TAMPA, Fla. — Auburn lost a lot of quantifiable contributions with the departure of its three big-time graduating seniors from last year’s squad.
The Tigers are also missing out on some of the intangibles, coach Jeff Lebo said.
“We have to have some toughness that we are missing from last year that I think we don’t have,” Lebo said. “Hopefully, we are going to get better.”
Auburn has two more tests against inferior competition before next week’s conference opener against South Carolina. Today sets the Tigers up with a 3-11 Georgia Southern team from the Southern Conference.
Tip off is set for 1 p.m. at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.
“We have been herky-jerky at times and have been inconsistent at times,” Lebo said. “I am looking for some consistency so that I know every night when we come out what to expect. I really don’t yet with this group.”
That inconsistency was on display Tuesday against Charleston Southern, another team picked to finish last in its conference on Auburn’s preseason schedule. The Tigers trailed for a large portion of the first half before taking a 3-point lead into halftime.
The rout was on when the Tigers finally woke up in the second half, but that’s the type of play Lebo wants fixed before the games start to matter more.
“We just want to continue to get better,” Lebo said. “We still need to ?nd a rhythm on the offensive end.”
While the test might not be the toughest of the new year, Auburn will see a variety of defensive looks from Georgia Southern, which is coached by former Tigers assistant Charlton Young. Young, who played four years at Georgia Southern, was an administrative assistant from 1994-96 and an assistant coach for the 96-97 season before moving on to Jacksonville.
“They play every defense known to man,” Lebo said. “It is going to be a game where we are going to have to make those changes quickly and get into the right things. I don’t think when they change so much, they are not really that good at anything; they are good at the changes.”
agribble@oanow.com | 737-2561
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