Auburn’s offense has shown flashes through two games, but the big-play passing game that usually sits at the heart of Alex Golesh’s system still hasn’t fully arrived.
That matters because Golesh has made explosive throws a calling card for years, dating back to his time as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee. His teams have always leaned on the run first, then used that ground game to set up the chunk plays through the air. At South Florida last season, that formula produced results: the Bulls finished tied for third nationally with 31 passing plays of more than 30 yards and tied for first with 20 passing plays of more than 40 yards.
Auburn has not matched that pace yet. Through two games in the 2026 season, the Tigers are tied for 83rd nationally and tied for second to last in the SEC in passing plays of 30-plus yards. They’re a little better on throws of 20 yards or more, ranking seventh in the SEC, but the downfield damage still isn’t where it needs to be.
“We’re gonna have to hit some of those to score and chunk some plays here as we go,” Golesh said after Auburn’s 43-8 win over Southern Miss on Saturday.
The numbers tell part of the story, but the opponents have shaped the rest of it. In Auburn’s only Power Four game so far, a 17-16 win over Baylor, the Tigers’ longest completion was a 30-yard pass from Byrum Brown to Jeremiah Koger. Even that play was mostly built after the catch, not on a clean shot downfield.
Southern Miss gave Auburn more room to work. Brown completed three passes of 20 yards or more in that game, including a 45-yard completion on the run to Koger. The Golden Eagles were overmatched, and they also spent much of the afternoon loading the box, which opened up more chances for Auburn to attack vertically.
Baylor took a different approach, sitting in two-deep safety looks for most of the game and closing off a lot of those opportunities. Brown’s three interceptions in that one came while he was trying to force the ball deeper, and the extra help in coverage played a role in those mistakes.
Joel Gordon said Auburn did not spend the Southern Miss game hunting for deep shots. The ones the Tigers took came from the base offense, which naturally creates chances to push the ball downfield.
There were also a couple of near misses. Brown had a strong throw to Koger in the end zone that was ruled incomplete after review, and there was another moment when Keshaun Singleton got deep but Brown couldn’t get his feet set in time to deliver the ball.
Brown is now in his fourth season in Golesh and Gordon’s system, while also entering his third season working with Singleton and his second with Koger and Chas Nimrod. Even so, Gordon said the group is still learning each other in Auburn’s setting.
“Even though Byrum’s played with Koger and Chas, they’re still getting used to each other,” Gordon told reporters on Monday. “First time playing a game in that stadium, in that environment, and I felt like they were ready.
“When they had the opportunities, when we were one-on-one down the field, I thought we did a pretty good job with it. And when we weren’t, I thought Byrum did a good job of checking the football down, making good decisions.”
The deep ball in this offense also depends on rhythm. Auburn’s system wants the run game working, wants tempo moving, and uses that to help spring the passing game loose.
The Tigers rolled up more than 300 rushing yards against Southern Miss, but they had more trouble running the ball against Baylor. Auburn’s staff has continued to work through issues on the interior offensive line.
Whatever the source of the problem, the fix is the same: Auburn needs more explosive passing plays if this offense is going to hit its ceiling. If Brown is still settling in with his receivers, Saturday’s matchup with Florida would be as good a time as any for it all to start clicking.
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