Auburn's quarterback has a windup — and on the throw Auburn runs most, that windup is a tax Ole Miss gets to collect.

Byrum Brown leads the SEC in quarterback run game, per Pete Golding on Monday. But Locked On Auburn brought up his throwing motion unprompted on our crossover: with that windup, the ball takes a while to get there. Auburn leans harder and harder on quick throws behind the line of scrimmage, out wide — the exact pass that needs a fast release.

Golding described the same picture from the other side: Auburn splits receivers out far enough to create a numbers issue, and the key is creating negative yardage plays early to force obvious passing downs.

Segment two: Auburn has already faced very good corners this season and they have not affected Auburn's games — not because they lost, but because the offense never asked them a question. Their own show said this offense neutralizes elite corner play. So Ole Miss's secondary gets judged on tackling in space, which is exactly what Golding says failed at Texas.

The honest counterweight: Auburn's receivers will run real routes eventually, and that 80-yard arm is sitting right there if Ole Miss loads up on screens.

Who wins it, Ole Miss's tacklers or Auburn's spacing? Tell me in the comments.

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Auburn is not measuring Saturday by the scoreboard, and a team that is not chasing a number is the hardest kind to put away.

On our weekly crossover with Locked On Auburn I asked what a successful season looks like over there. The answer was not a win total. It was wanting to see who this team is and what culture Alex Golesh is building. Their show put 7-5 on the table as acceptable and 7-4 into the Iron Bowl as a good first year.

Segment two: the 38-17 loss to LSU at Jordan-Hare on Oct. 24 does not tell you what you think. Auburn has lost plenty lately — by three, by seven, the heartbreaking kind. Losing by three scores at home is new, and nobody on that roster knows yet how they respond to it.

The honest counterweight: the simplest reading is that LSU is better and Auburn is four and three. Maybe. But the last time nobody gave Auburn a chance they went to Athens and beat the No. 1 team in America — eleven days ago. Their own show also said Auburn's path needs Ole Miss mistakes, not a scheme.

Which Auburn shows up Saturday? Tell me in the comments.

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Pete Golding laid out the entire Auburn game plan at Monday's press conference, and it comes down to one thing: "the key to the drill to me is you got to eliminate the quarterback run game."

Auburn's quarterback has 1,365 passing yards and 8 touchdowns, plus 480 rushing yards and 6 rushing scores, per the school's release. Golding called him a dual threat who leads the SEC in quarterback run game.

The plan: account for him on base downs, create negative yardage plays early, force obvious passing downs, change the coverage picture.

The problem is Golding's own framing. He said the spacing of Auburn's receivers "splits you out of the ballpark, which creates a numbers issue." Load the box for the quarterback and you hand Auburn one-on-ones outside. So the corners play man with elite eye control — and Golding does not feel great about Edwin Joseph this week.

Segment two: DJ Durkin. Golding said Durkin "has always done a really really good job everywhere he's been," with "a lot of familiarity with the system," having "gone against it several different times." That is a head coach saying four days early that the other side has the answers. And Kewan Lacy is out.

The honest counterweight: this secondary took the ball away twice at Texas and Golding said Jalyn Crawford played his best game. And Auburn allows 24.1 points a game and just gave up 38 at home. Knowing a system and stopping it are different jobs.

Which side of that do you trust? Tell me in the comments.

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