What in the world is wrong with Auburn? This is a team that entered the 2015 season ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 but has turned out to be a massive dud. It all started fine when they edged out Louisville in primetime, but it turns out Louisville (0-3) is an even bigger train wreck than anyone previously assumed.
Then we saw some issues in Week 2 when they nearly suffered a historic loss at home to Jacksonville State but survived. Many people figured they were simply caught looking ahead to LSU. Even if they were looking ahead, it turns out they weren’t of the same caliber as LSU rolled them 45-21.
So what’s gone wrong with this team, which was supposed to contend for a BCS crown? Let’s take a look:
Auburn Can’t Run The Football
Auburn has been an offensive powerhouse the last couple of season and that’s mostly because of their proficiency on the ground. They ran for 255.5 yards per game last season (14th in the country) and led the nation in the category in 2013 with 328.3 yards per game. However, this year has been a completely different story. They’re averaging just 171.7 yards per game, which is 78th in the country and on Saturday, they were right around that average.
They’re dealing with a number of issues across the team but the most glaring of them has to be its inability to run the football. Saturday’s loss to LSU was the perfect example of the Tigers ineptitude in that department as seven different players ran the football but none of them had more than 41 yards.
Auburn finished the game with 160 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries but that included junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson’s 65-yard touchdown run. If you take that big play away, the Tigers are left with 36 carries for 95 yards and that is just not nearly good enough. Peyton Barber and Roc Thomas have been average at best early on and unless the Auburn rushing attack improves, they are not going to factor in to the SEC this season.
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Auburn Can’t Stop The Run
One week after FCS opponent Jacksonville State gashed them for 161 yards and a touchdown on the ground, the Tigers defense was manhandled by LSU on the ground in their lopsided loss. Heisman trophy candidate Leonard Fournette had 228 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Auburn gave up an additional 183 yards on the ground to other backs for a grand total of 411 rushing yards and five rushing scores. Auburn has consistently been beaten up at the point of attack on both sides of the football and they can run the ball or stop the run. In the game of football – especially in the SEC – it’s a big problem to fail in both respects.
Mediocre Quarterbacking From Jeremy Johnson
It isn’t fair to put all of Auburn’s struggles on the shoulders of their quarterback –especially when you consider how terrible they have been across the board but Johnson was considered a Heisman trophy contender before the season and he has failed to live up to the rave reviews early on. Johnson completed 11-of-19 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns with an interception against LSU and while he added a rushing score, the lack of consistency throwing the football has been an issue. Johnson’s 59.7% completion mark is a full 16 points lower than the 75.7% mark he recorded in limited snaps last year. For the whole season, which is now three games, he has thrown for just 473 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions.
Auburn’s biggest problems have been on the ground both running the football and stopping the run but the mediocre play they have gotten from the quarterback position hasn’t helped. Opponents are stacking the box and forcing Johnson to beat them and right now, he’s not capable of it. That’s likely why the team has decided to make a switch at quarterback prior to their showdown with Mississippi State this week.
