Observations: Auburn 30, Tennessee 17

After 'sleepwalking' early, the Tigers secured another SEC win — and found some pre-Iron Bowl fixes that need to be made.

Auburn’s offense (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics)

During the first quarter against Tennessee on Saturday night, Auburn looked like a team that hadn’t played in three weeks. The Tigers had all of their two-deep depth chart available after a stretch of doubt due to COVID-19 protocols, but the slow start still arrived.

“We hadn’t played in 21 days,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “The first quarter we were sleepwalking a little bit. … In the second quarter, we woke up and started playing Auburn football.”

After falling behind 10-0 early, Auburn scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 30-17 victory over struggling Tennessee. Even with the comeback, Malzahn’s team didn’t play up to its full potential in several areas. Yet it had what it took to put together a relatively comfortable, and much-needed, victory ahead of next weekend’s Iron Bowl.

Here are five key observations, and some bonus quick reads, from a 13-point home win — and late cover — that reignited momentum in a few aspects bu…