There are two sides to every blowout.
While Auburn's first-team passing offense stood out at the 2014 A-Day Game, the first-team secondary also made a statement with its performance as a unit.
The Tigers' Blue team, made up of first-choice players, held the White team to three points in the annual spring game -- and White team's only score came on a difficult 50-yard field goal by freshman kicker Daniel Carlson.
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he cared more about the performance of all his starters more than the lopsided scoreboard.
"I don't read anything into the score," Malzahn said. "I think it's a matter of both sides, at least our [first-team players], are playing a little bit better at this time than they were last year. It should be expected."
The Blue team held backup quarterbacks Jeremy Johnson, Jonathan Wallace and Tucker Tuberville to just 48 combined passing yards.
Two newcomers to the defensive back unit, which is replacing several key starters from the 2013 season, made an impression on their teammates last Saturday.
Junior college transfer Derrick Moncrief came close to a diving interception of a Johnson pass late in the first quarter, and he reacted quicly to Peyton Barber's fumble on the White team's first play of the day.
For Moncrief, the A-Day performance was a solid finish to his first few practices on the Plains.
"I feel like (Moncrief) came along pretty well this spring," said safety/linebacker Robenson Therezie. "I think he could be a starter for us. Moncrief can play a lot of positions, not just free and boundary safety."
Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson has praised Moncrief's physical nature and learning ability at boundary safety this spring.
"When you get a junior college player who's not played in your system, you always wonder how long is it going to take him to transition," Johnson said. "I think at this point he is way beyond all of the new safeties."
With cornerback Jonathon Mincy swapping sides of the defense to the vacancy left by Iron Bowl hero Chris Davis, another newcomer had a chance to fight for fall playing time at A-Day.
Former 5-star wide receiver Trovon Reed recorded a pair of pass breakups and was solid in run support against the Tigers' second-string offense in his first game work at cornerback.
"There was no pressure on (Reed)," Mincy said. "He was very comfortable with everything. That goes back to believing in the fundamentals and the coaching. He's buying in."
The senior from Louisiana, who was known for his athleticism in his first three seasons at Auburn, showed quick reactions defensively.
"I think it's a very natural position for (Reed)," Johnson said. "Very aggressive, good tackler, has played press-man technique pretty well. Some of the things that you hope they'll do naturally, he's done those."
After finishing near the bottom of the SEC barrel in passing yards last season, the reloaded secondary will be looking for redemption in 2014.
"If you look at our first-team defense, they didn't give up many plays period, much less deep balls," Malzahn said. "That has been an emphasis trying to keep away from the big play.
"I think our first-team defense has improved greatly this spring from last fall."
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