Auburn’s ground game has been uneven through Alex Golesh’s first four games, but the deeper numbers say it’s not nearly as broken as it looks on the surface.
The raw totals can be misleading. Auburn has piled up 714 rushing yards in its first four games, but 343 of those came in a Week 2 blowout of Southern Miss. Against power-conference opponents, the Tigers have been much less productive, ranking 61st nationally in rushing yards per game at 123.67 and 65th in yards per carry at 3.6.
That’s why the disappointment has lingered. Auburn hasn’t topped 140 rushing yards in a game against a quality opponent, and this is the first time the Tigers have gone three straight power-conference games without reaching that mark since an early-season stretch in 2022.
Still, the story isn’t as simple as a ground game that’s been stuffed into submission. Auburn leaned on the run to close out both of its tight wins - Week 1 against Baylor and Week 3 against Vanderbilt - and the Tigers have shown real pop when they get loose.
Auburn is tied for sixth nationally in runs of 20 yards or more, and that number rises to third when only power-conference games are considered. The Tigers also sit in the 94th percentile nationally in explosive run rate.
There’s another wrinkle that makes the rushing totals look a little harsher than they really are: sack yardage counts against rushing numbers in college football, even though those plays are passing plays. Auburn’s protection issues have dragged down the official rushing stats.
On true rushing plays, the Tigers are averaging 5.79 yards per carry, which ranks 21st nationally, according to Game On Paper. They’re also 26th in rushing EPA per true carry at 0.21. In other words, there aren’t many teams around the country with a more efficient or more explosive rushing attack.
Per Pro Football Focus, Auburn’s top three rushers - Byrum Brown, Jeremiah Cobb and Omar Mabson II - are all averaging at least 5.3 yards per true carry this season.
Those are the kinds of numbers you expect from a rushing attack with real upside.
So the question isn’t whether Auburn can run the ball. It’s why the results have looked so much less convincing than the underlying production.
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 🡒]