Auburn Football vs Arkansas State: 5 Things to Watch for in Game 2

Improvements on the Offensive Line

The offensive line was a bit disappointing against Clemson – especially in the first half when Auburn had one rushing yard.

They gave up four sacks, which two of them could be blamed on the quarterbacks not getting rid of the football.

I like the group of Austin Golson, Alex Kozan, Xavier Dampeer, Braden Smith and Robert Leff.

Golson, Kozan and Smith all started last year, while Dampeer and Leff were backups. I think this is a very strong unit, so I’m hoping they can bounce back against Arkansas State.

According to Pro Football Focus, Leff scored the highest grade of all the offensive lineman for Auburn because of his run-blocking. He did allow two sacks in the game though.

For the entire game, Auburn rushed for just 87 yards on 41 attempts for an average of 2.1. That is downright terrible.

Things seemed to really open up in the second half, especially with John Franklin III at quarterback. I think the threat of a running quarterback helped open up some running lanes.

Clemson’s defensive line was very inexperienced after losing two guys to the NFL Draft, but they were also very talented.

Arkansas State has a very good defensive line that could also give our offensive line some problems.

This will be another big test for the offensive line, so I’ll be watching to see if they gel together better in week two.

Once Toledo opened up the passing game against Arkansas State they were able to run for 184 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

I think we should at least be able to average around 4 yards rushing per carry this weekend, knowing they’ll stack the box against us.

Next: Will the Defensive Line Get a Sack?