The Auburn Tigers: Pretenders or Contenders?

Photo: Ron Jenkins, AP

The Auburn Tigers became the only team with two wins against top 20 opponents after their 28-20 road win over #17 Texas A&M on Saturday. Auburn defeated Oregon in week one to jump into the top ten prior to their match-up against the Aggies. After such a hot start to the 2019-2020 season you might be wondering; is Auburn a legitimate contender this year?

Entering this season 247 Sports predicted Auburn would go 7-5 (3-5 against SEC opponents), with losses to Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. You could say that not much was expected of this Auburn team. Not a lot of people thought Auburn would have much success with their grueling schedule (2nd hardest in the nation), but here they stand ranked #7 with a 4-0 record. Simply put, Auburn is a contender this year. The Tigers are ranked 20th in rushing yards allowed per game, 10th in defensive efficiency, and 16th in rushing yards per game. Auburn has an elite front seven on defense and a very good run game. This team is fantastic and has a load of talent, but I would warn Auburn fans to be cautiously optimistic.

I want to see Auburn open up their passing game and have a more balanced scheme. I know this is difficult since Bo Nix, their starting quarterback, is a true freshman and you want to put him in a position where he won’t make mistakes. However, there are going to be games where you can’t rely solely on your run game and you’ll be forced to throw the ball. Obviously Auburn is at their best when they have a dominant run game, but once their passing attack becomes consistently effective, they’ll become nearly unstoppable.

My biggest issue with this team is their missed opportunities. There were three plays against Texas A&M where Bo Nix overthrew his receivers on deep balls. If Nix connects on just two of those throws, then the Tigers may have jumped out to a 28-3 lead. There were moments against Oregon where Nix made some dangerous throws in the red zone which led to 2 interceptions. That can’t happen. Bo has to protect the ball and take advantage when his speedy receivers get behind the defense. Enough with the negative stuff, because there are a lot of good things to say about this Auburn squad. For example; this year Auburn’s offense looks the best it has in years. This is mainly because head coach Gus Malzahn took over play-calling this season. The offensive genius took over the offense after allowing his offensive coordinators to handle play-calling duties for the last few seasons. Another reason is because Bo Nix is a good runner. Nix isn’t as fast or as good of a runner as Nick Marshall was in 2013/2014, but his ability as a rusher had a huge impact on the Texas A&M game. The freshman quarterback iced the game late in the fourth by converting a 3rd and 6 with his legs. If Auburn’s defense keeps playing at an elite level, their passing attack improves and becomes more consistent, and Bo Nix continues to be a threat as a rusher, then the Tigers will earn a spot in the college football playoff.

Obviously there is a lot more football to be played this season, but Auburn definitely looks like a serious contender this season. It’ll be interesting to see how this team looks as they continue their conference schedule and play tough opponents like

LSU, Georgia, and Alabama.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but the hype is real and the Gus Bus is in full effect.