Neyland Stadium was loud, and the pressure was real. Auburn came into Knoxville hoping to pull off a statement win against No. 17 Tennessee, but things quickly unravelled in a 24-14 defeat. The Tigers showed early spark, but costly errors turned the momentum toward the Volunteers, dropping Auburn to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in SEC play.
Alex Golesh did not need much time to identify the problem. During his post-game conference speech, he pointed straight at the noise and the lack of physicality, scheme execution, and tackling of the rushing defense. He identified the penalties as the most significant factor in Auburn’s loss. The Tigers had prepared for Neyland all week. They had simulated the noise and used silent cadences. They practiced it through the summer and fall camp. It still went sideways.
“Offensively, [we] had a bunch of false starts,” he admitted. “We didn’t handle the crowd noise well enough in the first half.”…