Auburn Must Fix These 3 Problems Before Facing Vanderbilt

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Auburn's 44-39 loss to Florida exposed some problems that Alex Golesh and his staff have to address pretty quickly.

And although the Auburn Tigers showed plenty of fight in their SEC opener, that isn't going to be enough if they continue making the same mistakes.

With Vanderbilt coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium next, I think there are three things Auburn has to fix.

1. The tackling has to get better.

This is probably my biggest concern after Saturday's game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Auburn had 24 missed tackles against Florida. Xavier Atkins and Da'Shawn Womack were credited with five apiece.

That's a pretty staggering number, and not the players you want struggling either.

Florida rushed for 262 yards, and Jadan Baugh finished with 162 yards and three touchdowns.

But this wasn't just about one running back having a good night.

Auburn struggled to fill gaps, set the edge, and finish tackles. And when the Tigers had opportunities to get Florida off the field, they couldn't consistently take advantage.

Golesh said afterward that there were also communication problems and defensive misalignments.

Those issues have to be corrected.

2. Auburn has to establish its running game.

Golesh spent the offseason talking about how important running the football would be to Auburn's offensive identity.

But against Florida, the Tigers finished with just 102 rushing yards.

Jeremiah Cobb had nine carries for 32 yards, while Bryson Washington carried the ball three times for eight yards.

That's not enough involvement from Auburn's running backs. Golesh admitted afterward that he got a little greedy trying to create explosive plays through the passing game.

And I understand why he felt that way after Auburn fell behind, but I think the Tigers have to find a way to get their running backs involved, even when things aren't going according to plan.

3. Auburn has to start games faster.

The Tigers finished the first quarter against Florida with minus-3 yards of total offense.

Byrum Brown threw an interception on Auburn's opening possession on a throw he should of never made, and the offense couldn't establish any rhythm.

That put an enormous amount of pressure on the defense. They got gassed, and the game was over quickly once the 3rd quarter came around.

Although Auburn eventually fought back to tie the game at 17, the Tigers couldn't overcome another stretch of poor execution when Florida scored 17 unanswered points.

Golesh took responsibility for the offensive start afterward, saying he needed to do a better job getting Brown going.

Auburn can't keep putting itself in situations where it has to fight back from multiple-score deficits.

The Tigers have shown they won't quit. Which is a major positive compared to years past, but now they have to show they can execute consistently enough to win SEC football games.

That starts with Vanderbilt this Saturday. 

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