The Auburn Tigers couldn't get it done in their first SEC road game of the season, falling to the Tennessee Volunteers 24-14 in Knoxville.

The team moves to 3-2 as they prepare for their only bye week of the year.

Here is what you need to know from the contest.

Lack of discipline stalled drives.

The Auburn Tigers had plenty of opportunities to excel on offense as they tried to get the running game working as well as move quickly with tempo. However, drives kept stalling after multiple false-start penalties on the offensive line. All offensive linemen, except Wilson Zierer, recorded at least one penalty, and it was a major issue that kept Alex Golesh, Joel Gordon, and the Auburn Tigers offense off the field.

When the Tigers' offense was able to stay disciplined on offense, they found a way to move the football. Byrum Brown rushed for over 100 yards, and Omar Mabson found himself with 62 yards on 10 carries. Keshaun Singleton was clearly the best wide receiver on the field, but it wasn't enough to overcome the boneheaded mistakes that led to negative plays.

Defense couldn't stop the run.

This is certainly a loaded statement, as the defense was again asked to do too much because of the offense's lack of discipline. However, DJ Durkin's defensive squad struggled to stop the Volunteers' running game.

The team allowed 237 yards on the ground on 49 carries and three touchdowns. Tennessee's running back, Deshaun Bishop, rushed for 220 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, against the Tigers' defense.

Play calling an issue?

This will certainly be a huge conversation over the next two weeks as we wait for the Auburn Tigers to play again. There were multiple moments when the Tigers still could have found a way to stay in the game but were stalled by inefficient play calling.

The Tigers had an opportunity to convert a very important fourth-and-one late in the fourth quarter. Instead of going with a quarterback sneak to Byrum Brown, they decided to do a pitch to the outside to Jeremiah Cobb, which resulted in a turnover on downs.

That example certainly needs to be looked at under a microscope, and we'll ask whether Alex Golesh needs to take over play calling for the rest of the season.

The Auburn Tigers will be off next week and will be back in action on October 17th, when they travel to Athens to take on the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff time is yet to be determined.

Source: Yahoo Sports