Auburn has been treading water for the last few weeks of the 2015 season, just waiting for a chance to grab onto something solid. Now that the Tigers’ bye week is here, that chance has come.
This bye week is not only important for Auburn’s many injured players to rest and get healthy. Important work needs to be done if Auburn does not want to remain in the deep end the rest of the season.
Here are the five things Auburn should improve during the bye week:
1. The quarterback’s passing ability. “We got to get more explosive plays and how you do that is throwing the ball down the field,” said Gus Malzahn. I’m sure the Auburn fan base would agree, especially since the high-level quarterback they were promised never materialized. It’s also abundantly clear that the running backs can only score so many points before the game comes to an end, and those points are significantly reduced when facing any SEC defense with some clout. Since Malzahn still did not allow Sean White to loosen up his arm against San Jose State, it’s up to bye week practice to build trust and confidence in the young quarterback.
2. Develop more wide receivers. The wait was terminated this week for those still hoping Duke Williams would have a star season when he was released from the team. Auburn fans who wanted to see more of him on the field may now be feeling glad that Ricardo Louis has gotten a vast majority of the attention at wide receiver. However, it helps to have more than one strong target, especially for a quarterback who most likely will be trying to get the ball out quickly. WR Melvin Ray and TE Jalen Harris should be more incorporated into the offense as Auburn attempts to build around White.
3. Ball security. Auburn has been putting the ball on the ground a lot lately, and it is a major issue. Against San Jose State, Auburn’s offense fumbled four times. Against Mississippi State, it fumbled three times. All of these were self-recovered, but they waste plays and waste momentum. White, Kerryon Johnson, and Peyton Barber have all been culprits, which is doubly concerning since they touch the ball the most.
4. The pass rush. Carl Lawson’s absence continues to be felt here. Against San Jose State, Cassanova McKinzy was switched to defensive end in an attempt to bring the pass rush back. It seemed moderately successful, but a mediocre success will not be enough against Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama. If Auburn can develop a strategy here, its next opponent may be the perfect one to execute it against since Kentucky has been having a nightmare of a time keeping its quarterback protected.
5. The run defense. After watching Auburn’s defense and then Florida’s defense last Saturday, it became starkly apparent what a strong defense looks like and what a just-getting-by defense looks like. Will Muschamp was hired to improve the defense and, while one can’t expect major turnaround to happen in less than one year, one should be able to see progress. Right now, when it comes to stopping the run, there is no progress. Auburn’s maligned rush defense is last in the conference so far, allowing an average of 209.6 yards per game. Auburn’s rush defense last year ended at 10th, allowing 168.8 yards per game. Muschamp has a lot of work to do during this bye week to improve the effort, the tackling, and the toughness of his defense.
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
