometimes you do have to gamble.
But Auburn also has to be able to stay on the field and stack drives, and that part wasn’t there against Florida. The Tigers ran for just 102 yards, and Jeremiah Cobb finished with nine carries for 32 yards. That’s a long way from the rushing identity Golesh talked about all offseason.
When the offense can’t hold up its end, the defense gets exposed even more. And Auburn’s defense had enough problems of its own. Missed tackles, communication breakdowns and explosive plays kept piling up all night, and Golesh said the Tigers weren’t executing well enough across all three phases.
That’s the story of Auburn’s SEC opener: a team that showed fight, but not enough consistency. The Tigers did that against Baylor, and they flashed it again by scoring 14 points in the final 6:20 against Florida.
Vanderbilt now gives Auburn another chance to prove it can do more than just survive the moment. Golesh doesn’t need to abandon his aggressive approach. He does need to make it fit the team he has right now.
In Other News...
Auburn Already Has A Byrum Brown Problem It Can't Ignore
Byrum Browns early run with Auburn has already turned into one of the seasons quiet pressure points. Through three weeks, the transfer quarterback has completed just under 65% of his passes for 780 yards, with five touchdowns and four interceptions, while much of the offense has depended on his decision-making to keep drives alive. Even with those numbers, CBS Sports left him off its top-50 quarterbacks list, a sign that national respect has not caught up with the role Auburn has asked him to play.
Browns decline as a runner has also changed the feel of the offense, since his rushing production and scoring on the ground are both well below what he delivered a year ago. For Auburn, the concern is bigger than one ranking or one rough stretch, because the offense has struggled overall and Brown remains central to how much it can recover. The Tigers need more than steady quarterback play now, and the gap between what they are asking Brown to do and what the offense has actually produced is getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's O-Line Shuffle Is Putting Fresh Pressure On One Freshman
Auburns offensive line came out of the Florida game with plenty to clean up after allowing seven sacks and never really getting the run game going. For first-year head coach Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon, the larger concern is how quickly they can settle a front that is still being adjusted on the fly, with true freshman Wilson Zierer making his first start in the middle of the shuffle.
Zierers debut gave Auburn a glimpse of both the upside and the growing pains that come with asking a first-year player to handle a major role this early. The inconsistency was part of the story, but so was the support around him, as teammates pointed to his work ethic and attitude after the game. The question now is how much more responsibility the Tigers are willing to place on him while the line keeps searching for its best version. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Homecoming Test Just Got More Dangerous Than Fans Expected
Auburns Homecoming weekend now comes with a little more edge than usual, as the Tigers prepare to host undefeated Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon. The 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium will put Auburn in front of a team that has already handled every challenge it has seen, and it arrives with freshman quarterback Jared Curtis set for his first road start.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh has already pointed to Curtiss talent while also noting Vanderbilts aggressive defensive style, which adds another layer to a matchup that looked dangerous from the start. The game will be carried on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network, and for Auburn, the timing makes it feel like more than just another conference game. [Read more 🡒]