AUBURN | Auburn’s running game is solid, sixth in the SEC and 30th nationally averaging 206.2 yards per game.
But if the Tigers really want to get the most out of their offense, which is supposed to be built on a run/play-action philosophy, they’ve got to get their ground game firing on all cylinders.
“When we say what we want to do, that’s the identity that we’re working toward, is being a team that can run the ball,” said Auburn coach Bryan Harsin. “That can be physical—yes, we want to be downhill in all those things, but we have to actually do that. We’ve got opportunities to do that; we’re just going to have to keep working on it and keep getting better at it.”
Getting Tank Bigsby going could be a big part of Auburn reestablishing its running game. Bigsby gained 343 yards and scored four touchdowns in AU’s first three games. He’s rushed for just 115 yards and one touchdown in the three games since.
Freshman Jarquez Hunter has been AU’s most productive back over the last three games with 145 yards and one touchdown, but that’s still a big drop-off from the 320 yards and two touchdowns he totaled in the opening two games.
“We've got to be balanced though, so we've still got to be able to throw it and do things on the perimeter, but it's not just Tank. It's everybody,” said Harsin. “Everybody on the offensive side of the ball that has to be able to do that: o-line, tight ends, wide receivers, running backs, everybody's got a piece of the pie when it comes to the run game, and that continues to be something that we've got to focus on and doing the things we know we're capable of doing but doing it consistently.”
Harsin also points out that the running game would benefit from not falling behind in games. The Tigers fell behind 13-0 at LSU before rallying for a 24-19 win. They were down 17-3 at halftime of the Georgia game, losing 34-10.
“Don’t get behind and stay in a position where you can’t run the football,” he said. “Some of those, you start kind of looking at the end of the game, you got to throw it because you’re losing. We got to keep the ballgame closer so that you can run the ball more effectively.”
The Tigers will face an Arkansas defense this weekend that is allowing 181.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 11th in the SEC and 98th nationally. The Razorbacks gave up 324 rushing yards in a 52-51 loss to Ole Miss last Saturday and 273 in a 37-0 loss to Georgia a week earlier.
“I think Coach (Barry) Odom does a good job on that side of the ball and you can see the variety in the defensive schemes and how they play. They’ve faced some very good offenses this season as well, so there’s a challenge there,” Harsin said.
Kickoff at Razorback Stadium is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on CBS.
