Three Storylines I’m Watching in Auburn’s Matchup with Southern Mississippi

The Auburn Tigers still have a lot of questions to answer after a lackluster Week 1 performance against the Baylor Bears, in which the defense saved the win for the Tigers in the waning seconds of the game. A win is a win, but many Tiger fans are still lacking confidence in their program.

So, as the Tigers wrap up their preparation for their Week 2 matchup with Southern Mississippi, everyone seems to have different areas that they are focusing on. Here are mine.

Offensive Decision-Making/Playcalling

Byrum Brown threw three interceptions last weekend against Baylor, plain and simple. I understand that Alex Golesh and Joel Gordon, the team’s head coach and co-offensive coordinator, respectively, have accepted the blame for two of those three interceptions, but that does not excuse their existence.

If Brown really was told to force those passes on both occasions, two issues need fixing this week. First, the third interception is still entirely his mistake, or at least, no one else accepted responsibility for it. Second, those plays need not be forced, and playing a shoddier defense in Southern Miss could lead to just a bit too much confidence in Brown’s performances moving forward, leading to more forced picks down the road this season.

Against Southern Miss, I’m looking for Brown and his playcalling to prove that they can make wise, situation-aware playcalling decisions and not just try to force the advantage of what are, in all likelihood, much more talented receivers than Southern Miss can handle, as they’ll have no such advantage in SEC play.

Sensational Sophomores

Last week, both of Auburn’s statistical leaders on defense were sophomores, namely linebacker Elijah Melendez and safety Eric Winters. The former led the team in tackles with 12, a career-high, while Winters followed closely with 11, not including the game-saving tackle on the Bears’ final offensive play, a two-point conversion.

Given the fact that these two have much less experience than the older players on the roster, things could be spotty for them throughout the season in terms of production. I’m looking for Melendez and Winters to prove, over the next few weeks, that this production can be sustained.

Last season, the Tigers had a sensational sophomore in Xavier Atkins. If Winters and Melendez can keep up this production, the Tigers could have two this season.

Rushing Attack

Alex Golesh has harped on about his affinity for a strong rushing attack ever since he was hired as the head coach of the Tigers, but against Baylor, the Tigers’ rushing attack looked flat at best. Largely, this was due to struggles on the interior offensive line, so I’m looking to see the line improve this week in an effort to sustain the rushing attack that Golesh has promised.

The Tigers have no shortage of talented backs; Jeremiah Cobb, Omar Mabson and Bryson Washington highlight the list, with several more top pieces ready to go at a moment’s notice, so there is no excuse for the Tigers not to rush the ball well against Southern Miss.

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