Could the remedy for Auburn football's sluggish starts come from its finishes?
· Yahoo Sports
AUBURN — Perhaps the biggest positive of Auburn football's first season under head coach Alex Golesh has been how the Tigers have finished, with four victories in five one-score contests after going winless in six such games a year prior.
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That's hard to believe considering how Auburn has fared in the circumstance under its past two head coaches, and even more with how poorly Auburn's latest team has started.
Auburn was one of three FBS teams that had yet to find points on an opening drive entering Week 10, joined by New Mexico State and Southern Miss. The Aggies finally changed their fortunes, meaning two teams still remain in that category, and Auburn's one of them.
Still, three of Auburn's five victories have seen it take a lead in the fourth quarter, oftentimes operating an effective high-tempo, two-minute offense. Does that mean there's something to take from the ending, in order to deliver a better start? Offensive coordinator Joel Gordon described it as a "good point" Monday, Nov. 9, but provided a more complicated answer.
"In general, you don't want to feel like you're abandoning the run game," he said. "That’s the fear. You come out and throw it two times in a row, and now you're third-and-long if it doesn't go good. Two minute defense is also a little bit different, too, so every week is a little bit different based on what you think you're going to get, and sometimes a two-minute drill can get started with a run.
"It's a great point, and it's something that we talk about in general. Like, 'Man, what's the best way to get this thing started?' And you're right. There are definitely opportunities out there, to try to just change it up a little bit and see what happens."
For as effective as Auburn's offense has been late, its struggles to start have been perhaps the unit's biggest issue this season. It reared its head worse than ever when Auburn beat Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Week 10.
The Tigers began with a turnover on downs before going 3-and-out on four of its next five possessions. Auburn wouldn't cross midfield until its final drive of the first half, but it delivered after halftime, scoring on four of its five remaining possessions and out-scoring the Razorbacks 23-13 in the second half.
"We’ve been a pretty good two-minute team all year," Gordon said. "I think they have confidence when we get to those moments. ... It’s just like a good shooter on the basketball court. As soon as he gets one to go down, you’ve got confidence and you've got momentum, and you’re looking for the next shot."
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Could the remedy for Auburn football's sluggish starts come from its finishes?