What we heard about Auburn's second scrimmage (and more)
The Tigers have real concerns when dropping back to pass — on both sides — as they close in on the start of a new season in two weeks.
AUBURN — Welcome to the start of a weird week for Auburn football.
The Tigers were on the practice field early Monday, which also happened to be the first day of classes for the university. Auburn is planning to continue to practice in the mornings throughout the rest of the preseason and into the regular season.
The team is currently in the space between the end of preseason camp and the start of game week preparation for Baylor. The fact the opener is on a Friday night instead of a traditional Saturday slot makes it even stranger, even for a team that rearranged its schedule to get ready for that start.
“We're simulating next week, which today's (like) a Tuesday — and we have class at 11 o'clock on Monday,” Hugh Freeze said Monday.
Whatever you want to call this stretch right now for Auburn, it’s a crucial time. The Tigers have plenty of work still left to do in preparation for that trip to Waco to face the Bears, who are projected to be a contender in the Big 12 this season. While Baylor dropped its bowl game last year, it had won six straight to get there.
“They have a lot returning, and they finished their season really strong and most have them picked to do well in their conference, if not play for the championship in it,” Freeze said.
Auburn had its second preseason scrimmage last Friday, two weeks before the start of the season. On Monday, Freeze gave some insight into what happened in that scrimmage, along with what else is going on with the team as it gets closer to Week 1.
The bottom line? Auburn has reasons to be optimistic ahead of a make-or-break season, but what it’s showing right now on the field could use some improvements — on both sides of the ball.
Here’s what we’ve heard about the last few days for the Tigers.
The offensive line must improve in pass protection
If Freeze came into his press conference Monday looking to send a message to his offensive line, you can consider that mission accomplished.
Auburn has had its first-choice offensive line — Xavier Chaplin, Dillon Wade, Connor Lew, Jeremiah Wright and Mason Murphy with a versatile sixth man in Izavion “Too Tall” Miller — narrowed down for quite some time now. All six linemen are multi-year starters at the power-conference level, and there’s a considerable difference between them and the reserves behind them.
The Tigers have high expectations for this group. Landing Chaplin and Murphy in the transfer portal, along with retaining guys like Wade and Lew, don’t come cheaply. And anyone who has watched Auburn over the last decade knows that the downturn in offensive line play has been a problem that stretched across multiple coaching staffs.
Freeze isn’t pleased, though, with what he’s seeing from that first group.