With SEC play on the horizon, it is time for the first Auburn Wire Roundtable of the season.
Auburn football has seen its share of ups and downs through the first three games of the season including the thrill of two comfortable wins with solid offensive play and the low point of losing a home game to California at home with less than ideal pass defense.
Taylor Jones, Brian Hauch, and Tyler Raley sat down earlier this week to discuss their thoughts on Auburn’s performance through three games, as well as predict what will take place this Saturday when Auburn faces Arkansas to open SEC play.
Here is week one’s Auburn Wire Roundtable.
Progress report time
What would you grade Auburn’s performance through the first three games?
Taylor Jones: “I’ll give Auburn a straight C. There are several issues that Auburn still needs to work out such as run protection and defending the pass. However, Freeze has shown that he is willing to make adjustments to help his team improve. It will be interesting to see how these moves will affect the success of Auburn on the field and what other adjustments Freeze will make as the season continues.”
Brian Hauch: “I’ll give the Tigers a C. Hugh Freeze’s offense has looked unstoppable in two games and horrendously terrible in one. The problem is both of the great performances have come against teams with a combined record of 0-4 and -121 point differential against FBS teams. Maybe things would have been different if Hank Brown were under center in week two, but the loss to Cal really gives a “black eye” to what has otherwise been a very solid start to the season from Auburn.”
Tyler Raley: “Auburn has played very average over the course of the first three weeks of the season. Nothing has really stuck out as far as huge improvements and there are still a lot of questions to be answered here as SEC play gets underway. The Tigers’ performance gets a C or about a 74 out of 100 due to this, needing a lot to change over the next couple of weeks before a brutal road stretch in the month of October, especially on the defensive side of the ball.”
Time to prove yourself
Hank Brown will get the start for the second straight week. How would you rate his performance vs. New Mexico? What’s your prediction for his second start?
TJ: “Auburn brought in new receivers to help Payton Thorne in the passing game, but it has not seemed to help. Brown showed last Saturday that Auburn’s passing game is not helpless and can be successful with the right person behind center. I’m excited to see how Brown performs against SEC competition and I expect Freeze to decide whether or not to keep Brown as the Tigers’ permanent quarterback going forward.”
BH: “Considering he was named the starter just a day before the contest, I would give the redshirt freshman an A+ report card in his first career start. It may have been against the worst statistical defense in the FBS, but Brown still did everything he needed to in order to get the victory. The most glaring improvement I saw in the offense post-Payton Thorne was how quickly Brown released the football from the pocket, which was something Thorne struggled to do throughout his Auburn career.”
TR: “Hank Brown’s first start went well considering all of the pandemonium that surrounded the team going into last week’s game. The young quarterback made some great decisions but also had moments where everyone could tell he needed to work on more. His efficiency in the pocket was outstanding, but getting used to the tempo was something of note coming out of Saturday. I would give him an 83 out of 100 grade for his performance and expect him to be in the same ballpark of a grade this week. Arkansas’ defense has the ability to cause a lot of havoc up the middle, posing some concerns for Brown’s comfortability. Despite this, he should get better as the game goes on and give the Tigers a chance.”
Surprise surprise
What has been the biggest surprise about Auburn football so far?
TJ: “Jarquez Hunter’s production. Auburn was expected to need time to break in new receivers but Hunter was supposed to be the veteran that makes the offense shine. Hunter has rushed for 273 yards through three games, with his first 100-yard-plus game coming last week. If Auburn wants to find success on offense, it needs to find ways to give Hunter more opportunities to make plays.”
BH: “The inconsistent nature of the entire team has been super surprising and concerning. At some points the Tigers look like they are ready to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, while at other points the product has looked bad enough for Hugh Freeze to be on the hypothetical “hot seat.” I guess the inconsistencies make sense with such a young team, but the “Jekyll and Hyde” nature of the Tigers has given Tiger fans a reason to go to Toomer’s, other than Lemonade, this season.”
TR: “The biggest surprise to me thus far has to be the play of Malcolm Simmons. The freshman’s speed and athleticism allows him to fly around the field and make plays that many may think do not have a chance of happening, while also showing a work ethic that Hugh Freeze commends. While the stats show that he has just five catches for 109 yards and one touchdown, his overall performance sticks out more, something that fans can watch to see more of down the road.”
Eugene?
On the contrary, what has been the biggest disappointment through three games?
TJ: “The passing game is not where I thought it would be through week three. Auburn’s games vs. Alabama A&M and New Mexico showed signs of great potential, but Auburn’s passing in the loss to Cal looked similar to what we saw last season. Maybe with Hank Brown taking over and Cam Coleman returning to the rotation full time will allow this passing game to grow.”
BH: “I know the game scripts haven’t exactly led to the type of games where linebackers can have an abundance of tackles, but the tackle output, or lack thereof, from Eugene Asante on the defensive side of the ball, has been disappointing. Asante was all over the field in seemingly every contest last season but just has 5 combined wrap-ups through 3 games in 2024. I felt like I heard the announcers say his name about 15 times a game a year ago, but Asante has been somewhat of a ghost this time around.”
TR: “The defensive secondary has not impressed anyone through the first three weeks in the 2024 season. Too many one-on-one passes have been caught by opposing receivers and caused big gains for defensive coordinator DJ Durkin to be comfortable with. As the conference slate commences, answers need to be found as far as defensive coverages go. Things will go downhill very quickly if things do not change against much better offenses than what Auburn faced in the first three weeks.”
Let’s get clicking
Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers
Who is your ‘pick to click’ for Saturday’s game vs. Arkansas?
TJ: “I look for Malcolm Simmons to have a big game against Arkansas. His early contributions have led him to become a productive member of the ‘Freeze Four’ with five catches for 109 yards. Freeze mentioned that he hopes to put him on the field more this week, so expect Simmons to take advantage of every opportunity given this weekend.”
BH: “As I mentioned above, Eugene Asante has yet to get it going this season. He is too good of a player to go a full third of a season without a big game, and I could see the senior having a busy afternoon against a very good running quarterback in Taylen Green on the other side.”
TR: “For what it is worth, look for safety Jerrin Thompson to make his mark in SEC play on Saturday. In the early going, Thompson leads the team in tackles with 14 and caught one of the team’s two interceptions on the season. Transferring from Texas, Thompson knows what it is like to play against bigger opponents in big moments, so he should feel right at home in the SEC. His efforts have been one of the few bright spots in the secondary and should allow him to cause chaos amongst the Razorbacks’ receivers.”
Contain the Hogs
What will Auburn need to do well in order to win on Saturday?
TJ: “Blocking will be key for the Tigers on Saturday. After grading 92.1 in pass blocking and 82.9 in run blocking (PFF) in week one’s win over Alabama A&M, neither blocking aspect has graded above 76.0 since. Auburn can have a great day on Saturday, especially in the passing game, but it can not happen without solid offensive line play.”
BH: “The defense will need to contain Taylen Green and his dual-threat, big play ability. If Auburn’s defensive line can gather enough pressure to force the freshman into quick decisions, Auburn should be fine at home. If the Tigers give Green time to react to the defense and space to operate, we could see a game script closer to what we saw in week two against Cal.”
TR: “The biggest thing that the Tigers need to do besides improve in the secondary is run the ball. While there was improvement in the New Mexico game, the Arkansas defense has made itself known across the nation this year, only giving up 185 yards rushing over three games, which includes a game that it matched up against a top running back in Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon. The offense cannot afford to solely rely on Hank Brown’s arm to win the game. While everything needs to be working to get the win, having a solid run game can tire this active defensive front for the Razorbacks and provide opportunities late in the game.”
