Five reasons why Auburn may struggle with Tennessee on Saturday

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Auburn football closed out the September portion of its schedule with a 3-1 record, and will now head into a tough October stretch that begins Saturday at Tennessee.

Auburn football showed they can bounce back from an early loss by taking down Vanderbilt, 21-15, last Saturday. Auburn also won its first SEC game at home since November 2024 and erased a two-game losing streak to the Commodores. The win was massive for Auburn, as it sets up a tough stretch that will see them play four games against ranked teams in October; three of those will be on the road.

The first road trip of the month takes Auburn to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Neyland Stadium to face the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers, who are licking their wounds following a close home loss to No. 1 Texas last Saturday. One area where Auburn may struggle on Saturday is dealing with a rowdy road environment for the first time this season. Alex Golesh, who served as Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, understands how loud Neyland Stadium can be, and he hopes his team does not focus solely on it.

"You go into that environment, obviously; I've seen it firsthand. You’ve got to be able to handle that piece of it," Golesh said of playing in Tennessee's Neyland Stadium. "Offensively for us, we’ve got to be able to handle it. It can't be a factor in the game in terms of how we play. Obviously, mechanically, there's some things that got to change. It's something that we’ve prepped for really since spring. Now we got to go execute it."

What other factors must Auburn watch for on Saturday? Here are five reasons why Auburn may struggle with the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday in Knoxville.

If Tennessee shuts down Auburn's passing game

Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown is on the cusp of the 900-yard passing mark and could very well eclipse the 1,000-yard-mark on Saturday at Tennessee thanks to reliable receivers Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod, who are tied for fifth in the SEC with 22 receptions each. However, Tennessee ranks 2nd in the SEC in stopping the pass, limiting its opposition to 163 yards per game. Auburn could struggle if they can not maintain a steady passing game.

If Josh Heupel is too familiar with Auburn's offensive style

Some could argue that Alex Golesh will be comfortable on Saturday considering he is going up against his former boss, Josh Heupel. However, the theory can work both ways. If Golesh's philosophy and game plan are too familiar to Heupel, it could spell doom for Auburn.

If Faizon Brandon works the Auburn defense

Auburn will face its second-straight true freshman quarterback on Saturday when it battles Faizon Brandon. Vanderbilt's Jared Curtis did not lead his team to a win last Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, but he forced missed tackles and completed a few big-time throws on his way to a 199-yard passing performance.

Auburn's defense will need to rattle Brandon and force him to make "freshman mistakes." If they can't, Brandon could lead Tennessee to a big win over an old SEC rival.

If Neyland Stadium's atmosphere is too much to handle

Last week, we discovered how well Auburn responds to a loss when they took down Vanderbilt, 21-15. This week, we will discover something new about the Tigers… how will they perform in front of a true road crowd? For the first time this season, Auburn will play a true road game, playing in a tough environment at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Golesh mentioned that Saturday's atmosphere will be a factor, but his team can't dwell too much on Neyland Stadium's hostility.

Will Auburn be rattled? Or will the atmosphere not play a major factor?

If Tennessee has Mother Nature on its side

Auburn and Tennessee will battle each other, and the weather, on Saturday. The National Weather Service's report for Saturday calls for a 70% chance of rain on Saturday for Knoxville, with the chance increasing to 80% by Saturday night.

Both teams will have to deal with the elements, but which team will handle them better?

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Five reasons why Auburn may struggle with Tennessee on Saturday

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