Auburn football: What I've liked and haven't liked about the Tigers' 5-1 start
Before the season and with a brutal 6-game stretch to start the 2019 campaign for Gus Malzahn’s Auburn side, if you have told Tigers fans that the team would be 5-1 with 2 wins against Top 25 teams, a majority would be over the moon.
Yes, there is a lot to like about the first half of the season, but like always following a loss, there is some nitpicking to do if Auburn wants to rebound and compete for SEC and national superiority.
With the Tigers enjoying their bye week before returning to the field next week at Arkansas, here is what I have liked and not liked after 6 games.
I like …
That the defense has become the complete package. We knew going in that the front four, starring Derrick Brown, would be a big edge and that the secondary was loaded with veterans who could keep opposing passing game’s at bay. What has been a surprise, though, is the play of the linebackers, including K.J. Britt, Chandler Wooten and others. While their pass protection was proven somewhat of a weakness in the loss to Florida, the overall product has been better than expected, especially in open-field tackling, something the Tigers have struggled with in years past.
I don’t like …
How often the defense has been on the field. In The Swamp on Saturday, Auburn’s offense held the ball for just 26:19, helping the Gators eventually wear down the Tigers’ defense, leading to Lamical Perine’s 88-yard touchdown run to seal the game. The defense has done a lot of great things, but there is a limit to how many snaps they can play and stay at an elite level. The offense must start helping, or opposing offenses will continue to tire the Tigers defensively.
I like …
How Bo Nix has continued to grow every game. Granted, he had his worst outing on Saturday against an elite Florida defense, completing just 11-of-27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown while being intercepted 3 times, but with any true freshman, a down game is to be expected. Still, he has already shown that he is the present and future with some big-time throws and leadership skills that, even after Saturday, kept him from hanging his head. Relax, Auburn fans, he will be just fine.
I don’t like …
The disappearance of the run game and offensive line when things got tough. Nix had absolutely no help from the rushing attack, the Tigers gaining just 124 yards on 34 attempts and, even worse, unable to convert 3rd-and-short situations on a number of occasions against the Gators. This won’t be the last time the line faces a top defensive front with LSU, Georgia and Alabama all waiting. The line must get it together with the running game soon.
Oh, and many are still wondering where playmakers such as Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove and Joey Gatewood were Saturday. Schwartz and Stove had 1 reception apiece while Gatewood did not see the field. It was frustrating that Malzahn didn’t get the ball to his 2 fastest receivers.
I like …
The passion, charisma and — wait, is that humor? — that Malzahn has continually showed this season, even getting in an indirect stab at Nick Saban and his complaints about early kickoff times. In the past, Malzahn has come across almost robotic, but something has changed. It’s fun to see.
I don’t like …
The fact that, remaining on the Tigers’ schedule are 3 top 10 teams, or you know, 2 more than almost every Big Ten team will face in a season. Jab aside, Auburn will need something special in the second half of the season to remain with just 1 loss and have a shot at the SEC Championship Game. It will be an interested final 7 weeks.
I like …
That despite some problems at offensive line, a true freshman quarterback learning on the job, some injury problems at wide receiver and the defense having to play a lot of snaps, Malzahn and the team are 5-1 and have yet to reach their full potential.
There will be times when the Tigers look as good as they did against Mississippi State and as bad as they did against Florida, but with half the season over and a loss to sort to reset expectations during the off week, this second half and team could turn out to be something special.