Analyst Explains Auburn Football’s Biggest Issue In Baylor Game

The Auburn Tigers survived their season opener on Saturday night against the Baylor Bears, and I do mean survived, as the game came down to a two-point conversion with nine seconds left, and the Tigers held on for the win, 17-16.

It was certainly not the dominant start that many expected from the Tigers, especially against Baylor, as the offense seemed to struggle to get any momentum going.

There are quite a few items that the Tigers will need to focus on in practice this week, though On3’s J.D. PicKell believes there is one issue that stands above the rest.

“The thing that stuck out to me, which quite frankly was the most disappointing thing as an Auburn fan, they were nowhere physical enough out wide,” he said. “For all that Auburn tried to do to run the football on the perimeter, their skill players did not pack a lunch. Whether it was some week one jitters or trying to get used to hitting a different color, they did not play with enough physicality or aggression out wide.”

The blocking and physicality struggles certainly were an underline on this game, as the Tigers rushed for just 130 yards over the course of the matchup, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. Jeremiah Cobb, who ironically laid down the block that paved the road for Byrum Brown’s go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown, led the Tigers with 12 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, but the drop-off after him is steep.

The Tigers also struggled with physicality on the offensive line, leading to increased pressure on Brown, who was already struggling to find his rhythm after throwing three interceptions. However, the offensive line is still looking to find a consistent starting five, rotating three players at each of the guard positions, so I expect the line’s play to improve as the rotation whittles down to a true five-man loadout.

Even the aforementioned Brown struggled with physicality throughout the game, a highly uncharacteristic trait for the man who made a habit of running over defenders last season, though he did show signs of life on his touchdown rush late in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers have a lot to work on this week as they prepare for their upcoming matchup against Southern Mississippi, their home opener, this Saturday. That game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, and after that, preparation will begin for SEC play the following week.

By then, things will need to be moving in the right direction, as the SEC is famously unkind to those who struggle with physicality.

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