Both Auburn’s offensive and defensive lines handled their business last week in the trenches against Baylor in the season opener.
And it’s something the Tigers will look to build on throughout their 2025 campaign.
Establishing the run game
The Tigers’ front five paved the way for a 307-yard rushing performance against Baylor’s defense, earning a run blocking grade of 65.4, according to PFF. Additionally, Auburn averaged 5.9 yards per carry against the Bears.
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze singled out Izavion Miller as a standout performer for the Tigers last week. When starting right guard Jeremiah Wright exited the game for a brief period of time with an injury, Miller stepped in, and Auburn’s offensive line seemingly didn’t miss a beat.
“One of the better performances in a long time. The guy that I really want to point out is ‘Too Tall’ (Izavion Miller). In a world where it’s hard not to be about me, this guy has started 30 games or so for us and is now ‘not starting.’ If there is ever a reason to pout, he would be at the top of the line, but he doesn’t. When he came in, he gave us a spark. He was moving people,” Freeze said on Monday.
Overcoming penalties and finding rhythm
A point of emphasis for the Tigers heading into the matchup was establishing the run game in the early goings. It makes life easier on everyone involved, especially for a quarterback making his first start with the program on the road. Despite a couple of early false start penalties, the group handled the pressure successfully.
“I thought about the communication on the road, even though it wasn’t a crazy loud stadium, and obviously, very disappointed we couldn’t use all of our cadences. We bailed on that after the two penalties, and that’s got to change. We have to figure that out. Outside of that, I thought our offensive line played extremely well. We got one pressure that we didn’t set it the right way from the quarterback position, which really falls on our offensive staff. It was the first time they brought field smash and got us there. Outside of that, I thought our offensive line played about as well as we have,” said Freeze.
Of course, having a duo of Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb in the backfield helps smooth things out. The tandem combined for 158 of Auburn’s rushing yards with each posting a touchdown.
“Just great to see them – they’ve waited their time and been developed, and it’s good to see them have success in their first real outing where it’s theirs. Hopefully, they can build upon that. We’ll need them both, plus more,” said Freeze.
On the flip side
Auburn’s defensive line faced a sizeable test heading into the matchup against Baylor. The Bears returned three starters in the middle and a 1,000-yard back in Bryson Washington, who averaged 5.9 yards per carry a season ago.
But the Tigers immediately set the tone for the night from the jump and held the Bears’ rushing attack to just 64 yards on 24 carries. Additionally, the unit produced three sacks with Keldric Faulk tallying a quarterback hurry.
“We rotated a lot of guys. I think we had six inside guys and five outside guys, maybe six. Really good rotation, I thought all of them played solid, and established a presence at the line of scrimmage. There weren’t any standout performances, but all of them played really solid, established the line of scrimmage, and got push on the pocket, where the pocket got crushed. I thought all of them played well.”
Keep the momentum rolling, and expect some new faces
Auburn will have the next two weeks to iron out some wrinkles against a lesser opponent, starting with Ball State on Saturday.
No one inside the walls of Auburn’s program is overlooking the Cardinals. But nonetheless, it’s an opportunity to get some young or inexperienced guys some action before heading into SEC play.
On the offensive side of the ball, guys like DeAndre Carter, Tyler Johnson, Dylan Senda and Kail Ellis could get some looks.
Freeze mentioned freshman defensive lineman Darrion Smith as someone who stood out against Baylor, saying, “We probably should have played him more.” Look for him, along with Malik Autry, Jourdin Crawford and Jared Smith, to get some run on Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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