Junior safety Kaleb Harris registered six tackles on Saturday against Vanderbilt. That was good for second most on the team behind junior linebacker Xavier Atkins.
While Auburn did not have as many missed tackles as it did against Florida the week before, Harris knows there were still too many, which cannot continue with the upcoming gauntlet of a schedule.
SUBSCRIBE TO AUBURN UNDERCOVER AND WE WILL MATCH YOUR OTHER SUBSCRIPTIONS
“We gotta get the call,” Harris said. “Get our feet in the ground. Linebackers, D-line, we all gotta set the edge. Do what we gotta do to do our job. That’s basically the mentality going forward.”
Head Coach Alex Golesh said some of what has contributed to the missed tackles is not getting the defensive call and not lining up correctly.
With Saturday being the first true road game of the season for Auburn, flawless communication between the defense and the sideline will be imperative.
However, the noise from the crowd will be significantly less with the Tennessee offense on the field.
The No. 17 Volunteers are coming into Saturday’s contest looking to rebound from a 3-point home loss to the top-ranked Texas Longhorns.
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel is an up-tempo play caller, and a mentor to Golesh, who spent two years on Heupel’s staff in Knoxville as the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator.
Harris spoke about some of the challenges the Volunteers present to the Tigers defense.
“Good overall team, playing fast pace. Good passing game, good running game,” Harris said. “Adjust to all the formations they give us. Play to their tempo. Be faster than them. Line up before them.”
Saturday’s current game-day weather forecast indicates a high chance of rain in Knoxville.
Harris said playing in wet conditions is nothing he and the other players can’t handle.
“It’s football man,” Harris said. “We play in whatever weather they bring us.”
Auburn is looking to go 2-1 in SEC play for the first time since 2021. In the Tigers’ last 14 road games, they are 6-8. They hope to improve upon that, and kick start a challenging October schedule, with a win over Tennessee this weekend.
Kickoff between the Tigers and Volunteers is set for 2:30 p.m. CST.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
