The Auburn offense has had slow starts and several inconsistencies in the first four games of the season despite its 3-1 record. The Tigers will need to step up to another level on Saturday to upset the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers.

The Tigers' offense did just enough to beat Vanderbilt 21-15 in week four. Auburn gained 279 yards, with 140 through the air and 139 yards on the ground. Despite scoring 21 points, the offense scored just two touchdowns. The other touchdown came on a blocked punt by running back Omar Mabson, which was picked up by Cade Carlson and returned 10 yards for a touchdown.

Auburn has not started games well on offense in the first four weeks. Against Vanderbilt, Auburn had a three-and-out and an interception in their first two possessions. Since Auburn is on the road this week, a quick start would help silence the Volunteers crowd.

Here are three keys for the Auburn offense to pick up a win over Tennessee.

Win the battle upfront

The key matchup in this game on Saturday will be the Auburn offensive line versus the Tennessee defensive front. The Volunteers are one of the best teams in college football on the defensive line. They are tied for first place in the SEC with 19 sacks. They did a really good job limiting Texas to just 61 yards on 36 carries. Auburn has struggled at times this season to get the running game going with the running backs. They will need to have success on the ground to take some pressure away from Byrum Brown, who has been sacked 13 times this season.

Run Byrum Brown more

Head coach Alex Golesh and offensive coordinator Joel Gordon seem to be cautious about calling for designed runs by quarterback Byrum Brown. He leads the Tigers in rushing with 237 yards and has scored three touchdowns. He had 10 carries against Vanderbilt for 57 yards and one touchdown. He is the Tigers' best offensive playmaker, and more designed run plays for Brown could open more chances for the running backs to succeed.

Wide receivers need to make big plays

The Auburn wide receivers will need to do their part on Saturday as well. This group of players has shown they belong at this level of college football, and assistant coach Kodi Burns said as much this week when speaking to the media. Both Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod have been steady players making key catches for Auburn. They will need the big-play ability of Jeremiah Koger to give Auburn a chance of a victory. He is averaging 17.7 yards per catch this season.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Three offensive keys for the Auburn Tigers' SEC matchup vs Tennessee

Source: Yahoo Sports