This weekend, the Tigers will be on their way to Starkville to take on Mississippi State in their first true road game.
Auburn has been electric on defense and nothing short of shaky on offense.
Diving past the typical stats in the box score, here is a look at some numbers that define Auburn’s successes on defense and struggles on offense – plus a little special teams improvement as well.
2.1
The yards per rush for Southern Miss last Saturday. Auburn’s defense has taken a step up from last year’s squad when it comes to keeping opponent running backs from gaining any traction. The Tigers rank as the No. 8 rush defense in the country, giving up an average of only 92.8 yards a game on the ground.
Auburn takes on the No. 28 rushing offense when they head to Starkville. The matchup between powers is one of the more interesting ones out of next week’s games.
53
The longest play from scrimmage for the Tigers and the second play of 50 yards. The play was the typical Jarrett Stidham-Darius Slayton connection with Stidham hitting Slayton on a deep post for the huge gain.
5
Total touchdowns allowed from the Auburn defense this season, with just one of those coming on the ground. The number is good enough for fewest touchdowns allowed in the country. The loss to LSU was the only time Auburn allowed multiple touchdowns this season.
34.78
Percent is the current conversion rate on third down this season for Auburn. The Tigers have gotten themselves into a ton of third and longs this season, forcing them into tough situations that they have failed to convert. The past four games have been a terrible stretch for the Tigers offense on third downs, only converting 29.41 percent of their third downs.
8.2
Average penalties per game for the Tigers. Auburn has committed 41 penalties so far this season for 370 yards. Things were completely different last season with the Tigers only committing 63 penalties in 14 games. The Tigers are on pace to surpass last season’s number in only eight games.
44.86
Yards per punt for Auburn punter Arryn Siposs. The former Aussie football player has been a spark in the punting game since getting the nod as starting punter. Siposs is currently fourth in the SEC in average yards per punt. The Tigers were one of the worst teams in the country last season when it came to punting, averaging only 39.47 yards a punt – the 13th worst in the conference.
24
Passes broken up by Auburn this season. The secondary has received a lot of scrutiny this season with the amount of pass interference calls and the big plays given up. But the Tigers have been effective when it comes to breaking up pass attempts this season placing fourth in the SEC in pass breakups and second in interceptions.
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