Alex Golesh Details ‘Huge Point of Emphasis’ For Auburn Tigers Defense

The Auburn Tigers’ defense has been a bit spotty this year, though it has done a good job of showing up when the offense needs it to. Barring the Florida game–and in fairness to Auburn’s defense, Florida leads the SEC in total offense–the Tigers’ defense has held every opponent to 16 points or fewer throughout the season.

However, there is still much for the Tigers to improve as they prepare to enter the most brutal part of their schedule, and on Monday, Alex Golesh detailed one aspect that he believes is crucial for his defense to focus on this week.

“We had four fourth downs and didn't convert on any,” he said. “We were really good on third down; you got into fourth and shorts. We had three 4th-and-1s. We had a 4th-and-3 and didn't get a stop on any of them. Those were turnovers that need to go our way. That's a huge point of emphasis for us.”

The Tigers have struggled in late-down scenarios all season, and though the unit’s allowance of multiple third-and-long conversions against Florida may stand out, the Tigers have struggled immensely to hold teams on fourth down in particular, as opposing units are 11-of-14 on fourth down against the Tigers this year.

The Baylor Bears went 4-of-6 on fourth down back in Week 1, while the Florida Gators were a perfect 3-of-3 on fourth down. Vanderbilt attempted five fourth-down plays against the Tigers, but the only one that the Tigers stopped was a fake punt early in the second quarter.

Suffice it to say, the Tigers have had a very difficult time getting off the field on defense this season, and that is a trend that absolutely cannot be allowed to continue if the Tigers are to face down teams like Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama.

The ‘bend, don’t break’ style of defense that the Tigers practice hinges on getting off the field in scenarios like these, and if other SEC teams can have their way with the Tigers like the prior few have, games could quickly turn long for the Tigers’ defense.

Conversely, if the Tigers are able to clamp down on the Tennessee Volunteers in their matchup this weekend, particularly in late-down situations, the offense may find more success from the better field position that fourth-down stops typically yield, all while the defense gets a much-needed breather instead of continuing to wear themselves out.

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