Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown finished Saturday’s game with a team high 21 carries. That did include five sacks. That’s a number senior tackle Jo Simmons says is unacceptable. He told the media how they can reduced the number of times Brown is on the ground.
“I just think overall, all five of us, we just got to do a better job. Pass the twist off, hold it, keep him (Brown) in the pocket, and make him feel comfortable back there.”
Simmons says they practiced a great deal on Tuesday dealing with twists and stunts. He assessed his play on Saturday as just being okay.
“I hold myself to a high standard, and I don't think I played as good as what I should be. So I feel like I could have played better.”
Simmons says Southern Miss’s defense will be similar to Baylor’s in the sense they will present a lot of unknowns. That is partially due to the scheme of defensive coordinator Joe Bolden. That could put even more pressure on the line’s communication with one another.
“So just getting to settle in, and getting the feel for each other, and seeing how each other play, I think that'll, throughout the season, that'll improve.”
Simmons also commended the ability of Jack Leyrer and Kail Ellis to step up when Jacob Strand and Cole Skinner left the game with injury. Leyrer and Ellis helped the Tigers score a touchdown on the very next play.
“Coach said today, no matter who's in it, as long as people just keep swinging. The next guy up keeps, one guy goes down, next guy keeps swinging. That's what good olines are made for. One person doesn't make the oline, anyone can go in there and get the job done. So, proud of those guys.”
Auburn finished Saturday’s game with 259 passing yards and 165 rushing yards. Simmons and the oline will look to drive these numbers up this weekend. Southern Miss comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium for a 6:45 kick. The Tigers are looking for their 5th win in a row against the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss last beat Auburn, 10-9, in 1991.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
