Auburn’s defensive line is heading into a different kind of test this week, and Jourdin Crawford isn’t shy about the formula the Tigers want to use against Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon.
“Movement. If we crush the pocket, do our job, he don’t have anywhere to go. There’s nothing for him to do,” Crawford said on Tuesday.
That plan matters because Auburn has already seen how slippery dual-threat quarterbacks can be. The Tigers handled Vanderbilt in a 21-15 win last weekend, but freshman quarterback Jared Curtis still picked up 46 rushing yards, including a 17-yard scramble. Auburn also finished that game with 12 missed tackles, a reminder that containing quarterbacks who can extend plays has been a problem early in the season.
Brandon brings that same challenge into Saturday’s matchup at Tennessee. He has already rushed for 139 yards and three scores this season, and Auburn is coming off a week in which Tennessee suffered its first loss of the year, a 20-17 defeat to No.
1 Texas. In that game, the Longhorns sacked Brandon 10 times.
Crawford heard that number and immediately turned it into a challenge for Auburn’s interior front.
“I did ask the boys, I was like, ‘If we had 10 in one room, how y’all think everybody would look at us?’ Just as an interior, not including like the edges. We’re not putting the edges out, but interior wise, what if we had 10, how would that feel,” Crawford said.
He also pointed to the basics that have to hold up if Auburn wants to keep Brandon from breaking free.
“It’s very important because if we don’t have urgency and we’re not aligned, that’s how teams get beat. So as long as we align and have urgency, we definitely can do our thing. Hands and pad level. 90% of the time you’ll probably win.”
Crawford’s own performance against Vanderbilt stood out to Auburn coach Alex Golesh, who said the sophomore had one of his best games after finishing with five tackles and his first career sack.
Golesh also likes what the rest of the line has done around him, saying the competition inside the room has helped push Crawford forward.
“And there’s innate competition in there like Buddy Mathis continues to get better and better. Cody Sigler continues to get better and better.
Malik (Autry) continues to get better and better. Dallas (Walker IV) has been as consistent as anybody that we’ve had in this entire program here through five weeks,” Golesh said.
“So where does (Jourdin Crawford) fit? Well, you’ve got to go practice like that all the time and really these last couple of weeks, he’s bought into that.
I wanted him to buy into it earlier, but again, everybody’s different. Their progression is different.
He’s been challenged, and he’s answered. Jourdin’s good when you challenge him, and as I’ve learned and continued to learn, you have to challenge Jourdin daily.”
In Other News...
Auburn Found One Lifeline In An Uneven Win Before Tennessee
Auburn needed every bit of its special teams to survive Vanderbilt, and it got it in a game that was far from clean on offense. Cody Siglers blocked field goal and Cade Carlsons blocked punt returned for a touchdown supplied the kind of hidden-yardage swing that can change a tight afternoon, and head coach Alex Golesh pointed to those plays as decisive in the 21-15 win.
The performance still left plenty for Auburn to sort out before Tennessee arrives. The Tigers found a way to get a needed result, but the offense never fully took control, which makes the margin for error much thinner with a tougher SEC test next on the schedule. For a team trying to build momentum, the question now is whether those special teams sparks can carry over when the stakes get higher. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Just Earned New Hope With A Brutal Test Ahead
Auburn finally got the kind of result it had been chasing at home, snapping a stretch that dated back to 2024 and nudging its record to 3-1 in the process. For a program still trying to settle into a rhythm under Alex Golesh, it was the sort of win that can steady a season, even if the bigger questions around consistency still linger.
CBS Sports ranking of Auburn at No. 13 in the SEC says plenty about where the Tigers stand right now: competitive enough to be intriguing, but not yet proven enough to command broad trust. The next few weeks will tell the story, with Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss all waiting on a schedule that leaves little room for the kind of uneven play Auburn has shown so far. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Defense Still Has One Issue Tennessee Could Expose
Auburns defense took a step forward in the win over Vanderbilt, doing a better job of limiting quarterback Jared Curtis than it had in the earlier loss to Florida. The improvement mattered, but it also came with a reminder that the Tigers are still working through some things on that side of the ball as the schedule gets tougher.
The main concern inside the program has been urgency, along with missed tackles that popped up even in a better showing. With Tennessee up next and Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss still looming, Auburn knows the margin for error is getting thinner, and several players along with the head coach have made it clear that the defense has to clean up those habits fast. [Read more 🡒]