Auburn football's offensive line remains a weekly competition under Alex Golesh. Kenneth McManus replaced Cole Skinner against Vanderbilt, while Jacob Strand and Jo Simmons rotated at left tackle as the Tigers continue searching for consistency in the running game before facing Tennessee.
The Auburn Tigers made a few changes on the offensive line against Vanderbilt.
And although it seemed like most of the changes improved the unit, it doesn't sound like Alex Golesh is ready to stop evaluating that group.
After Cole Skinner struggled against Florida, Auburn turned to Kenneth McManus at right guard against Vanderbilt. In fact, we only saw Skinner play one snap Saturday as a fullback.
Golesh also rotated players throughout the game. For example, Jacob Strand and Jo Simmons each got some work at the left tackle position.
There were some positives, but there were also enough problems that the competition isn't going anywhere.
"It's going to continuously be, just like every other position, a competition every single week," Golesh said Monday. "I know you guys thought that was like coach talk. It's not."
Golesh has already shown he's willing to change something when it isn't working, and the move away from Skinner, a player he recruited to follow him from South Florida, from the starting lineup is a very telling sign.
Despite the moves, however, Auburn's offensive line still has plenty to figure out. The Tigers finished with just 287 total yards against Vanderbilt, and only 14 of Auburn's 21 points came from the offense.
The running game wasn't consistently there either, and they continue to keep starting slow.
Golesh said Auburn tried to force the run some on first down during its first five drives and eventually, the Tigers had to adjust.
"It was a little bit of everything," Golesh said. "One, the way schematically Vanderbilt was built and the way that they were playing, they were going to make you earn every single yard in there, especially in early downs."
Auburn eventually spread things out, got Byrum Brown involved, and found more success. Something that has been a pattern over the first four games of the season. The offense has found plenty of more success in the second half rather than the first. Meaning they are a few adjustments away from hopefully being able to put games away early and often.
But they are not there yet. Auburn still hasn't really established what its rushing identity is going to be against SEC defenses.
There were encouraging moments against Vanderbilt.
Especially the final drive when Auburn got the ball with 6:20 remaining, Vanderbilt knew the Tigers wanted to run, and Auburn still never gave it back.
But Golesh stressed the need (and want) to get that success earlier.
"We got to find ways to continuously be able to effectively run it early and on early downs and early in games," Golesh said.
That's where the offensive line competition becomes even more important, and the best part is that Golesh clearly isn't treating one win as proof that his offensive line is settled.
