Alex Golesh Doesn't Need to Change Auburn's Offense, but Something Has to Give

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Alex Golesh has made it pretty clear that the Auburn Tigers are not going to change its offensive philosophy just because things get difficult. It may sound like a bad plan, but I actually agree with him.

But Saturday night's 44-39 loss to Florida showed that the Tigers have some things to figure out before they can consistently compete in the SEC.

Particularly when it comes to balancing Golesh's aggressive offensive approach with what his defense needs.

Florida controlled roughly 40 minutes of possession, running 76 offensive plays compared to Auburn's 66.

And although time of possession isn't everything, I think it matters when your defense is struggling to get off the field.

The Gators rushed for 262 yards, converted all three of their fourth-down attempts, and consistently extended drives.

Auburn's offense didn't help matters early, either.

The Tigers finished the first quarter with minus-3 yards of total offense. Byrum Brown threw an interception on the opening possession, and Auburn struggled to establish any rhythm.

Golesh acknowledged afterward that he needed to do a better job getting Brown going. But it doesn't mean they are going to completely scrap everything Golesh and the players he's had on his roster for the last few years have built.

I think the bigger question is what happens when Auburn falls behind.

Golesh admitted that he became a little greedy trying to create explosive plays.

“I think I say selfishly, maybe greedy would be the word, of trying to create a chunk to get it going,” Golesh said.

And I understand that approach.

When you're trailing by multiple possessions, sometimes you have to take chances to get back into the game.

But Auburn also has to find ways to sustain drives.

The Tigers rushed for just 102 yards against Florida, with Jeremiah Cobb carrying the ball nine times for 32 yards.

That's not the rushing identity Golesh spent the offseason talking about.

And when the offense can't consistently stay on the field, it puts even more pressure on a defense that already has its own problems.

Of course, the defense has to take responsibility for those problems, too.

Auburn struggled with missed tackles, defensive communication, and explosive plays throughout the night.

Golesh said the Tigers weren't executing consistently enough across all three phases.

That's probably the biggest takeaway from Auburn's first SEC game, besides the egregious amount of missed tackles by the defense.

The Tigers have shown they can fight. They proved that against Baylor, and they showed it again by scoring 14 points in the final 6:20 against Florida.

But fighting isn't the same thing as executing.

And Vanderbilt presents Auburn with another opportunity to show that it can do both.

I don't think Golesh needs to abandon his aggressive philosophy, but he has to find a way to make it work with the team he currently has.

Auburn can't afford to spend every SEC game trying to overcome its own mistakes, especially with the schedule about to get incredibly difficult come October.

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