Auburn’s offensive line finally looked like a unit that could settle things down, and the timing could hardly be better.
In last weekend’s 21-15 win over Vanderbilt, the Tigers put together their best showing up front through four games. The clearest proof: quarterback Byrum Brown was taken down only once, a sharp turnaround for a passer who entered the game as the SEC’s most-sacked quarterback with 17.
Auburn also made a change at right guard, starting Kenneth McManus over Cole Skinner. McManus arrived from Akron, where he logged more than 500 snaps at guard with the Zips, and that experience showed in his first SEC start.
Coach Alex Golesh said the transfer’s background helped him settle in quickly.
“I think he was really, really confident. I think he earned the right to be confident based on just how he’s worked since he’s gotten here,” Golesh said.
“He’s got a lot of game reps. He started 10 games a year ago, albeit in the MAC, but there was still game reps, game experience.
I think the longer we’re in this transfer portal era, the more you realize the reps, the game experience, you can’t substitute. So that’s the one piece that, the guys that have played in games, especially have played in big games and environments, they’re the ones that tend to rise really, really quickly.
“And that doesn’t mean guys that haven’t can’t eventually get there, but there’s nothing like the game experience. And he looked confident.
He looked comfortable. And he earned the right to be confident and comfortable, just purely because of the experience, and then because of the way he’s worked.
He’s a tough, smart, hard-working cat. He is what’s right, right now, in terms of how he’s approached things.”
The Tigers also had a new look at left tackle, with Oregon State transfer Jacob Strand getting the start ahead of James Madison transfer Jo Simmons. Strand had moved from guard to tackle after struggling against Baylor in Week 1.
Golesh said that spot remains open-ended for now.
“We’re continuing to roll Jacob, we’re continuing to roll Jo in there,” Golesh said. “We’re continuing to try to make sure that one, they’re competing, but two, it’s the right combination.”
Auburn, now 3-1 and 1-1 in the SEC, heads to Tennessee on Saturday to face a defense that leads the conference with 19 sacks and 34 tackles for loss. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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 🡒]