Alex Golesh didn’t need much convincing after Auburn’s latest outing. The Tigers finally looked like the kind of team he has spent years trying to build on the ground, pounding Southern Miss for 343 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry in a much cleaner performance than the one they showed a week earlier.
That was a sharp turnaround from Week 1, when Auburn managed only 3.2 yards per rush against Baylor and Jeremiah Cobb finished with 53 yards on 12 carries. Against Southern Miss, the production came in waves, and it came from everywhere. Six different Tigers logged a carry, and three of them topped 80 yards.
“I thought those guys ran it hard,” Golesh said. “You take the holding calls out, and you feel like you had a pretty good day running the football.”
The penalties were the main blemish on an otherwise productive day. A holding flag wiped out a 52-yard touchdown run by Byrum Brown, one of the biggest moments lost to the officiating.
Even so, Auburn’s run game never really disappeared. It just kept showing up in different forms, with different backs, and with enough force to keep Southern Miss on its heels.
Omar Mabson II led the way with the first 100-yard game of his career, finishing with 108 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. For the Auburn native, it was a personal milestone in a role that keeps expanding.
“It’s just a blessing to be able to rep my city,” Mabson, an Auburn native, said postgame. “That’s just a huge blessing and I’m grateful for it.”
Cobb, the starter, also delivered a solid day with 85 yards on 12 carries. His workload figures to grow when the competition stiffens, but he handled his chances well Saturday.
Brown was a major factor too, even with the score that got erased. He ran for 88 yards on 13 carries and kept finding ways to create yardage when plays broke down. Golesh pointed to that efficiency and the way Brown helped move the chains.
“He moved the chains with his feet,” Golesh said. “I don’t know how many first downs he got, but I thought he was efficient.”
There was never much doubt Auburn would have success running against Southern Miss. The Tigers had a clear physical edge that won’t be there every week in the SEC. The real test now is whether they can carry that same kind of push into next week’s matchup with Florida.
For that to happen, the line has to keep tightening up. There’s already some movement at guard, where Wilson Zierer and Jack Leyrer rotated with Jacob Strand and Cole Skinner.
Auburn’s backs can do damage when the blocking creates room, but the difference Saturday was bigger than just the runners. The front got enough push, the tight ends did their part, and the penalties didn’t completely bury the plan.
“I thought, schematically, we were right. I thought we did a solid job up front.
I thought we did a solid job at tight end,” Golesh said. “Again, I go back to these holding calls.
You take those out, and you feel like you had a pretty solid day.”
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Byrum Browns Unusual Auburn TD Was No Fluke
Byrum Browns night against Southern Miss was packed with the kind of production Auburn will happily take every week, from 319 yards of total offense to three touchdowns in a 43-8 win. But the play everyone kept coming back to was the one that looked almost too unusual to be part of a normal game plan: Brown hauling in a touchdown pass on fourth-and-3, a catch that doubled as his first reception in two seasons and Auburns first quarterback touchdown reception since 2012.
There was nothing gimmicky about it, at least in Alex Goleshs view, who said the call was routine for that situation. Brown, for his part, framed it in the most practical terms possible, stressing the need to do whatever it takes to score. For Auburn, the bigger takeaway is that the Tigers have a quarterback who can create answers in more than one way, even if one of them looks rare enough to stand out long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Is 2-0 But Alex Golesh Sees A Bigger Problem
Auburn is 2-0 under Alex Golesh after a 43-8 win over Southern Miss, and the Tigers have shown signs of progress on both sides of the ball. The running game and passing game were cleaner than they had been in the opener, giving Auburn a more balanced look and a little momentum heading into a tougher stretch.
Still, Golesh was quick to frame the outing as sloppy rather than satisfying, a reminder that the scoreboard does not erase the mistakes that pile up over four quarters. Auburn has some fine-tuning to do with conference play looming, and the urgency in Goleshs tone made it clear the Tigers cant afford to let the better moments cover for the things still breaking down. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Dominant Win Still Left Alex Golesh With One Concern
Auburn's first home game under Alex Golesh brought plenty to like, and the 43-8 win over Southern Miss gave the Tigers a second victory of the season with room to spare. Golesh came away impressed by the way the defense set the tone and by quarterback Byrum Browns performance, while linebacker Elijah Melendez stood out as the teams leading tackler in a dominant all-around showing.
Still, the opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium was not entirely clean in Goleshs eyes. He called the experience surreal, but his bigger takeaway was a familiar coachs concern: the offense was too sloppy at times, and penalties kept the Tigers from looking as sharp as the score suggested. Even after a lopsided result, there was a clear sense that Auburns ceiling depends on tightening up the details. [Read more 🡒]