Auburn needs to establish an identity

The Auburn Tigers have developed a very bewildering and annoying tendency over the last decade of having at least one humiliating performance a year against an out of conference opponent. In 2015, it was Jacksonville State (no offense). In 2017, it was Mercer. In 2018, it was Southern Miss. Last year, it was Georgia State. Saturday, the Tigers struggled to beat San Jose State 24-16. Were they looking ahead to Penn State? Probably. Should it have mattered? No. Auburn repeatedly sabotaged themselves with penalties and turnovers in the first half and gave hope to an overmatched opponent. It was a disappointing and dismal performance that I have, unfortunately, come to expect. However, winning a football game on a Saturday when lots of other high-profile teams lose games to seemingly inferior teams is all that matters.

To say that Auburn's overall play in the first two games has been uneven would be somewhat of an understatement. There have been some positives like Tank Bigsby, Jarquez Hunter and the running game. There have been some negatives like four interceptions and suspect coverage in the secondary. Quite frankly, it's natural to expect lots of ups and downs in the first few weeks of the season. Especially when there are new players in pivotal positions like quarterback, center and safety. That being said, the Tigers should ideally be in the process of developing an identity by this point. Are they a running team? Are they a passing team? Are they stronger offensively or defensively? I honestly don't know.