The Auburn Tigers didn't send the fanbase into SEC play with much confidence after a 31-15 win over the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday. In fact, with a road trip to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners and Heisman hopeful John Mateer on the way, AU is struggling in the most important area: defense.
The Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole deemed DJ Durkin's unit "the ugly" of the Tigers' ho-hum win over the Jaguars, mentioning Mateer like a circling shark in the water.
"Auburn was thin against South Alabama, as Amaris Williams, Champ Anthony, Jay Crawford and Rayshawn Pleasant were all sidelined or limited. There's no telling how vital they could've been in slowing the Jaguar offense, but with what Auburn had, it struggled in a Group of 5 matchup," Cole wrote.
"South Alabama quarterback Bishop Davenport had 82 of his 170 passing yards on four completions, and he had another six passes go for five or more yards. Auburn managed to lock it down in the fourth quarter, when Davenport was 3-for-8 passing for just six yards, but the coverage problems against Baylor that were rendered moot the following week have returned in full force.
"Next for Auburn? That's Oklahoma's John Mateer, who's up to 944 passing yards in just three games, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt in the process."
Auburn now faces meat and potatoes of Tigers' 2025 schedule
The Ball State Cardinals matchup feels like an anomaly much in the way the Alabama A&M Bulldogs matchup was last season. Auburn's ceiling still feels higher this season than last, but the next three weeks could drastically change the narrative.
The Tigers face their make-or-break stretch against OU, the Texas A&M Aggies, and the Georgia Bulldogs to close out September and after their bye week. Any goodwill from the team's Week 1 win over the Baylor Bears on August 29 would be erased by mid-October.
Freeze was always in a lose-lose situation with Auburn's season opener. Either set the expectations artificially high and get the fanbase primed for a College Football Playoff or bust campaign, or at least eight wins or bust, or lay an egg in the opener and keep his seat hot indefinitely.
AU got the on-field win, keeping fans happy, but now's the part where things could unravel quickly on the Plains.