When Alex Golesh’s Auburn Tigers take the field Saturday, they will be trying to accomplish something that has not been done by an Auburn team since 2021. The Tigers are hoping to win back-to-back games over ranked opponents. For that to occur, they will be striving for a better start. It sounds like a broken record at this point, but the Tigers would do well not to continuously put themselves behind the proverbial eight ball early in games.
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It may not seem obvious since Auburn fell behind 14-0 to Georgia last week, but there was improvement from the offensive unit in the first quarter. They picked up a first down on their first possession. That did not come until the second quarter against Tennessee. The Tigers also escaped the opening fifteen minutes only trailing 14-7, with the Bulldogs in punt formation. That was progress. The fact that Auburn has shown consistent resilience in games they have fallen behind in is certainly impressive, but head coach Alex Golesh is still searching for answers coming out of the gate.
Byrum Brown played his best game of the year against Georgia. He appeared in total control of the offense. He was making quicker decisions against Georgia, and Auburn will need that to continue on Saturday. The improved play of the offensive line will also be something to follow, particularly against the edge players of LSU, whom Golesh described this week as “real. Like, real, real.”
Turning to action away from the plains, it could be a trap game in Ann Arbor. Sixth-ranked Indiana suffered their first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion last week to Ohio State. Now they travel to play a Michigan team who beat Penn State after benching their former five-star quarterback, Bryce Underwood. Indiana is the better team, but Michigan may be in the better spot. Look for a close one here with points at a premium.
Second-ranked BYU heads down to the sunshine state after picking up one of their biggest wins in program history against Notre Dame at home last Saturday. Their fans certainly thought it was, as they stormed the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium in a scene that resembled the Kick-6. The Cougars won in the dying seconds over the Fighting Irish under controversial circumstances, to say the least. Tomorrow, they trade the cool dry mountains of Provo for the humidity of Orlando to play the UCF Knights. On paper, one would think this would be another win for the undefeated Cougars, but the circumstances may give the home team a shot here.
One of the hottest teams in the SEC, Tennessee, hits the road to face a team they have a history of sometimes struggling against in spots like this. South Carolina comes in off a bye, having embarrassed the Florida Gators, in Gainesville, the week prior. Back in 2022, Josh Heupel’s Tennessee team, sporting a 9-1 record with playoff aspirations, left Columbia on the business end of a 63-38 thrashing. This Tennessee team is far too good on defense for a repeat of that performance, but Carolina is talented enough to possibly give Shane Beamer another marquee win that would go a long way to getting him a sixth year with the Gamcocks.
For the first time since 2013, Alabama has lost back-to-back games. They return home having been beaten by Georgia and Tennessee. In comes Mike Elko’s floundering Texas A&M squad. This matchup has produced some classics since the Aggies joined the conference in 2012. Texas A&M won that game in their inaugural season behind Johnny Manziel’s wizardry. Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies walked the Crimson Tide off in 2021. Despite the skewed record in Alabama’s favor, Texas A&M often play them close.
One of the most disappointing SEC teams currently has to be Texas. Two weeks ago, the Longhorns were riding high as the top-ranked team in the nation. Since then, they have lost to rival Oklahoma in a mistake-filled game that should never have been close. Then, they returned home to lose to a Florida team on its own two game losing streak. Now, Pete Golding’s Ole Miss Rebels come to Austin with superstar quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and company. As absurd as this would have sounded 14 days ago, there has even been talk of Steve Sarkisian’s future, should Texas continue to pile losses. Ole Miss seems to be the expert’s choice here, but I think the Longhorns get off the mat.
I think the game of the day may well be in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the visiting Houston Cougars, at 6-1, take on the tenth-ranked and undefeated Utes late Saturday night. Look for a tight back and forth contest in this one.
Other headlines
· It’s a key ACC matchup in Charlottesville as Virginia hosts Duke tonight.
· Newly #1 Miami hopes to avoid a letdown game against a team that has upset them in the past, the Pitt Panthers.
· Baylor looks for their 5th win of the year on the road at Kansas. The Bears have played well after losing their opener to Auburn.
· Clemson has a tricky game against James Franklin’s Virginia Tech Hokies in Death Valley. Dabo Swinney does not need to drop this one.
· #12 Kentucky looks to continue their Cinderella season as they host a struggling Vanderbilt team.
· Wisconsin hopes to “Jump Around” at Camp-Randal Stadium and send #16 USC back to LA with a not so happy Hollywood ending.
· Bill Belichick and North Carolina go for their 5th win of the year as they host Syracuse. It has been a pretty good bounce back season two for Belichick and the Tar Heels, after tons of drama in the offseason.
· The 6-1 North Dakota State Bison visit Albuquerque to play the 5-1 New Mexico Lobos in the group of 6 game of the day.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
