Auburn’s offensive line has spent the offseason as one of the biggest talking points around the program, and Week 1 against Baylor suddenly looks like a much stiffer exam than it once did.
That was the message from Alex Golesh on Monday, when he made it clear he isn’t treating the opener like a soft landing spot for the Tigers up front.
"This will be a really big test week one out the gate," Golesh said in his press conference on Monday.
That’s a sharper read than the one many had on this matchup earlier in the offseason. Baylor’s defense was a problem area last season, and Auburn ran for more than 300 yards against the Bears while controlling the game on the ground. On paper, it was easy to assume the real stress test for Auburn’s line would come later.
Golesh doesn’t sound interested in that framing.
"This is a group that is one experienced, but two creates a lot of issues for you purely with the ability to pass rush," Golesh said. "It's a bigger group up front."
There’s also a different look coming from the Bears this time around with new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman. Joel Gordon said Auburn should expect Baylor to show multiple fronts, pointing to what Klanderman has done over the course of his career.
"I would expect he's been really good at doing both," Gordon said. "They have the ability to kind of hop in and out of, you know, what they did last year."
That kind of variety is something Auburn has already been working against in camp. Golesh has kept the line in good-on-good situations throughout the summer, with ones going against twos and twos going against ones. In other words, Auburn’s top linemen have been seeing plenty of DJ Durkin’s best defensive players.
Stanton Ramil said that challenge has been constant.
"You're not going against one picture," Ramil said.
He pointed specifically to pressures, shifting, and three-down looks as part of what Auburn’s offense has had to sort through during camp.
So now the Tigers get the real thing.
And there are signs the group is moving in the right direction. Gordon said he thinks the line has grown "tremendously," and he singled out Cole Best as one of the most consistent voices and leaders since arriving. That matters even more when the defense is changing the picture before the snap.
Golesh also said Auburn is healthy up front and described himself as feeling "really solid" about where the group stands entering Week 1.
Still, the only true answer comes when the ball is snapped. Baylor may not settle every question about Auburn’s offensive line, but after Monday’s comments, it sounds like the Tigers are getting a much tougher opening test than many expected.
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