Auburn Is Asking Byrum Brown to Do Too Much on Offense

Are the Auburn Tigers asking Byrum Brown to do too much offensively?

And before we dive deep into this, I am well aware that he is paid a large sum to come to Auburn to play quarterback for Alex Golesh in his first season. However, let's keep an open mind. 

It's a question I think needs to be discussed during Auburn's bye week, especially after watching the Tigers fall to Tennessee 24-14 on Saturday.

Brown finished the game with 107 rushing yards, accounting for more than half of Auburn's 186 rushing yards against the Volunteers. Omar Mabson added 62 yards on 10 carries, but the Tigers once again struggled to consistently move the football, especially early in the contest.

And that's where I think the problem starts.

Auburn has become too dependent on Brown making something happen when the offense isn't working.

Whether that's escaping pressure, extending plays or taking off downfield, Brown continues to provide Auburn with opportunities that might not exist with another quarterback.

But how sustainable is that?

The offensive line has struggled throughout the season, the running backs haven't consistently been able to establish themselves, and the passing game has experienced plenty of inconsistencies.

When those things aren't working, Auburn is essentially asking Brown to overcome all three problems himself.

That's not a recipe for consistent offensive success in the SEC.

And unfortunately, some of these problems are starting to look awfully familiar.

Auburn has gone through multiple coaching staffs, quarterbacks, and offensive coordinators over the last several years, yet the same issues continue to show up.

The offense struggles to sustain drives, the offensive line can't consistently control the line of scrimmage, and the defense eventually finds itself spending too much time on the field.

Different coaches. Different players. Similar results.

Golesh brought an almost entirely new coaching staff to Auburn, with defensive coordinator DJ Durkin being the notable exception, but the Tigers are still dealing with problems that existed long before he arrived.

Now, I don't think it's fair to expect Golesh to fix every personnel issue in five games.

But I do think it's fair to expect Auburn to find ways to make life easier for its quarterback.

Brown's rushing ability should be an advantage that complements the rest of the offense, not something Auburn has to rely on whenever everything else stops working.

At some point, Auburn has to stop repeating the same offensive mistakes under different coaching staffs.

And Golesh has to be the one who finally changes that.