Auburn Tigers Stock Report, Including Jackson Arnold, Ahead of Sooners Clash

The preliminaries are over for the 3-0 Auburn Tigers, and now the real tests begin. The Tigers hit the road for the second time this season to face a resurgent Oklahoma Sooners team that checks in at No. 11 in the country.

Like Auburn, the Sooners struggled in 2024 but have gotten off to a fast start. Both teams are ranked heading into Saturday afternoon’s contest and probably feel they're getting closer to what two storied programs should be.

Now, they stand in each other’s way as the next step to returning to national prominence.

With that in mind, let’s take the temperature of the Auburn Tigers after three weeks.

Stock Up – Jeremiah Cobb, Jackson Arnold, and Auburn’s Run Game

After rushing for 307 yards on opening night, the Auburn run game continues to develop as a strength of the team and shows signs that it will be what the team leans on to win close games as the Tigers get to the heart of the schedule.

Opening night at Baylor was the only game Auburn has played with both of its top backs, Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb. Alston was a game-time decision versus South Alabama, did not play (should be ready for Oklahoma), but Cobb followed his 121 yards on 11 carries versus Ball State with 19 for 119 against South Alabama.

Auburn Tigers running back Jeremiah Cobb (23) breaks free for a touchdown run against Ball State. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alston proved to be shifty and low to the ground in his one game, while Cobb has been quick to get outside the tackle and turn the corner, as well as making the safety miss downfield on long runs. Beyond the top two backs, head coach Hugh Freeze’s offense has other dimensions that will prove crucial with an upcoming schedule of at AP No. 11 Oklahoma, at No. 10 Texas A&M, and home versus No. 5 Georgia.

Wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. has been efficient in motion running off the edges, and quarterback Jackson Arnold has been a critical part of Auburn’s rushing attack on third and fourth downs. The Tigers were 7-13 on third downs and 3-3 on fourth downs versus the Jaguars.

Freeze has gotten run-game production from QBs Bo Wallace, Chad Kelly, Malik Willis, and Kaidon Salter over the years, but Arnold could prove to be the best.

How Auburn fares in the next three games will largely depend on the ability of the offense to succeed running the ball in short yardage. It’s shown through three weeks to be efficient and multi-dimensional, and Arnold’s role on third and fourth downs will be critical.

Stock Down – Auburn’s Pass Defense

Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and the Auburn defense have one of the top defensive ends in college football, along with one of the top cornerback groups, but pass defense has been underwhelming.

Having three to four Keldric Faulks along the defensive line would put any defensive units into the top 10, but he’s the type who makes consistent run stops, collapses the pocket, but isn’t necessarily a speed rusher.

Keyron Crawford is also playing at a high level at the Buck position, but the Tigers aren’t getting to the passer quite quickly enough before quarterbacks are finding an open pass catcher.

South Alabama held onto the ball for 38 plays versus 22 for Auburn in the second half and kept the Tigers’ offense off the field. Going 7-16 on third and 3-4 on fourth, the Jaguars were able to eventually stay on the field 10-17 times when in late down situations.

Freshman lineman Darrion Smith has already worked his way into the rotation, especially on third downs. Look for fellow freshman Jared Smith to possibly play a big part moving forward.

Within a matter of plays on Saturday, Smith came around the edge, ignoring an attempted block by the tackle to flush QB Bishop Davenport into running. Smith came back a few plays later, pushed the tackle into the backfield, shed, and created a turnover with a QB hit and a forced fumble. He flashed all the physical tools that garnered 5-Star status as a recruit.

On the back end, cornerback play has only been a small part of the 660 passing yards allowed this season (139 more than Auburn has passed for). South Alabama hit quite a number of skinny posts for big yardage and hit a number of others underneath.

No one has really challenged Auburn’s top cornerback Jaylin Crawford this year. Kayin Lee, Rayshawn Pleasant, and Raion Strader have allowed some completions, but they haven’t been much of the problem. The middle of the field needs to improve.

Nickels and safeties in pass coverage have struggled mightily. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson threw for 419 yards on opening night, mostly over the middle. Too many times through three games have Sylvester Smith, Kaleb Harris, Kensley Louidor-Faustin been asked to man cover, and it hasn’t gone well.

With Oklahoma on Saturday and SEC play for the next seven games, a lot of eyes will be on possible changes to scheme and personnel, and how the Tigers defend on the back end.

Champ Anthony, a safety with cornerback experience, has missed the last two weeks at free safety with a broken thumb, and his return is imminent, likely at Oklahoma.

Stock Up – Auburn’s Young Linebackers

Robert Woodyard, Xavier Atkins, Demarcus Riddick, and Elijah Melendez have very few snaps between them at the college level. The linebacker unit as a whole came into the season with little experience and little depth, but it is coming along.

Atkins, a transfer from LSU, plays fast, flies to the ball, and is a tough block on the blitz. A week ago, versus Ball State, he had four tackles for a loss. Woodyard has been in the Auburn program for several years and is highly active as well.

Riddick has just six tackles this season, but it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a playmaker in the Auburn defense.

Stock Down – Tight Ends in the Pass Game

Auburn is back to its traditional roots with a complete lack of tight end production in the passing game. Preston Howard and Brandon Frazier have sprung several of Auburn’s long runs this season, but the pass-catching production is next to nil.

So far this season, Howard, Frazier, and Ryan Ghea have a combined five catches for 37 yards and no touchdowns. There was also a fumble by Ghea that went on to cost the Tigers a shutout versus Ball State.

On Saturday, Arnold found Howard open in the left flats for an easy score, but the ball slipped through his hands and fell onto the turf. On a subsequent drive, Arnold found an open Howard over the middle on a third down, but Howard slipped, and the ball sailed over his head.

So far this season, Arnold, when targeting tight ends, is 5-10 for 37 yards, including zero completions on four targets versus South Alabama.

Howard is part of the base four-receiver, one-running back set that is often run, but he’s far off from the production that Rivaldo Fairweather had the last two seasons – a total of 69 catches for 766 yards and eight touchdowns.

Stock Down – Defensive Communication and Fundamentals

Three weeks have passed, and the defense is still struggling to get lined up. Oftentimes, on the back end, communication is going on after the snap of the football. Cornerbacks are still running from one side of the field to the other when the ball is snapped to cover twin receivers to one side.

When opposing offenses are running hurry-up before 4th and 1, they’re snapping the football before Auburn’s defensive line is getting aligned. Or on a 4th and 1 in its own territory, the Tigers are giving a free first down by jumping offsides.

Something is amiss, and it needs to be fixed before Auburn travels to Norman, Okla., on Saturday.

The Tigers got a good win on the road against a solid Baylor Bears squad, and they’ve had two tune-up games headed into SEC play.

They needed to be 3-0 at this point in the season, so mission accomplished.

But now the rubber hits the road as the Tigers travel to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.