Where Was Auburn’s Rushing Attack Against Florida? Alex Golesh Explains

Auburn only recorded 102 rushing yards in the loss, with a majority coming from the quarterback position.

Sep 19, 2026; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Florida Gators defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo (99) and other Gator defenders tackle Auburn Tigers running back Jeremiah Cobb (23) during the third quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alex Golesh made one very important promise to the fans of the Auburn Tigers in one of his earliest press conferences as a head coach: the Tigers were going to rely heavily on the run this season. However, through three games, the Tigers have had just one 100-yard rusher in a game, which was Omar Mabson’s late-game performance against Southern Miss.

Against Power Four competition, the Tigers’ rush attack has been virtually nonexistent, particularly in the Florida matchup, where Auburn RB1 Jeremiah Cobb carried the ball just nine times and was nowhere near the Tigers’ leading rusher, Byrum Brown, who had only 68 yards on the ground.

So, what’s going on in Auburn? After the Florida game, Alex Golesh told the press his thoughts on the issue.

“We didn’t run it well enough today,” Golesh said. “I want to watch the film and see why, see where that is, in the second half. You just felt like you had to go chunk yards, especially in the fourth quarter, but I couldn’t answer that right now to you. I would agree with you that it’s certainly below where we want it, and we’ve got to find a solution, but I can’t really tell you why right this second.”

The Tigers got off to an incredibly rough start on offense in the Florida matchup, rushing for a grand total of -3 yards throughout the entire first quarter, which likely contributed to Golesh’s eventual decision to rely less on the run and more on chunk plays, a strategy that worked to some degree, though not enough to win the game.

When the season began, the Tigers had three running backs who were all good enough to fight for the starting job, and now, three games into the season, their quarterback, Byrum Brown, is the team’s leading rusher with just 180 yards and two rushing touchdowns on the season.

Cobb, the Tigers’ RB1, trails Brown by just 10 yards with 170 yards on the season, while Mabson, who was initially expected to be the Tigers’ RB3, ranks second among running backs with 127 yards and a lone touchdown. Washington brings up the rear with 59 yards on 11 carries. 

So, the Tigers clearly need to improve in the rushing game if they are to be competitive on offense this season, as we saw what happens against Florida when the team can’t effectively rush.

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