Auburn football wants its running backs to be more effective at running the football in the near future.
The Tigers' running backs rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries against the Florida Gators in a losing effort on Saturday. The Tigers' starting center Cole Best was asked Tuesday if there was an emphasis being put on running the football better in practice this week ahead of Auburn facing Vanderbilt.
"It's been huge," Best said. "It's always a huge emphasis. We got a lot we need to clean up right there. Haven't gotten these backs open the way that we need to, and as an offensive line, that's on us, so, you know, we just keep going into our detail, into our craft and just keep straining to get better."
The Tigers' tight end Jake Johnson has also seen this emphasis. He feels running the football plays a huge role in having a successful offense.
"I think in general the running game is the biggest part of football on offense," Johnson said. "So, you can set the tone with the run game and bring them in and throw it deep behind them. I think the running game is always the most important thing and just getting behind that and getting that started, I think it's great for us."
Auburn's head football coach Alex Golesh feels circumstances in the Tigers' loss to Florida forced Auburn to go away from running the football.
"Offensively, about as poor of a start, which is exactly what you thought Saturday night, as poor of a start as you can imagine," Golesh said. "The three and out. And then to get the ball inside the ten and go three and out and end up with the field goal. Obviously, it was just handled really, really poorly. And then you claw back and that sequence of giving up a score right before half, in the two minutes, not having enough time to go offensively and then flip it. They get the ball, they go score, we go three and out. And that ends up being a huge, huge swing. That, if that piece turns out different, you feel like you can play the rest of the game out different. You end up in an essentially two-minute mode the entire fourth quarter and you claw back, but you're not running your offense the way that you feel like you want to run it. You're not running the ball. You’re putting the offensive line in a tough spot. Which, in a two-minute situation, when you're drive after drive in that way, everybody knows what you're doing. Obviously, we mixed in a little bit of run, but your pass setting, it's hard. They're in a rabbit's package where they can get after your quarterback and it's not how you want the game to play out, but that's how it played out."
Auburn will look to right the ship on the ground against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
