FIRST CALL | Why Not? Why Not Auburn This Weekend...

Auburn football has plenty of reasons to be concerned about Tennessee. But what happens if the Tigers' recent improvements finally show up at the same time in Knoxville?

It's time for a little toxic positivity.

Auburn just won an SEC game against Vanderbilt. It wasn't pretty, but the Tigers finished when they needed to. Now Alex Golesh takes his team into Neyland Stadium for the first true road game of his Auburn tenure.

The problems haven't disappeared.

Auburn has struggled with slow starts. The offensive line remains a work in progress. Missed tackles have piled up, and DJ Durkin's defense has struggled to finish drives on fourth down.

But there are signs of progress.

Kenneth McManus helped stabilize the offensive line against Vanderbilt. Jordan Crawford and Auburn's young defensive linemen are emerging. Byrum Brown still hasn't been fully unleashed as a runner. Tennessee just surrendered 10 sacks against Texas.

So what happens if Auburn finally puts everything together?

What if Brown runs early? What if Keshaun Singleton makes another huge play? What if Jared Smith breaks out? What if Auburn turns fourth-down stops into takeaways? What if the Tigers don't spend the first quarter trying to find themselves?

Auburn doesn't need to become a finished product overnight.

It just needs enough of these improvements to happen together.

Put on the glasses.

Toxic positivity has officially arrived.

#AuburnFootball #WarEagle #AuburnTigers

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