Saturday, senior transfer tight end Arlis Boardingham almost secured his first touchdown with the Auburn Tigers. The pass from quarterback Byrum Brown went off his finger tips, and while he did draw a pass interference call on the play, Boardingham said if he was more detailed, it would’ve been a catch.
“I seen that safety,” Boardingham said. “I saw him turn open a little bit. I kept it straight. I could have bent it a little more. That's the finer detail of it. But just seeing the ball, try to go get it.”
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Boardingham was also on the field for the last Auburn drive of the game. After a Vanderbilt field goal cut the Tigers’ lead to 21-15, the offensive unit got the ball back with 6:20 left to play in the game.
Head Coach Alex Golesh and Offensive Coordinator Joel Gordon decided to run 12 personnel in an effort to sustain a long drive.
Boardingham gave his perspective on that type of message the coaches were sending to the players.
“I feel like that's a statement that we're able to close out games and we're able to finish games. And that you can lean on the tight ends as well,” Boardingham said.
Looking ahead to this week, Boardingham believes Tennessee will run a lot of nickel looks. He says the Volunteers defense is filled with guys who like to play downhill.
Boardingham said he believes the tight end room can use natural mismatches to their advantage when they take the field.
“I feel like all the tight ends in our room are mismatches,” Boardingham said. “So just trying to get that mismatched lineup when they come in different packages, just trying to take advantage of that. And also, we try to run the ball and establish the run. So just building off that, sometimes the tight ends can get lost in there. And just whatever we get, just make the most out of it.”
Boardingham said another key for offensive success is being able to run the football. He also feels establishing the line of scrimmage early could take the crowd out of the game and make it easier to open up the entire playbook.
“I feel like the run is gonna be the thing that sets the tone in this game,” Boardingham said. “And we're gonna have to keep going at it, even if it doesn't happen in the first, maybe third or second down. We're gonna have to keep going at it and just making sure that we can establish that, so we can open up the pass.”
Auburn has not won a road SEC opener since 2021. That team defeated LSU, ending a 10-game losing streak in Baton Rouge that stretched over 22 years.
Coincidentally, Tennessee has not beaten the Tigers in Knoxville since 1999 as well. The Volunteers lead the overall series in Knoxville at 14-10-2.
Kickoff from Neyland Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CST.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
