Although the main theme of Auburn's defense throughout the first three games has been their ability to limit their opponents' rushing yards, the revamped secondary's ability to step up in times of need has been another story for this year's defense.
This became especially true in the Tigers' 20-14 win at Kansas State.
The Tigers' secondary was put to the test as the Wildcats threw the ball 40 times since their running game struggled, allowing just 40 yards on 30 attempts.
"I thought all our guys out back played pretty well," said defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. "We put a lot of pressure on them. We had to play a lot of man coverage to make sure we loaded the box on the quarterback, and I thought they really competed well."
The secondary faced plenty of adversity leading up to their initial road test, including senior Jermaine Whitehead not making the trip because of a suspension, junior Josh Holsey moving from cornerback to safety to fill in for him and a couple other players who are still making the transition from playing offense to defense.
"What are you going to do in tight situations?" said junior defensive back Jonathan Jones. "We stepped up to the adversity. We were just prepared. That goes back to the coaches."
According to Johnson, Holsey played a large role in helping the secondary produce against Kansas State, as he led the defense with 11 solo tackles.
The performance earned Holsey SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
"I thought he did a good, solid job," Johnson said. "It was a tough move for him since it was done during the week, and he didn't have but one-half of a practice and another small, light practice."
The two former offensive players, Trovon Reed and Johnathan Ford, are also beginning to find comfort on defense, according to Johnson.
"Overall, (Reed) played very solid," Johnson said. "He's made steady progress, and I think now it's to the point we can play him as much as those starters, and that's important."
Johnson also said Ford has improved drastically since his move from running back to defensive back.
"He just shows up," Johnson said. "He catches your eye. You can see how explosive he is, how fast he closes on things. He's been a good tackler. He's been doing well in coverage. He's getting better and we really have a lot of confidence in him right now."\0x200B
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