Since Gus Malzahn took over as Auburn's head coach in 2013, the offense has been the team's strength, averaging 494 yards of offense per game over the last two seasons.
The defense was thought to be the liability, especially late in 2014. when the unit gave up an average of 487 yards in Auburn's last seven games against Power Five conference teams.
Last winter, Auburn made Will Muschamp the highest-paid assistant coach in college football in an attempt to improve the defense. So far, the endeavor has been successful.
Auburn has given up an average of 422 yards in the season's first two games, but the scoring defense has improved, allowing only 24 and 20 points against Louisville and Jacksonville State, respectively.
While the defense has improved, the offense has taken a step in the wrong direction.
The Tigers, now led by quarterback Jeremy Johnson, are averaging only 364 yards of offense through the first two games.
Malzahn insisted the offense's philosophy has not changed this season, and he believes the offense struggles stem from an inability to make plays down the field.
"We’re a run, play-action team so we need to run the football," Malzahn said. "I think the big thing from our standpoint is the explosive plays. When we’re playing good football, we have explosive plays."
The "explosive plays" have certainly been lacking, as Auburn only has four plays of over 20 yards in two games.
Another issue has been turnovers, as the Tigers have turned the ball over six times in two contests.
Five of those have been Johnson interceptions, but Malzahn has taken the brunt of the blame for his quarterback's early trouble.
"I have to do a better job of putting him in good situations," Malzahn said. "It all works together. He’s an extremely talented quarterback. He’s going to play well. He’s had a couple of growing pains, but that’s part of it."
Running back Peyton Barber has been one of the few bright spots for the offense.
The sophomore has rushed for over 100 yards in both games, and in turn has been elevated to the top of the depth chart in advance of Auburn's trip to Baton Rouge.
Despite the official change on the depth chart, Malzahn maintained that all running backs will play on Saturday at Tiger Stadium.
"Peyton (Barber) has really stepped up," Malzahn said. "He’ll be the first guy out there, but those other three running backs – there’s a decent chance you’ll see them on the field too.”
When Auburn travels to Baton Rouge on Saturday, it'll be looking to restore the offensive prowess of the last two years in a place where the Tigers haven't won since 1999.
Auburn last traveled to LSU in 2013, when the Bayou Bengals handed Auburn an early-season loss. After the LSU game, however, Auburn won nine in a row on its way to the national title game. The Tigers will look for a similar result this season, but they must survive in a hostile environment on Friday to keep their championships aspirations alive.
"It's a tough place to play," Malzahn said. "They play extremely well at home; traditionally, that has been the case. It’s been a while since we’ve been there and won. We’ve got to have a great week of practice, and we need to play well."
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