Alex Golesh Promised a More Disciplined Auburn Team. We're Still Waiting

One of the biggest things I expected from Alex Golesh when he took over the Auburn Tigers was a more disciplined football team. And the reason I expected it is because he himself stated in the offseason that it would be a big priority when building up this program. 

However, five games into the season, I'm still waiting to see it.

Auburn's 24-14 loss to Tennessee was another example of a team that keeps making things harder on itself. And while there's plenty to discuss about the talent deficiencies on this roster, some of these mistakes have absolutely nothing to do with talent.

Auburn committed five false starts against Tennessee.

Five.

That's five plays where the Tigers lost five yards without Tennessee having to do anything.

And when you have an offensive line that's already struggling to consistently win its matchups, those mistakes become even more costly.

Auburn's first four offensive possessions against Tennessee all featured either a penalty or a negative play on an early down.

The result? Four consecutive three-and-outs. As much as many want to criticize the play calling of Auburn's offense, it's hard to actually get a good grasp if you don't have the opportunities to succeed and extend drives because of boneheaded penalties. 

Without question, that's not going to get it done inside the SEC when you play teams as tough as Tennessee. It's certainly not going to get it done when they return from the bye week on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs, who might be the best team in the country. 

Auburn fans have had it tough over the last six seasons. There's no doubt about that, and I think that's where the conversation about Alex Golesh might become uncomfortable for many. Nobody expected him to completely rebuild Auburn's offensive line in just one season. The issues up front have been developing for years, and it will take more than one recruiting class to fix them. It's fair to assume that Golesh and his coaching staff missed in a big way in talent evaluation on some of the players they did bring with them to the Plains when they became the head coach, but discipline, that's something I expected to see immediately. 

I expected an offensive line that might not be the most talented group in the SEC, but one that understood its assignments, communicated effectively, and didn't constantly put the offense behind the chains.

Instead, we're watching Auburn struggle with the same things that have plagued this program for years.

And it's not like Golesh hasn't addressed it.

He's talked repeatedly about execution, fundamentals, and the importance of winning in the margins.

But at some point, those conversations have to translate to what we're seeing on Saturdays.

Because right now, it's clear Auburn isn't talented enough offensively to overcome these mistakes consistently. 

When you're already struggling to establish the run, protect your quarterback and sustain drives, you can't afford to turn second-and-five into second-and-ten because somebody jumped early. Especially with this offensive scheme that relies on tempo and rhythm, negative plays are such a detriment to this offense. 

That's how drives die before they ever really get started.

I still believe Golesh understands what needs to change at Auburn, and the process is definitely happening. I think we, as Auburn fans, just wanted to see it right away, and maybe we got our hopes up a little bit too much this offseason. 

The bye week does give them a good opportunity to address some of these issues and structural changes for the first time since taking over the team on the Plains. I don't expect Auburn to suddenly become an elite offensive team against Georgia or even potentially win this game, as they are in the toughest stretch of their season. October is an absolute gauntlet for this squad, but I do expect to see a team that stops beating itself. 

Five games should be enough to establish that standard of discipline. 

And regardless of what type of talent you put on the field, that's something that can be addressed right now.