The Auburn Tigers showed some areas of concern in their season opener. Hugh Freeze his team make big plays on the way to a 38-24 win over the Baylor Bears, but there was a lot to improve. After a 42-3 blowout of the Ball State Cardinals, the level of worry is lower around Auburn. Jackson Arnold leads the offense, but Freeze gave some props to Keyron Crawford and the defense.
In a situation as difficult as the Southeastern Conference(SEC), a good start is absolutely essential. Giving up 24 points to Baylor was a bad sign of what could be coming when conference play starts. However, Crawford and the defense stepped up against another inferior opponent, putting forth a dominant effort. Freeze now has something to build on moving forward in the season.
Freeze spoke about his team's performance and the improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. According to The War Rapport's Mike Gittens, the Tigers' head coach is glad to see that his defense showed better fundamentals from the season opener to Saturday.
“Hugh Freeze starts by reveling in a 17th consecutive sellout this coming weekend,” Gittens said. “Called Ball State a ‘solid' win and said tackling was much better from week 1 to week 2.”
Crawford and the Tigers defense has what it takes to be an good unit in the SEC. However, they need to keep their level of play up as their opponents get much better. Freeze and Auburn have one more layup against South Alabama before taking on four straight ranked foes to kick off conference play. At that point, Crawford and his teammates need to be on their game.
Arnold is off to a good start after joining the Tigers. However, he needs a defense capable of complimenting him if Auburn is going to accomplish anything of significance this year. After Week 2, things are trending in the right direction.
