Episode Details

Auburn football has its first opportunity to respond to a loss in the Alex Golesh era. After falling to Florida, the Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium against Vanderbilt with three major problems Christian Rauh believes must be addressed immediately: establish the running game, start faster and fix the tackling.

On First Call, Christian breaks down why Jeremiah Cobb’s nine carries for 32 yards against Florida weren’t enough and why Bryson Washington deserves more opportunities. Byrum Brown’s legs also need to become a bigger part of Auburn’s offensive identity.

Then there are the slow starts. Auburn finished the first quarter against Florida with negative three yards of offense. Christian explains why extending drives early could help Brown find a rhythm while preventing DJ Durkin’s defense from spending another massive portion of the first half on the field.

But the biggest concern might be tackling.

According to the PFF numbers discussed on the show, Auburn finished the Florida game with 24 missed tackles, including five apiece from Xavier Atkins and DeShawn Womack. Alex Golesh also pointed to 120 rushing yards after contact and 11 explosive runs allowed. Auburn cannot continue giving opponents those opportunities.

Christian also dives into an offensive line rotation that didn’t exist against Florida. All five starters played all 69 offensive snaps despite Auburn allowing seven sacks. Could Caleb Ellis, Jack Lear or another lineman earn snaps against Vanderbilt? And could Cole Skinner’s role change after a difficult performance?

Saturday is Auburn’s chance to show that the Florida problems can be corrected rather than becoming the identity of this team.

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