Practice Observations: Auburn is about to get tested, for real
The Tigers are proud to be 3-0. But they know that a trip to Oklahoma is a significant step up from what they've seen so far.
AUBURN — For only the third time in the last decade, Auburn football is 3-0.
Getting through the first quarter of a season without a loss has been far from automatic from the Tigers. Even in years in which it was a favorite in each of its first three contests, early-season momentum has been hard to come by on the Plains.
And while Auburn should be proud of the fact that it went on the road to beat a solid Baylor team and followed it up with back-to-back wins in paycheck games, the first three games of the season aren’t going to be anything like the next three.
Up next for Auburn: No. 11 Oklahoma on the road, No. 10 Texas A&M on the road and No. 5 Georgia at home.
“Obviously, we haven’t been tested like we’re getting ready to be tested,” head coach Hugh Freeze said Monday. “We’ll see how we perform against some of the best teams in the nation the next few weeks, starting Saturday.”
There’s zero shame in admitting that what Auburn has seen in this 3-0 start isn’t indicative of what the majority of the rest of the season will look like. Even “easier” games like Missouri, Arkansas and Vanderbilt later in the year look tougher than they did in the preseason.
But Auburn knows it can’t shy away from this. Freeze and his players talked in the summer about entering every game like they feel that they have a legitimate chance to win. If the Tigers are going to get back to where they belong — and where their roster talent level says they can be — they’ve got to step up to the challenge.
“This is why we play football: for games like this, big games like this,” right tackle Mason Murphy said after practice Tuesday.
It starts with Oklahoma, the former home of current starting quarterback Jackson Arnold. While Auburn can think it’s different than the team that blew a late lead to Oklahoma at home last season, the Sooners can say the exact same thing. They’ve paired elite defense with a dynamic new-look offense early in the season.
“I think we're playing one of the better teams in it this Saturday, and that's probably going to be the case for the next few Saturdays,” Freeze said. “That's why you come to Auburn. That's why you coach, that's why you play here.”
After a dominant win over Ball State and a so-so victory over South Alabama, Auburn is back on the road this Saturday. What are the Tigers focusing on ahead of their first-ever SEC road game against the Sooners?
Here’s what all we saw and heard at the Football Performance Center over the last two days, including important injury updates and the matchups you can already circle ahead of Auburn at Oklahoma.
What we saw and heard during Tuesday’s practice
Running back Damari Alston (shoulder) was fully dressed out and was the first man up in individual drills. He did not participate in 11-on-11 work, though, as Jeremiah Cobb was RB1 there. (Cobb also ran the ball well.) Freeze said during Tiger Talk on Monday night that Alston won’t take any contact this week but should be cleared to play against Oklahoma.
Wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (hip) also didn’t participate in 11-on-11 work but was a full participant outside of that. Singleton was the No. 1 punt returner in special teams drills, too, so it looks like Auburn just used Malcolm Simmons and Bryce Cain there over the last two weeks to preserve one of its top playmakers. As you’ll see later in this newsletter, we talked to Singleton after practice. He says the hip is “good.”