Alex Golesh Reveals What Auburn Must Do to Beat Florida in SEC Opener

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Alex Golesh has learned something pretty important about the Auburn Tigers through the first two games of the season.

And it's something the Tigers are going to need when Florida comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.

“The biggest thing I figured out is these dudes will answer the bell every time. These dudes will fight, and they'll continue to keep fighting,” Golesh said during an appearance on SEC Nation.

That's what Auburn showed in its 17-16 victory over Baylor. The Tigers weren't particularly sharp offensively, but they found a way to win a game that easily could have gone the other direction.

But fighting isn't going to be enough by itself against Florida.

Auburn has to execute, and Golesh seems to understand exactly what that needs to look like.

The Tigers have established an identity around their running game. After struggling to consistently move the football against Baylor, Auburn rushed for 343 yards against Southern Miss.

Golesh explained that the goal is to create favorable matchups for his playmakers. Especially Byrum Brown and Jeremiah Cobb. 

“You're continuously trying to find an advantage to get plus one in the box, and you're trying to find ways to get your best playmakers, in this case, the running back in space, one-on-one,” Golesh said.

That's going to be important against Florida's defensive front, which presents a considerably different challenge than Southern Miss. And the Tigers interior offensive line is the rosters biggest question mark.

In the same breath, defensively, Auburn has a pretty clear assignment.

“You've got to stop the run game. You got to be able to adjust to a lot of shifting, a lot of motion,” Golesh said.

He also emphasized the importance of setting the edge, tackling in space, and affecting Florida's quarterback.

That's where DJ Durkin's defense comes into play. Finishing your tackles during initial contact will be huge, as Florida's running back Jadan Baugh has picked up a lot of yards so far this season after contact. 

Golesh praised Durkin and his staff for finding favorable matchups rather than simply blitzing for the sake of bringing pressure.

And considering how Auburn's defense has performed through two games, I think there's reason to be encouraged about what that group can do Saturday.

Of course, Auburn will also have Jordan-Hare Stadium behind it. One of the most electric and underrated places to play in the entire country.

Golesh got his first taste of that atmosphere against Southern Miss, and he's expecting even more from the Auburn family for the SEC opener.

But the crowd can't execute the plays for Auburn as the Tigers still have to do that themselves.

And I think Golesh summed up his expectations pretty well when he was asked about what it would take to beat Florida.

“It's not going to take an extraordinary effort. It's going to take us just being at our best tonight.”

A win against Florida in Golesh's SEC opener will certainly give fans a reason to forget about the last half-decade of failed success. 

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