Auburn Offensive Players to Watch Against Tennessee

The Auburn Tigers have a major road test coming up against the Tennessee Volunteers, who are currently ranked as the 17th-best team in the country. The Tigers are coming off a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt that didn’t exactly inspire a plethora of confidence, but they appear to be taking steps in the right direction.

Conversely, the Vols are coming off a 20-17 loss to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, a game that they will surely be looking to rebound from. Both teams are eager to make a statement in this game, and, as always, there are a few players who could be the difference for either team.

For the Tigers’ offense, three major players stand out to me as potential difference-makers, all of whom could play a big part in an Alex Golesh win over his former head coach, Josh Heupel.

Byrum Brown - Quarterback

There has yet to be a week of Auburn football that I have not listed Brown as a player to watch, and that’s for a number of reasons. For one, Brown has shown X-factor playmaking ability over the past few years and has proven he can take over big-time games, and if there was ever a time for his first marquee performance in an Auburn uniform, it would be against Tennessee.

The other major reason Brown continues to pop up in these lists is his inconsistency. The Tigers’ quarterback has yet to string together a 100-yard rushing performance this season and is averaging over an interception a game, qualities that will need to be cleaned up if Brown wants to ball out against the Vols.

Jeremiah Cobb - Running Back

Despite Golesh’s constant preseason assertions that the Tigers would live and die by the rushing attack, Cobb has carried the ball just 17 times over the course of the past two Auburn games, both of which were SEC matchups. His best performance this season came against Southern Miss, where he carried the ball 12 times for 85 yards, though he has not broken the 60-yard mark since.

The rushing attack will absolutely need to be working on Saturday if the Tigers are to take down the Vols, and that starts with Cobb. The Tigers have been quick to give up on his production over the past few games, but if Cobb can get the Tigers’ rushing attack firmly established early, their chances of winning should increase dramatically.

Jeremiah Koger - Wide Receiver

Byrum Brown seems to be looking in the direction of Chas Nimrod and Keshaun Singleton first, as the pair each have 22 receptions, but Koger’s slower start does not mean he should be counted out against the Vols. Koger is, far and away, the Tigers’ best receiver by average yards per catch with 17.7, which he has done over the course of 10 receptions.

The Vols will likely be closing in on Nimrod and Singleton first, due to their higher production this season, leaving Koger with the potential to make some big plays for the Tigers down the stretch. Koger’s already shown up for the Tigers in big moments this season, and I don’t think the Vols will change that habit.

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