Three Offensive Areas For Auburn Football to Focus on In Bye Week

The Auburn Tigers may not be off to a stellar start in the first year of Alex Golesh’s tenure, but they will have plenty of time to make adjustments this week, as we are in the midst of the Tigers’ lone bye week this season. This is the only opportunity the Tigers will have to spend a significant amount of time on issues without having to prep for a game, so it is crucial that this time is not wasted.

The Tigers are 3-2 after wins against Baylor, Southern Miss and Vanderbilt, though they’ve fallen to Florida and Tennessee along the way. A few key issues seem to have popped up in many of the Tigers’ matchups–including in their wins–that, if fixed, could turn the Tigers into a much stronger contender as they enter the most brutal stretch of their schedule.

Offensive Line

The Tigers’ offensive line has struggled immensely this year, though that was partially to be expected as the Tigers had to replace all of their offensive linemen except sophomore Kail Ellis this past offseason. As a result, the line appears to be a bit of a patchwork job as players from all over the country have had to work to mesh together in a hurry.

Auburn has rotated several different offensive linemen throughout the season, but they have not seemed to be able to find a winning formula. As a result, the rushing attack has suffered immensely, while Byrum Brown has become the most sacked quarterback in the SEC.

However, if the Tigers can get their offensive line in strong working order, many more offensive opportunities should show themselves in the coming games.

Rushing Attack

Alex Golesh promised Tiger fans, in his very first press conference, that Auburn would lean heavily on the run throughout his tenure at Auburn. Cut to October, and the Tigers’ leading rusher is Byrum Brown, while the team’s RB1, Jeremiah Cobb, trails his quarterback by nearly 100 yards.

Omar Mabson, who was barely on most Tiger fans’ radars at the start of the preseason, has emerged as a strong contender for the starting job, averaging a strong 6.7 yards per carry to Cobb’s 5.4, but the offensive line will need to come together for either of the Tigers’ top backs to make a push in the middle stages of this season.

Without a strong rushing attack, the Tigers have struggled to get their offense going, looking one-dimensional at best and completely ineffective at worst. With a stronger rushing attack, though, the Tigers’ offense should open up a bit, leading to more opportunities for big plays.

Early-Game Execution

The Tigers’ offense has been nearly non-existent in the first quarter for the majority of their matchups; in both of their losses, they did not record a single first down in the first quarter. This is, frankly, inexcusable for an SEC offense at any level, and the Tigers will need to figure out their early-game offense if they want a prayer at taking down any of the teams on their October schedule.

Specifically in the Tennessee game, the squad recorded three false start penalties, one on each of their first-quarter drives. These self-inflicted wounds have seen the Tigers bleed out on several offensive drives, resulting in low time of possession, a tired defense and early-game deficits that can be difficult to overcome.

If the Tigers can get their offense going early in the first quarter, at least enough to pick up a few first downs, things should improve quickly in terms of overall outlook for the Tigers. That certainly won’t be easy against teams like Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss, but if there was ever a time for the Tigers to come alive, it would be in big-time matchups such as these.

Enjoy our content? Make AuburnOnSI a preferred source to see more stories from us on Google by clicking here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google