5 Biggest Takeaways From Alex Golesh's Auburn Press Conference Before Georgia

Auburn Tigers head coach Alex Golesh met with the media Monday afternoon ahead of their big matchup against No. 1 Georgia, and there was plenty to discuss after the team's bye week. 

From offensive struggles to personnel decisions, Golesh addressed several issues that have plagued Auburn through its first five games.

Here are my five biggest takeaways from Monday's press conference.

The biggest news from Monday was Golesh announcing that linebacker Xavier Atkins will not be available against Georgia.

"We'll keep it in-house in terms of anything beyond that," Golesh said.

Atkins has been one of Auburn's most productive defenders this season, and losing him against a Georgia offense averaging 211.8 rushing yards per game is a significant concern.

Golesh indicated that Bryce Deas and De'Marcus Riddick will continue seeing increased opportunities, with Riddick still working toward regaining his confidence following last season's shoulder injury.

Auburn opened its loss against Tennessee with four consecutive three-and-outs, and Golesh acknowledged that the offense hasn't consistently found success early in games.

He explained that Auburn has studied its rushing concepts and when they've been most effective, with many of the positive results coming later in contests.

The challenge now is finding those advantages earlier instead of waiting until the second half to make adjustments.

Auburn committed five false starts against Tennessee, and Golesh wasn't interested in placing all the blame on his offensive linemen.

"I always start with, man, like what did we as coaches not do right?" Golesh said.

He discussed simplifying offensive communication in loud environments and putting players through more stressful practice situations.

That's important considering Auburn is heading into another difficult road environment in Athens.

Golesh also addressed the competition along Auburn's offensive line, particularly at left tackle and right guard.

Rather than announcing permanent starters, he explained that the competition will continue throughout the week before the staff determines which players give Auburn its best opportunity to win.

I'm interested to see whether younger offensive linemen continue receiving opportunities, especially considering the importance of developing this position for the future.

Golesh sounded encouraged by the team's response following the Tennessee loss, particularly regarding energy, preparation, and attention to detail.

But he also acknowledged that the real evaluation comes Saturday.

Auburn isn't going to fix every personnel deficiency in two weeks, especially against the No. 1 team in the country, but the Tigers should be able to improve their communication, avoid preventable penalties, and show better offensive preparation.

Those are the things I'll be watching against Georgia, regardless of the final score.