Digging Deeper into Causes Behind Auburn Tigers Offensive Woes

The Auburn Tigers offense has had its glaring problems early on in the year and Hugh Freeze is searching for solutions

The Auburn Tigers search for answers to their troubles on offense. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images / Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers offense has had its share of hardships this season.

One of the biggest issues has been turnovers. Their nine interceptions thrown is the most in the SEC and tied for the third most in FBS. It’s made it hard to put points on the board, something they’re toward the bottom of the conference in.

Auburn has struggled to establish a consistent ground attack despite having one of the top running backs in the SEC. Jarquez Hunter’s 528 rushing yards are the fifth most in the conference. However, he’s only found the end zone three times.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze realizes the Tigers need to do a better job of putting the ball in Hunter’s hands. This could help shake things up offensively.

“I think we need to get it to (Jarquez Hunter) more,” Freeze said. “…there’s no question 27 needs to touch it more. That’s the frustrating thing.”

That being said, just giving Hunter the ball more won’t just solve the problem. There have been issues even when he’s part of the play.

“Some of our short-yardage deals have been called and not executed at a high enough level where he actually touches it. We have to get that corrected.”

Having success on the ground, or on the offensive side of the ball in general, is heavily dependent on offensive line play. Freeze thinks this has been a decent aspect of the Tigers’ game this season but knows improvements can still be made. He emphasized improvement in protecting the quarterback.

“We are running the ball effectively, so we are doing some good things there,” Freeze said. “Pass (protection) has been dicey, not at every position, but it doesn’t matter, we are a team. So, we have to continue to improve that. 

Different players on the offensive line have been moving around to different positions to make up for injuries. Freeze felt the moving around has been a little much for his players at times.

“The game moved a little bit fast for a couple of guys at Georgia with all of their shifting and stuff, and it showed,” Freeze said.

The Auburn’s offense will attempt to up their game against Missouri on the road this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and ESPN will carry the broadcast.