Auburn’s second fall scrimmage took place Saturday morning at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and coach Gus Malzahn’s Tigers look to be placing the final pieces of the “puzzle”, as he was apt to put it.
Standing in stark contrast to the first scrimmage, in which defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s defense held the offense out of the end zone, the second scrimmage was a more balanced mix of offensive production and defensive pushback.
“I think it was more close today,” Malzahn said. “There were some good things on defense, and I think the offense came out and executed and performed better.”
With a more polished passer in Jeremy Johnson now at quarterback, compared to the raw athlete Nick Marshall was, Malzahn was expected to tailor his offense more toward the passing game that his new quarterback excels at. As such, the scrimmage on Saturday featured “65-70 percent passing” with Johnson throwing 20-plus times.
There were also some flashes of explosive plays that Auburn fans are accustomed to witnessing from Malzahn’s offense.
Ricardo Louis, one of a handful of senior wide receivers, reportedly hauled in a 90-yard touchdown pass, and running back Peyton Barber also demonstrated the explosiveness out of the backfield that makes him so valuable with a 30-yard catch of his own on a wheel route.
Even with the expected progression of the offense, the defense didn’t just roll over and let the offense walk over them. Some big hits and live hitting in the trenches let the defense get their licks in.
“Our emphasis was throwing the ball today and letting Jeremy have more throwing of the football, and the offense did make some plays in the passing game, but also, the defense did a good job on some of the passing situations too,” Malzahn said. “It was good to see some big plays out of the offense, but at the same time there were also some big plays the defense did today.”
Auburn is off on Monday for the beginning of classes, but the Tigers will begin practicing again on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
