Auburn came away from Baylor with plenty to feel good about on defense, but one part of the field kept sticking out for all the wrong reasons.
The Tigers limited the Bears to 16 points and held them to 2.3 yards per rush and 4.4 yards per play, the kind of production that usually gives a team a real chance to survive and steal a game. Auburn’s defense did enough to keep it close, just as it so often did last season.
Still, the tape wasn’t clean. Baylor piled up 333 passing yards, found a few key conversions on third and fourth down, and consistently tested Auburn in the middle of the field. That was the area head coach Alex Golesh circled on Monday.
“I was more disappointed than anything else in terms of some leverage things,” Golesh said on Monday. “We gave some easy things away back there.”
Baylor’s plan leaned heavily on getting the ball out quickly from starting quarterback DJ Lagway. That meant a steady diet of slants and other short throws, and Auburn had trouble sorting those out early. The Tigers tightened things up in the second half, but Baylor still landed two deep shots down the middle on its final drive.
The issues in that part of the field weren’t new. Auburn dealt with similar problems last season, though defensive coordinator DJ Durkin brushed off the concern when asked Monday.
“A lot of first-game stuff,” Durkin said. “We had to adjust our leverage and alignments in order to defend the type of rush we were getting. But to our players’ credit, they made those changes in-game.”
Baylor wide receiver Gavin Freeman was the biggest beneficiary of Auburn’s shaky leverage. He caught 12 passes for 154 yards and the game-winning touchdown with fewer than 10 seconds remaining.
“Some of that stuff is the scheme stuff that we can certainly help our guys get better with,” Durkin said. “And I think some of it is just technique, some of the first-game stuff.
“You’re like, ‘OK, we know better than this. Let’s go play our style.’ And I’m certain our guys have cleaned it up.”
Auburn gets back on the field Saturday against Southern Miss in its home opener. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. CT, and the game will air on SEC Network.
In Other News...
Bryce Cain Is Forcing His Way Into Auburns Plans
Bryce Cain has gone from a name on the depth chart to someone Auburns staff is actively trying to get on the field more often. Head coach Alex Golesh said the Tigers plan to keep folding Cain into the game plan after a recent explosive play, and he pointed to the way Cain has handled special teams as part of the reason the coaches are taking a harder look at his role.
For a team still sorting out where its best pieces fit, that kind of production tends to travel. Cain has clearly done enough to earn more opportunities, and Auburn is now working through how to create them in the offense without losing what he already brings on special teams. The next step is less about whether he belongs in the mix and more about how quickly the Tigers can turn that into a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Injury Picture Up Front Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Auburns front was a major concern coming out of the season opener against Baylor, when four trench players went down and left the Tigers waiting on clarity during the early part of the week. Alex Golesh has now provided a much better read on the group, and it points to a healthier rotation heading into the matchup with Southern Mississippi, with the staff getting encouraging signs on both sides of the line.
Cole Skinner and Jacob Strand are expected to be available, and edge rusher Chris Murray is already confirmed healthy, which gives Auburn a stronger baseline up front than it had a few days ago. DaShawn Womack is still working through a lower-body injury and remains day-to-day, though there is at least a chance he could return to practice later in the week, leaving one final question for a unit that suddenly looks far less depleted. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Golesh Sent Auburn Fans An Early Message After Ugly Win
Alex Golesh spent the day after Auburns 17-16 win over Baylor putting the focus on the problems behind it, not the relief of escaping with a victory. The Auburn coach took responsibility for the offensive mistakes, including three interceptions from quarterback Byrum Brown, and said the standard has to be the same for him and the players. In a game that still counted as a win, Golesh made it clear the performance on that side of the ball was not close to where it needs to be.
Golesh pointed to the offenses lack of rhythm as a major issue and stressed that Auburn has to do a better job protecting the quarterback and running the football. It was an early message, but an important one, because ugly wins can hide problems only so long in a season. For Auburn, the concern is not just cleaning up turnovers, but making sure the offense finds something steadier before the next tight game forces the same questions again. [Read more 🡒]