Auburn fans are on edge. With Vanderbilt coming to town, the chance to nab the first SEC win of the Alex Golesh era or the chance to have its first losing streak of the season are both on the table.
The Tigers' fanbase cannot handle an upset loss to the Commodores as -9.5-point favorites at the spread.
Patience is already running surprisingly thin for Golesh from them, even though Joel Gordon's offense was far from the problem in the team's 44-39 loss to Florida.
Golesh isn't the guy who will be in trouble just yet.
He will almost certainly have runway if his initial coaching staff doesn't produce adequate results in Week 4 and beyond, though not too far beyond.
One of the coaches Golesh brought with him could be a target for fans' ire if the game plan doesn't see an uptick in production within his purview, though.
The other is the second-highest-paid coach on the payroll.
DJ Durkin is already a target of Auburn fans' ire
DJ Durkin is paid too handsomely for his defense to have had such an ugly night against the Gators last Saturday.
Durkin let his old employer run roughshod over him to the tune of 495 yards of offense. His unit gave up 10 points in the middle eight.
Durkin's been connected with crazy conspiracies about purposely tanking the defense to spite the team for not hiring him full-time. Those have no validity, but psychosis will continue to grip portions of the fanbase if his group can't fix the issues.
Defense was the strength when the team had little else for two years straight. If the defense falls apart against Jared Curtis and Co., just as the offense is starting to turn a corner, the heartbreak would be excessive for the Auburn family.
Tyler Hudanick needs to get the run game going
Offensive line coach/run game coordinator Tyler Hudanick was on Golesh's Bulls staff in Tampa. The issues are not all on him, since replacing an entire offensive line and expecting solid results by Week 3 is a tough ask.
Still, the right guard spot is filled by Cole Skinner, who worked with Hudanick last year. Cole Best had a 56.1 overall grade in 76 snaps at center against Baylor. Best also came to Auburn with Golesh, Hudanick, and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon.
The left guard question may have been answered with Wilson Zierer, but the running game as a whole has been underwhelming. Jeremiah Cobb has just 85 yards against the two Power 4 opponents the team has faced. He was better under last year's offensive line in Hugh Freeze's offense.
Week 4 has an opposing defense that offers a moderate test, but not one that should be overwhelming.
Auburn badly needs a narrative shift in these two aspects
It's tough for Tiger fans to witness an important aspect of the offense regress so suddenly, with much of the same personnel in the running back room.
It could feel like one step forward and two steps back, with the defense also regressing. Key pieces are back on the defensive front, like linebackers Elijah Melendez and Xavier Atkins. The hope was that there'd be a sustained level of dominance on that side of the ball.
Hudanick and Durkin need a strong week against Vanderbilt.
It'd be a five-alarm fire if Auburn was 2-2 after a visit from the Commodores.
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