Through 11 days of the 2019 season, Gus Malzahn has zeroed in on a massive goal for his squad: climb out of the massive punt-coverage hole they've dug for themselves.

The Tigers rank dead-last — 130th of 130 FBS teams — in opposing punt-return yards surrendered. And the gap between 130th and 129th isn't particularly close.

"Obviously, the last two weeks haven't been ideal from a punting perspective," punter Arryn Siposs said.

Oregon and Tulane returned five combined punts against Auburn, totaling 179 return yards for a 35.8 average. The next closest team, Georgia State, has allowed 87 yards.

Siposs and Malzahn think it's all in his hang time, getting an effective marriage between distance and height on any given kick.

"We're looking to get better hang time consistently with that," Siposs said. "Hopefully that will put us in the right direction going forward."

Last season Auburn ranked fourth in the SEC in overall special-teams efficiency while Siposs booted his way to one of the best single-season punting averages in program history. As a team, the Tigers allowed just 37 punt return yards all season.

Siposs admits that, even after an offseason spent working with NFL punters, his kick height doesn't have the consistency he'd like it too at this point. He said some low kicks early this season have put the coverage team in bad spots.

"Giving the coverage an opportunity to go out there and get fair catches and put pressure on their returner is certainly something we want to focus on," Siposs said. "That includes me being able to produce better hang time for us to be able to do that.

"That's probably what I've struggled with a little bit from a personal point of view. I had one over the weekend that was a little lower than what it needs to be, and obviously they got a bit of a return on that. So that's just something I need to continue to get better at and continue to work on."

Granted, Siposs can't be asked to carry the group by himself. He's still one of the better punters in the conference and in the country. Auburn's punt coverage unit has whiffed on numerous tackles and has been taking poor angles against blocks and the return men — especially against Oregon's Javon Holland, who torched the Tigers for an 81-yard return.

Malzahn would rather he stop seeing returns altogether — like last year, when teams fielded 11 total punts against the Tigers in 13 games.

"My goal is they fair catch," he said. "That’s the best coverage."