3 reasons we should totally buy into Auburn
Despite a slow start, the 2017 Auburn Tigers are storming into October. The recent whooping of Mississippi State indicates as much. Here are three reasons Auburn is a legit contender in the SEC.
Hype and ballyhoo permeated all offseason on The Plains. The Auburn Tigers looked ready to reestablish themselves in the SEC West. With the highly-touted Jarrett Stidham under center and running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway, the Tigers offense looked fierce. The defense looked dominant again, even with Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams gone. The second part held true for a while. The first part… not so much. Auburn’s offense was plodding at best. Some were wondering if head coach Gus Malzahn had lost his touch.
But in the wake of their 51-14 win over Mizzou, optimism sprouted again. The Tigers had to prove themselves against Mississippi State, though. The Bulldogs of course shellacked LSU a few weeks ago. With Nick Fitzgerald under center, Auburn was sure to face arguably the best QB they’d faced to this point in the season (With all respect to Kelly Bryant at Clemson, of course). Well… they did. And then some. Auburn mollywhopped Mississippi State 49-10 at Jordan-Hare on Saturday night. As a result, the Tigers are looking every bit like the team that most expected them to be this season.
Is this a flash in the pan? Perhaps not. But Auburn is certainly steamrolling into the month of October. Here are three reasons why you should take them seriously going forward.
That defense, though
Auburn’s defense is fresh off another dominant performance. The Tigers held Nick Fitzgerald in check at Jordan-Hare Stadium, doing only what the Georgia Bulldogs could do before them. Fitzgerald only went 12-for-29 passing, with just 129 yards through the air. The usually fleet-footed Fitzgerald gained only 53 yards and did so on 12 carries. On the whole, they allowed 150 yards, but also permitted a yards per carry average of just 3.5.
We have no reason, to this point, to think this is a mirage. This is what Auburn’s defense is to this point: A dominant and fearsome unit. They held Clemson down back in Week 2 as well., as they certainly were not the issue that night in Death Valley. If they can do that to, arguably, the best team in the country then they can do it to anyone they face.
Raw stats work in their favor. So do advanced metrics, too. Their defense is one of the top reasons to believe that Auburn is legit. It looks like no one can crack the code.