Setting goals for each position group at Auburn football's second preseason scrimmage

AUBURN — The seats will soon be filled, the eagle will soon soar and toe will soon meet leather in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn football is just over two weeks away from opening its season with a home game against UMass on Sept. 2. The Tigers, who've had an offseason of radical change between new coach Hugh Freeze and the additions of more than 40 new players, have a few more preseason practices before things get going for real.

One of those practices is Saturday's scrimmage, the second of fall camp. Auburn had a scrimmage last Saturday, which was effectively a tale of two halves between the offense and defense.

From the quarterbacks to the linebackers, here's one goal for each position group to strive for at scrimmage No. 2.

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QB: Someone separate

None of Auburn's quarterbacks had a particularly great performance in the first scrimmage. No one played bad — Freeze praised the group for not tossing a single interception — but nobody really stood out, either.

That needs to change. The season is approaching, and unless Freeze is comfortable with the competition dragging into Week 1 — he may be open to the idea — either Robby Ashford or Payton Thorne need to step up and pull away from the pack.

RB: Continue to be explosive

The running backs have been the stars of fall camp, as expected. It's the deepest position on the team with at least four capable players, and from Jarquez Hunter's power to Brian Battie's speed, the talents in the corps complement each other nicely.

Freeze credited Damari Alston with three explosive runs at the first scrimmage. Hunter and Battie made impacts, too. Nothing needs to change here. The RBs just have to keep doing what their doing.

WR: Work on the little things

Auburn's receivers have largely had a good preseason. A few transfers like Shane Hooks (Jackson State) and Caleb Burton III (Ohio State) have stood out, and sophomore Jay Fair has potentially been the biggest breakout of the fall.

But the group collectively took a step back in the first scrimmage, according to Freeze; they must prove that was an exception.

"(The WRs) had an incredible week, not so much today," Freeze said. "... There was some good plays. ... But way too many opportunities in the RPO game that the quarterback made the right decision to throw the ball and a receiver is — again, I haven't watched the film — but he's either loafing, which we can't have, or he chose to run the wrong route. Again, we have to look at us as coaches first on that and be sure we get that cleaned up."

TE: Be a weapon through the air

If Auburn's tight ends can be a real threat to catch the ball, the offense becomes dangerous.

Florida International transfer Rivaldo Fairweather is good at that — he caught 28 passes for 426 yards in 2022. But someone like redshirt freshman Micah Riley has a chance to prove capable as an option, too.

OL: Maintain intensity throughout

When asked about the offensive line's performance at the first scrimmage, Freeze called it a "mixed bag." He was pretty satisfied with both the run and pass blocking out of the unit early in the day, but as the scrimmage wore on, the group's performance took a dip.

"Thought the heat got to us a little bit," Freeze said. "It's been a hot camp. I'm no excuse maker at all, but we've gone several days in a row and you can tell they're gassed a bit."

DL: Stymy the run

Given the stable of backs the Tigers have on offense, it's difficult to contain the run for four quarters.

But the defensive line has to try. Run defense may be Auburn's biggest concern heading into the season, as the offense ran for nearly 300 yards at A-Day in April and ripped off multiple big runs in the scrimmage last week.

Jack: Multiple players, multiple sacks

Between Elijah McAllister, Jalen McLeod and Stephen Sings V, the Tigers don't have a shortage of pass rushers.

The sum has to be greater than the parts here. McLeod looks like a pass-rush specialist, but on first and second downs, Auburn needs others to make an impact. If three to four edge defenders prove capable, the Tigers may be in better shape than initially thought.

LB: Form a top two

Eugene Asante, Austin Keys, Larry Nixon III, Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner all appear to be options at linebacker for Auburn in 2023, with Robert Woodyard Jr. and Jake LeVant in the mix, too.

Keys, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury, looks to be in the top two. He needs a running mate, and a scrimmage is the perfect time for someone to step into that role.

DB: Tackle better

Stopping the run starts up front, but limiting big plays rests on the shoulders of Auburn's defensive backs.

The unit as a whole did not tackle well when the running backs reached the second level, per Freeze. That needs to be a point of emphasis.

"I do think we’re talented there with our first group," Freeze said of the secondary. "And I think our young kids are going to be good, but they’ve got to come on because we’re going to need them in Year 1. ... The corners, I think, are talented. Our safeties are also, but we need depth there and we’ve got to bring those young kids on."

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Setting goals for each position at second scrimmage