This Crucial Part of Auburn’s Offensive Identity Must Improve Ahead of Clash at Tennessee

The Auburn Tigers took down Vanderbilt in an absolute must-win contest on Saturday evening at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but there are still many question marks heading into Week 5.

One of the main areas of concern thus far has been Auburn’s inability to establish a consistent rushing attack, as the Tigers can’t seem to find any sort of rhythm on the ground, especially in the first half.

Auburn starter Jeremiah Cobb recorded just 58 yards on eight carries, and he only boasts 228 total yards with two touchdowns this season. Sophomore Omar Mabson II posted 24 yards on three carries while Bryson Washington saw seven carries for 12 yards.

After head coach Alex Golesh was hired, and throughout the offseason, he has repeatedly emphasized the importance of running the football. The “identity” he wishes to build as a program stems from two factors: elite defense and running the ball.

However, the Tigers haven’t really had either of those traits this season — not yet, at least, and Golesh doesn’t exactly know why.

“It felt like it was really hard. You could tell, man, did we try,” Golesh said. “It felt like it was tough at times. I felt like getting in some open sets and running it that way was going to benefit us, and it did. I felt like getting in some open sets and running by at some critical times was going to help.”

It seemed as if nearly every drive, especially on first downs, Auburn repeatedly handed it off to Cobb, Mabson or Washington up the middle, which typically tends to work when the interior offensive line is creating push up front.

But the Tigers don’t exactly have that. The interior offensive line consisted of Cole Best, Wilson Zeirer and Kenneth McMannus, marking yet another different starting lineup, and it struggled to generate any sort of running lanes between the tackles.

And when that happens, it normally means the ball carrier is met by a sea of defensive linemen, which is exactly what happened the majority of the game on Saturday against the Commodores.

“We certainly tried with Jeremiah, tried with Bryson, tried with Omar. I thought, at times, it was really, really good. I thought when we got going, it’s the same story when we can pick up the first down, the first first down, and then we can get the run game going and kind of lean on it a little bit,” Golesh said. “I thought, at some critical times, we were able to go run it.”

Golesh is correct, as Auburn moved the chains when it absolutely needed to, such as Cobb’s 21-yard run down to the Vanderbilt 18-yard line to essentially ice the game. However, that run was to the exterior, which is maybe a concept offensive coordinator Joel Gordon and company should’ve implemented earlier.

Another aspect of Auburn’s rushing attack, maybe the most crucial factor, is quarterback Byrum Brown’s legs, which haven’t necessarily been utilized to their maximum potential in the first half of games thus far.

As a team, Auburn rushed for 55 yards in the first half before notching 84 after the break. They aren’t great numbers as a whole, but the majority of Brown’s 57 rushing yards and one touchdown came in the second half. And when he began to make plays downfield on the ground, Auburn’s offense got a spark and improved almost instantaneously.

The Tigers need to centralize around Brown’s ability to create outside of the pocket, similar to South Florida’s explosive offense last season. Furthermore, Gordon must create more designed opportunities for Brown to show off his legs earlier in the contest, thus opening up the passing game.

That’s what Auburn’s offensive identity should be with a signal-caller like Brown.

Overall, the Tigers must find an answer on the ground. A consistent ground game is essential for Golesh’s offense to reach its full potential, and he knows it must improve if Auburn wishes to upset Tennessee on Rock Top on Saturday.

“We got to continue to grow there and continue to get better,” Golesh said.

Add us as a preferred source on Google