Alex Golesh Has an Opportunity to Get Auburn Back on Track Against Arkansas

Auburn's first season under Alex Golesh has already featured some encouraging moments, but the Tigers still have plenty to prove.

And Saturday's matchup against Arkansas might be one of their most important games of the season.

Auburn went 1-3 during October, facing four difficult opponents and picking up an impressive road victory over Georgia.

But after consecutive losses to LSU and Ole Miss, the Tigers are now 4-4 with four games remaining.

And while those losses were disappointing, Auburn still has a realistic opportunity to finish the regular season with seven wins.

However, that starts with beating Arkansas.

One of Auburn's biggest concerns over the last two weeks has been its defense.

The Tigers struggled to contain LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt before allowing Ole Miss to score 45 points the following week.

But there's an important difference between those opponents and Arkansas.

The Razorbacks haven't been nearly as productive offensively, and they've struggled to consistently move the football against SEC competition. That should give Auburn an opportunity to get its defense back on track.

Elijah Melendez has been one of Auburn's most reliable defensive players this season, and the Tigers need him to help establish some consistency.

Auburn also needs better communication in the secondary and more pressure on the quarterback.

After two difficult performances, Saturday provides an opportunity to show that those struggles aren't becoming a bigger problem.

Saturday's matchup also features two coaches who are familiar with one another.

Golesh and Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield previously competed against each other when Golesh was at South Florida, and Silverfield was at Memphis. Now both are trying to establish their programs in the SEC.

And while Auburn has faced some difficult opponents recently, this is a game Golesh's team should be capable of winning.

The Tigers are playing at home against an Arkansas team that has experienced plenty of struggles of its own.

Auburn's offense has been another major concern throughout the season.

The Tigers have struggled to establish a consistent running game, and those problems have contributed to too many difficult third-down situations.

Golesh acknowledged Monday that Auburn needs to establish more of an identity offensively.

With Jeremiah Cobb and Omar Mabson available in the backfield, Auburn needs to find ways to get its running backs more involved. The offensive line also needs to continue improving after Golesh made several changes against Ole Miss.

Arkansas presents an opportunity for Auburn to show progress, but if the Tigers continue struggling to move the football, those concerns will only become more difficult to ignore.

Auburn still has Arkansas, Mississippi State, Samford and Alabama remaining on its schedule.

And while beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa would be a significant challenge, the Tigers have a realistic opportunity to win their next three games.

That would put Auburn at 7-4 entering the Iron Bowl.

Considering the difficult October schedule and the fact that Golesh is in his first season, finishing with seven wins would represent meaningful progress.

But losing to Arkansas would make that goal much more difficult to accomplish.

Auburn has already shown it can compete with some of the better teams in the country.

Now it needs to show it can consistently beat teams they are supposed to beat.