Auburn’s offensive line shuffle may not be done yet, and the spotlight is squarely on left guard.
Through two games, Jacob Strand has held that starting spot, but true freshman Wilson Zierer has pushed into the conversation. Strand won the job in preseason camp, yet his Week 1 showing in Auburn’s win over Baylor opened the door for competition.
That carried into Week 2 against Southern Miss, when Auburn mixed and matched at both guard positions early and leaned especially hard on the left side. Zierer ended up logging more snaps than any other guard even though he did not start.
Head coach Alex Golesh left plenty of room for more movement if the staff decides it helps the group settle in.
“The tempo piece at which we play, it certainly helps if you’ve got some depth there that you can rotate,” Golesh told reporters on Wednesday. “It all is on how it’s going, and that’s the truth. If it’s going well, you don’t want to break up any synergy those guys got out there.
“If you feel like, man, it’s not going real well, then it’s like any other position group. You sub it out and you see if you can get some mojo going.”
That approach is hardly foreign to Golesh. He used rotation at times during his South Florida tenure, and Auburn right guard Cole Skinner has lived that kind of football before.
Skinner spent the past three seasons at USF, where he appeared in 28 games but started only eight. He’s in the Tigers’ starting lineup now, though he also rotated with Stanford transfer Jack Leyrer against Southern Miss.
The need for steadier play at guard has been one of Auburn’s biggest early-season concerns. Against Baylor, those two spots helped drag down the offense, which managed just 3.2 yards per rush and allowed five sacks. The performance was better last week, though it came against a team Auburn was expected to handle more comfortably.
Golesh said he feels better about the group now, but the next test is a major one. Florida could bring the best defensive line Auburn has faced this season, and that matchup will show a lot about where the Tigers stand up front.
“It’ll be good to go up against a really, really good front and let those guys go compete,” Golesh said, “but I feel good about it.”
Auburn and Florida are set for 6 p.m. CT Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. ESPN will televise the game.
In Other News...
Former Auburn WR Could Change How Dangerous Florida Looks Saturday
Eric Singleton Jr.s return to Auburn is suddenly one of the more important storylines to watch heading into Saturday. The former Tigers wideout, now at Florida, has been limited in practice after suffering a left ankle injury in the Gators season opener, and he already sat out the second week of play. For Auburn, the matchup gets a little cleaner if Singleton is unable to go, because he has been one of the more productive receivers in college football throughout his career and gives Florida a dimension the Tigers will have to account for.
Florida has enough around its passing game to keep Auburn honest, but Singletons status could shape how dangerous the Gators look if the game tightens up. Even being available in a limited role would matter, because his ability to stretch coverage and create separation changes the way defenses have to play. Auburn will keep an eye on the injury report, and Florida will be hoping one of its most dynamic targets can get close enough to full strength to make a difference. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Heads To Florida With One Big Question About Its Identity
Auburn heads into Week 3 looking like a team still trying to settle its football identity, and the trip to Florida offers a clean test of where it stands. The matchup carries plenty of similarity on paper, with both teams leaning on physical play, but ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic sees the Gators holding an edge in that department, especially on offense. Auburn, meanwhile, has had its strongest moments on defense, helped by the return of key edge rushers, even as the offense continues to search for steadier footing.
The line of scrimmage may tell the story, particularly for an Auburn rushing attack that has not yet found the consistency it needs. If the Tigers are going to leave Gainesville with a better sense of who they are, the offensive line will have to answer a lot of the questions that have followed it through the opening weeks. Against a Florida team built to make games feel uncomfortable, Auburns margin for error looks slim, and its identity may be just as dependent on how it handles the trenches as on anything else. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Suddenly Has A Breakout Star Chasing A Historic Pace
Gavin Freemans move from Oklahoma State to Baylor has already changed the look of the Bears passing game. Through two games, the senior has become a steady target in the offense, piling up catches at a pace that has him sitting atop college football in receptions and helping Baylor get off to a strong start with wins over Auburn and Prairie View A&M.
Freemans early surge has put him on a track that is hard to ignore this early in the season, especially for a Baylor team looking for reliable production through the air. If he keeps drawing that kind of volume, the conversation around his year could shift quickly from a hot start to something much bigger, with record-setting territory suddenly in view. [Read more 🡒]