Auburn offensive line faces challenge

[aubiefifty 17,488]

Improved' Auburn offensive line faces challenge at Penn State

ByJason Caldwell

3-4 minutes

---

 

AUBURN, Alabama—Rotating seven offensive linemen with the first team offense in the first two games of the 2021 football season, Auburn is continuing to try to narrow down the starting five as the Tigers get ready for their first true test of the season this Saturday night at Penn State. It appears that has been settled with Brandon Council and Keiondre Jones listed as the starters at left guard and right guard after sharing time with Alec Jackson and Tashawn Manning the first two weeks, but first-year coach Bryan Harsin said the Tigers could still have some rotation even this week against the Nittany Lions.

“We need to lock in even more and get a little bit better so we can be stronger with those five and then the seven guys that kind of rotate in and out so we can be really strong with those seven guys,” Harsin said of the goal this week in practice. “We need some other guys to step up and just be better in their preparation and show it in practice so we can be deeper for any injuries that might happen so we can have some depth.

“We’re developing that each and every day. I think we’ve improved. This week is another opportunity for that to keep developing, and hopefully shining,when we get a chance to go out there and play Saturday.”

Facing a defense that is allowing 11.5 points and just 327 yards of total offense per game  in wins over Wisconsin and Ball State, Harsin knows how important his offensive line is going to be if the Tigers want to come out of Happy Valley with a win.

“That’s going to be something for our offensive line, we know we’ve got to be able to go out there and get that done this week in practice,” Harsin said. “We need a great look from our scout team. The guys on the scout team can’t go out there and be lazy and give us cruddy looks and not go hard and not care about the importance of getting the offensive line ready.

“I think the O-Line has done a good job,” he added. “They have been solid. I think we have improved in some areas. I think we need to continue to be consistent, but I do like the work ethic the O-Line has shown. I like the attitude of the O-Line. I think the guys have been focused.”

One of the biggest issues will be the ability to run the football against a quality front seven for the Nittany Lions. Auburn is ranked third nationally in rushing, averaging 340 yards per game, and running the football is a big key for a Mike Bobo-coached offense. In the opener at Wisconsin, the Badgers picked up 17 rushing first downs and ran for 228 yards, but had 58 yards in negative plays thanks to an athletic front seven for Penn State.

“I think Penn State’s front is very good,” Harsin said. “They do a very good job. I think their linebackers are very good players. That’s a program that, historically, has had very good linebackers in it. Their D-Line plays hard. Schematically, they do things with them that creates a challenge.”

2COMMENTS

Kickoff for the nationally televised game on ABC is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT.