Freeze pushes offensive line to improve
When asked last week if he was pleased with the offensive line’s performance in fall camp, Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze didn’t hold back on his expectations.
After all, this is believed to be the Tigers’ most talented front five in nearly a decade – at least on paper.
“The expectation is improvement, for sure,” Freeze said. “We’ve got to improve in our one-on-one situations. It’s impossible for you not to have some one-on-ones in pass protection. We’ve got to strain harder. It’s the bottom line. We expect more out of this group than to get beat in some one-on-ones. I hope that means that some of our edge guys are pretty dang good. We’ll see. To this point, we haven’t been consistent enough in straining to win some of those battles.
“We do have some things that we can do to help, really haven’t gotten into that yet. Would like to see us hold up and not have to get into some of those deals in the chip world or the max world, but I really think we have the ability to do that. We just need to do it more consistently. And that’s the expectation. We expect them to improve that.”
Baylor defense presents tough test
Sure, the guys up front have faced the likes of Keldric Faulk, with Keyron Crawford and Amaris Williams flanking him on either side – all have stood out throughout camp. However, there won’t be much margin for error on Friday, facing one of the most respected defensive coaches in the nation in Dave Aranda.
“Defensively, Dave has always done a great job. I have great respect for him and know they present a lot of fronts, a lot of movement, and they’re very, very well-coached and disciplined defensively,” said Freeze.
Returning six starters on the defensive side of the ball, the Bears’ mantra is to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterback by throwing a multitude of different looks at the offense. Even though Baylor’s pass rush took a step back last season with a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 defense, statistically, Freeze knows Aranda’s gameplan, and it’s quite the test for the Tigers.
“Obviously, I’ve known Dave for years,” said Freeze. “We’ve gone against each other, and I’ve gone against guys that have come up under him and have coached with some. It’s all about the simulated pressures, and that certainly hasn’t changed.
“They do a great job of disguising it and not knowing exactly who it is that’s going to be the pressure guy. He hasn’t changed that. I know he took over play calling last year, and I assume he is this year but don’t know that. I know that you’ll see simulated pressures quite frequently, most every play.”
Experience and depth key for Auburn offensive line
Simply put, Auburn’s offensive line must give Jackson Arnold time in the pocket to operate. The group has combined for 236 career games played, the most in the SEC and seventh most in the country. Additionally, Freeze noted earlier in preseason camp that he received draftable grades for six offensive lineman.
Freeze made it a point over the final week of preparation that the Jake Thornton-led unit has to step up in pass protection. On Monday, he noted that they have improved in that regard ahead of Friday night’s matchup.
“They have improved, and I know that they are very capable of doing that. Again, I say things sometimes and I don’t know if everybody hears anything I say. They see 1,000 different looks right now that probably haven’t been coached very well and protected either. So, I hope that means we have some good one-on-one pass rushers. I think the thought behind that was we were losing too many one-on-ones in that. Baylor certainly has guys that will test us but I feel confident in who our guys are,” said Freeze.
Winning on early downs is key
Emphasizing that Auburn must end every offensive possession with some type of kick, turning things around from last season is must if the Tigers want to see improvement in the win/loss column. No more third-and-longs, or more missed opportunities in the redzone. Certainly no more derailing turnovers, swiftly changing the momentum of the game.
And it all starts with the big hog mollies up front.
“If you stay in third-and-long, you will stay in trouble. You’re just not going to convert those against quality teams like Baylor,” said Freeze. “So, I think what helps our offensive line more than anything is winning on first and second down and getting into third-and-manageable situations where we can do both run or pass, which would benefit them greatly. They responded well, and excited to see them have a chance and to go out and prove they are a quality SEC offensive line.”
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