Auburn football escaped Vanderbilt with a 21-15 win, but Alex Golesh knows the offense must improve before facing Tennessee. Slow starts, an inconsistent rushing attack and offensive line questions loom as Byrum Brown and the Tigers prepare for Neyland Stadium.
The Auburn Tigers found a way to beat Vanderbilt.
But they can't bring that same offense to Knoxville.
Auburn finished Saturday's 21-15 win with just 287 yards of total offense. And seven of Auburn's 21 points came on special teams after Omar Mabson blocked a punt.
So the offense scored 14 points.
That's probably not going to be good enough against Tennessee.
And Alex Golesh knows it.
The biggest concern continues to be how Auburn starts games offensively. The Tigers struggled early against Florida, and it happened again against Vanderbilt.
"I truly own that," Golesh said Monday. "We've got to figure it out, and we got to figure it out right now."
That's important because this isn't something Golesh is trying to explain away. He knows Auburn has a problem, and four games into the season, he still hasn't found the solution.
Auburn can't afford to spend the first quarter figuring things out in Knoxville. The slow start can't come on the road on what might be an emotional game for much of the coaching staff.
The running game is part of that as well.
Golesh said Auburn tried to force the run some on first down against Vanderbilt, particularly during the first five drives. The Tigers weren't consistently successful doing it. He didn't get selfish like he has over the past few weeks, but the team still failed to extend drives early in the contest.
Eventually, Auburn had to get more creative.
They spread Vanderbilt out. They got Byrum Brown involved as a runner. And suddenly, Auburn started finding some room. When they can put their dual-threat quarterback in his comfort zone, he excels.
Go figure.
So, that's something I'm going to be watching against Tennessee, because clearly Auburn still hasn't really established what its rushing identity is.
The Tigers ran for 343 yards against Southern Miss and then struggled to consistently run the football against Florida and Vanderbilt, obviously tougher competition.
Golesh said Auburn has to find ways to run it effectively earlier in games.
And I agree. Because we have seen success with it, it's just come too late in the game when it could be utilized more effectively throughout.
Auburn got the football with 6:20 remaining and never gave it back. Vanderbilt knew Auburn wanted to run the football, and the Tigers still found a way to finish the game.
Jeremiah Cobb eventually broke outside for the run that essentially ended it.
But Auburn can't wait until the final drive to find its running game every week.
Tennessee creates pressure. Their defensive line looked like it would be the best unit they've seen all season. Knoxville will be Auburn's first truly hostile road environment under Golesh. And the Tigers are still trying to figure out an offensive line combination that works.
They might of found a way to sneak one past Vanderbilt, but they will need to step up their game more on the offensive side of things if they want to steal one at Neyland.
