Auburn heads to Oxford with a clear job in front of it: get the run game moving again, because that’s the part of the offense that makes everything else go. After last weekend’s 38-17 loss to LSU, the Tigers now face No. 12 Ole Miss in their first meeting in two years, and the matchup comes at a time when both sides know exactly where the pressure points are.
Auburn coach Alex Golesh said Wednesday that the mood around the program stayed upbeat this week, even after the LSU setback. He pointed to the way his team responded in practice as the Tigers enter their fourth straight ranked opponent of the season.
“Yeah, it’s been really positive. It’s really fascinating to watch this team learn lessons last hey go.
They’ve always been really intentful, but they go as we go - we, as the coaches, go. You’re trying to continue to push leaders, but it’s been a really, really solid week.
They’re learning, everybody’s learning, the intent and focus week-to-week. It’s got to be elite, or the end result is not going to really been in your favor,” Golesh said on Wednesday.
He also said the group has handled the week with purpose while trying to stay fresh for the stretch run.
“I think they’ve been really intentional. They’ve tried to be physical and tried to manage getting legs back.
It’s really this last five-week stretch where you’ve got to continue to stay sharp, you’ve got to continue to stay physical. You’ve also got to monitor guys being fresh, because our best shot is to go play really fast, too.”
The biggest issue for Auburn last week was simple: LSU took away the ground game. The Tigers managed just 67 rushing yards, and Golesh made it clear that fixing that part of the offense is non-negotiable.
“I think every week, for us to be at our best, you got to be able to run the football,” Golesh added. “There’s a lot of it on tape.
You know that people are going to play you different in the sense of how we play offense. The tempo piece is a part of that.
So, we, one, have to start off with an intent to go be more violent than we’ve ever been, and two, we got to get to the right things really quickly too. And both of those things will be a big factor, especially early in the game.”
That puts Auburn in position to attack a clear vulnerability on the other side. Ole Miss has struggled against the run this season, allowing 161.1 rushing yards per game. The number has been even worse over the Rebels’ last four conference games, when they’ve given up 651 yards on the ground.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding acknowledged Wednesday on the SEC teleconference that Auburn’s offense can be dangerous when the run game is working, and he drew a comparison between Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown and Cam Newton.
“I think [the Tigers] use the horizontal spacing of the field…the tempo they play with. A lot of similar concepts,” Golding said.
“The run game has similarities (to Tennessee). It’s a high-profile offense based on explosive plays.”
Kickoff for Auburn and Ole Miss is set for 11:45 a.m. CT on the SEC Network. Auburn enters at 4-3, 2-3, while Ole Miss is 5-2, 3-2.
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