In the Auburn Tigers' 2026 debut against Baylor last weekend, quarterback Byrum Brown was sacked five times. It's not a great statline for the Tigers' offensive line, and offensive tackle Jo Simmons was quick to take accountability when speaking to the media on Tuesday.
"One, quarterback's on the ground at all, that's on us," Simmons said, per the Auburn 247 YouTube. "We've got to do better with that, and I think overall, all five of us, got to do a better job. You know, passing twist offs, holding and keeping the pocket, and you know, making him [Byrum Brown] feel comfortable back there," Simmons said. "Five sacks, unacceptable. We can't have that."
The Auburn offensive line was one of the bigger question marks heading into Alex Golesh's first season on the Plains. Not only did the Tigers have to replace several starters, but they also had Tai Buster suffer an injury close to the beginning of the season, shaking things up even more. Four of the five offensive linemen to start Saturday's matchup were transfers, the returner being Stanton Ramil. The Tigers also saw two starters, guards Jacob Strand and Cole Skinner, leave the game in the second half and not return.
Simmons was also asked about the chemistry of the offensive line, seeing as it was the first time for so many of those transfers to be playing together in a real game situation. The offensive tackle said that as the season goes on, he expects the offensive line will see significant improvement and better communication.
"You know, we haven't really been playing together for a long time," Simmons said. "There have even been a lot of rotation changes over the last couple of days and the last couple of weeks throughout camp. Just getting to settle in, getting the feel for each other and seeing how each other play, I think throughout the season that will improve."
Golesh told the press on Monday that both injured offensive linemen should be good to return for this weekend's matchup with Southern Miss as the position group works to better their communication and improve their protection before the Tigers open SEC play against Florida the following weekend.
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