In a letter to captains during the Revolutionary War, George Washington wrote, "Discipline is the soul of an army."
If he had been writing that to the 2014 Auburn defense, we would still be using the pound as currency and singing "God Save the Queen" here in America.
To say discipline was a problem in 2014 would be an understatement. Key drives by opponents were kept alive by foolish penalties. It seemed a weekly occurrence ex-defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson would talk about cleaning up play.
It never happened. On Wisconsin's game-tying drive to send the Outback Bowl into overtime, the Badgers benefited from a late hit out of bounds. We know how the game ended.
Now enters Will Muschamp who, if history is any indication, won't accept these transgressions.
Muschamp, now in his second tenure as defensive coordinator at Auburn, is in charge of bringing back the fearsome defense the Tigers had during his first time here in 2006-07.
The 2006 Auburn defense, led by Quentin Groves and Sen'Derrick Marks, allowed just 13.9 points per game, good for seventh in the nation. The next year, Muschamp's defense finished sixth in the nation by allowing 16.9 points per game.
Many times this past year, opponents exceeded those numbers in the middle of the second quarter.
One major way Muschamp differs from Johnson is where they coach from.
Muschamp, one of the fiercest guys in college football, loves to coach from the sidelines. Johnson was up in the coaches' box. If you have ever seen Muschamp upset, you know you don't want to be on the other end of his fury.
I guarantee any player who has to face Muschamp after committing a dumb penalty will do his best not to do it again.
But where else can the defense improve? Muschamp said it is the line of scrimmage.
"You've got to create the line of scrimmage," Muschamp said during his introductory press conference. "In our league and our division, you better win the line of scrimmage or you will not have a chance."
For Tigers fans, it is about stopping those killer penalties that let opponents have second or third chances.
"Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another."
George Washington also wrote that. Let's hope coach Muschamp and the 2015 Tigers heed his words.
Brian Stultz is a sports writer for The Plainsman. He can be reached at sports@theplainsman.com.
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