Auburn offensive coordinator Joel Gordon didn’t exactly hand Tigers fans comfort food on Monday.
Asked about players like USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown and the challenge of making the jump from a Group of Six background to the SEC, Gordon didn’t sugarcoat it. He said the speed of the league has caught some players off guard, though he also insisted the problem can be corrected.
“I think what has to happen is you have to see: 'I'm learning from my mistakes.' Things are moving quicker in this league,” Gordon said.
"... But it's fixable."
For Auburn fans, that kind of admission lands like a gut punch at the worst possible time.
Just as Gordon was explaining the learning curve, Alex Golesh announced that former LSU linebacker and breakout defensive star Xavier Atkins had been suspended for behavior detrimental to the team. Atkins is one of the most athletically gifted players on the roster, the kind of defender who could help slow down No.
1 Georgia this Saturday. Instead, Auburn heads into Dawgs week with more questions piling up.
And that is what makes Gordon’s comments so unsettling. If some of the players who arrived from a lower level last year still aren’t keeping pace in SEC games, the margin for error against Georgia looks awfully thin. Three points may not feel like much in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but right now it might not feel like nearly enough either.
October only raises the stakes. Auburn is staring at a brutal stretch that starts with Georgia on the road, then brings LSU to Jordan-Hare, before a Halloween trip to The Grove. Golesh’s program cannot afford to unravel now.
Stealing one of those games is the clearest path to 7-5. Letting the season slide into November on a bad note would be dangerous, because the back half of the schedule is no relief.
Arkansas is described as underrated, Mississippi State as surprising and surging, and Alabama as very mighty. There are no easy exits on this SEC run.
So whatever Gordon meant by fixable needs to become real quickly, especially up front. If the offensive line is the issue, it has to be addressed now if Auburn wants any chance to salvage the season. Brown and his receivers are trying to make plays, but they’re operating behind shaky protection.
At some point, it becomes hard to blame Brown for pressing when the clean opportunities are so scarce. Behind that line, turnovers are going to happen.
The fan base’s patience is thinning by the week. Some supporters have even taken to wearing paper bags in protest at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
And after Auburn spent the offseason battling other fan bases over the belief that the USF transfers would be ready, Gordon may have only intensified the pressure with one candid line.
In Other News...
Auburn Heads Into Georgia Week With One Big Problem To Solve
Auburns prep for Georgia week has put the focus squarely on the basics, with Alex Golesh, Joel Gordon and DJ Durkin using their latest press conference to sketch out what still needs cleaning up on both sides of the ball. The staff pointed to fundamentals, situational game planning and the kind of physical play that will be required against a Georgia team that rarely gives opponents much room for error.
The availability side of the equation matters, too, and the Tigers already know linebacker Xavier Atkins will be out. That forces Auburn to keep adjusting while trying to sharpen its offense and tighten its defense, and it leaves the staff with a very familiar midseason task: find answers fast enough to matter in one of the SECs most demanding game weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Georgia Test Suddenly Feels Bigger Than One Linebacker
The build-up to Auburns matchup with Georgia had already been intense, but the chatter around linebacker Xavier Atkins added another layer of uncertainty in the days leading up to kickoff. Rumors swirled that Atkins had been dismissed over disciplinary issues, yet he has not been kicked off the team, leaving the Tigers to sort through what his status means for a defense that has little margin for error in this kind of game.
If Atkins is unavailable, Auburn would likely lean more heavily on DeMarcus Riddick to handle a bigger workload on defense. For a rivalry test that already demands clean communication and physical edge, the possibility of shifting responsibilities at linebacker only sharpens the stakes for a unit trying to settle in before facing Georgia. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Heads To Georgia With Upset Hopes Resting On Two Concerns
Auburn comes out of its bye week staring at a tall assignment in Athens, where the Tigers will try to test No. 1 Georgia with a little extra time to prepare. The matchup is already a steep climb, and Auburns path gets narrower when you look at the two areas that have shaped the conversation around this team: Byrum Browns play at quarterback and the uncertainty surrounding the defense.
Brown has given Auburn a passing threat with 1,055 yards and seven touchdowns, but the seven interceptions have also left room for concern in a game where every possession figures to matter. On the other side of the ball, there are unconfirmed reports that linebacker Xavier Atkins may not be available, which would only add to the challenge of slowing a Georgia offense that rarely offers many chances to recover. [Read more 🡒]