5 Things You Need to Know About the Auburn Tigers

Big Blue Nation is nearing rock bottom as it pertains to Kentucky Football. By the end of Saturday’s 56-34 loss to Tennessee it was nearly all orange in Kroger Field with Volunteers’ fans leading chants throughout the second half. It was at least somewhat reminiscent of the 2012 Vanderbilt game that marked the end of the Coach Joker Phillips era. The message boards continue to be hot with conversations about a potential coaching change. Ironically enough, the Auburn Tigers are in a very similar situation with Coach Hugh Freeze. A home loss to a reeling Kentucky team would almost certainly lead to an immediate change. Both teams are in a situation where they will likely be taking part in a chaotic coaching carousel.

Auburn had worked their way up to #22 in the country after a 3-0 start to the season. However, they proceeded to lose four straight prior to last Saturday’s 33-24 victory at Arkansas. All four of those losses came to Top 25 teams. It is hard to figure out exactly how good this Auburn team is, but playing so many close games could mean that the Wildcats will at least have a shot on Saturday night. In what could be a “loser leaves town” matchup for the head coaches, there will be two fanbases that are largely moved on from football to basketball season at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

As always, Kentucky Sports Radio’s football experts Nick Roush and Adam Luckett have spent the week providing in-depth breakdowns of the Wildcats’ opponent. 11 Personnel and the KSR Football Podcast have you covered as well if you prefer preparing for Saturday’s game via audio. However, for those looking for a more surface level preview you have come to the right place. Here are five things you need to know about the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn is Really Struggling on the Offensive End

The Auburn Tigers haven’t scored mored than two touchdowns in their last five Southeastern Conference games. It has been tough sledding for them offensively in large part due to an inability to convert on third down and in the red zone. Auburn is 112th in terms of third down conversion rate at 35.51% and 126th in red zone touchdown rate at 46.43%. A havoc rate allowed of 13.2%, which is 101st nationally, could give Kentucky’s defensive line a chance to get after the quarterback.

Despite scoring 33 points in a win over Arkansas last Saturday, the Tigers only scored one offensive touchdown. Auburn knocked in six field goals and had a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. If Kentucky’s defense can continue the trend of keeping the Tigers out of the end zone it could be a low scoring affair under the lights on Saturday.

Potential Change at Quarterback Coming This Week

Jackson Arnold has ran it with success, but he simply hasn’t been able to move the ball through the air. He has passed for 1,263 yards on 6.1 yards per attempt with six touchdowns in eight games. There are rumors that a permanent change could be made prior to Saturday night’s game. Ashton Daniels, a Stanford transfer, stepped in during Saturday’s Arkansas game and he led several of the field goal drives.

Daniels has thrown for over 4,000 yards in his career and rushed for just short of 1,500 more, but he isn’t as trustworthy with the ball as Arnold. The Auburn Tigers are very much throwing it all at the wall and seeing what sticks at this point when it comes to the passing game. A change might not elevate things much, but it was proven through eight games that Arnold wasn’t getting the job done.

Tigers Focus on Running the Football

It has been tough sledding through the air, but the Auburn Tigers haven’t been bad on the ground. They rank 40th nationally gaining 5.4 yards per non-sack rushing attempt. Oddly enough, the quarterbacks have been a big part of that running game. Jackson Arnold accumulated 429 non-sack rushing yards while Ashton Daniels ran for over 1,110 yards in three seasons at Stanford. However, it is Jeremiah Cobb who has really emerged in backfield as one of the best running backs in the Southeastern Conference.

Cobb is rushing for over six yards per carry collecting 717 yards on 117 attempts. His best trait is making people miss and adding extra yards onto the end of his runs. The junior tailback has forced 21 missed tackles and collects 3.3 yards after first contact. Getting him on the ground will be a major key for Kentucky’s defense on Saturday night. Auburn has really turned to Cobb as their go-to offensive weapon and it has led to back-to-back games of over 100 rushing yards for him.

Auburn Features an Elite Run-Stopping Defense

This Auburn Tigers defense has been pretty good across the board. However, they have really excelled when it comes to stopping the run. They rank first nationally in non-sack rushing yards per game at 3.08. Auburn will also create havoc in the backfield ranking seventh in tackles for loss and 16th in sack rate. Look for the Tigers to be aggressive along the line of scrimmage and look to stuff Kentucky’s running game.

Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford are the one-two punch that sets the ton up front for the Tigers. Faulk has produced 20 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups, and 23 pressures. He is a potential first round NFL Draft pick. Crawford leads Auburn with 27 pressures to go along with eight tackles for loss and five sacks. The Big Blue Wall will have to keep those two, along with the rest of the Tigers defense, from causing havoc in this matchup.

Watch Out For Xavier Atkins

Faulk and Crawford may set the tone on the defensive line, but Xavier Atkins is the star of the show defensively for the Auburn Tigers. The LSU transfer leads the team in tackles (61), tackles for loss (13), sacks (seven), forced fumbles (two), and snaps (465). He will lineup all over the field and typically spends a lot of time in the opposing backfield. Atkins is coming off of back-to-back games with 10+ tackles and recorded two sacks against both Missouri and Arkansas. He is true game-changer defensively. Kentucky will have to identify where #17 is prior to every snap and keep him from causing too much havoc.