The Auburn secondary is finally settling in.
The transition to their third defensive coordinator in three seasons could’ve been a lot rougher, but everything Kevin Steele has taught his players is familiar now.
“Coach Steele kind of installs for us,” said cornerback Josh Holsey. “He kind of installs for his players. When we go out there, we know what to do. It's like second hand now. It's like second nature. When we know what to do, it makes it easier when you're on the field.”
Auburn has allowed only 202.4 passing yards per game, good for 37th in the nation. Two of those games have come against weaker opponents in Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe, but the Tigers have also done relatively well against more talented passing offenses like Clemson and Texas A&M.
They held Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson to 248 passing yards, and Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight to 247, both of which are numbers under each team’s average.
Add in the losses of Jeremiah Dinson and Jamel Dean, both to injury, and the secondary was depleted from the get-go. They’ve responded admirably, and Auburn will aim to continue that in the Tigers’ first road game of the year this Saturday at Mississippi State.
“They've embraced that and they've kind of taken it,” Steele said. “They've got a lot of pride. They've got a lot of energy. And they're trying to make sure that they do what they're asked to do and affect the opposing team and they're doing a good job of it for the most part.”
The one spot Auburn would like to improve on is turnovers. The Tigers have only registered a pair of interceptions, one by Holsey and one by Javaris Davis.
“We need to get to where, our goal is to have, I think it’s one in every 28 snaps a turnover,” Steele said. “That’s a pretty lofty deal, but that’s at least two, two and a half, however many plays you play. But there’s been stretches where you’ve seen teams go get three, three, three, sometimes four games in a row. We’re due that and we’re working on it.”
Mississippi State’s passing attack isn’t as potent as the ones Auburn has faced — the Bulldogs are ranked 83rd in the country with 214.3 yards per game — but that’s no reason to get complacent.
“You just got to be prepared,” Holsey said. “You always prepare for those situations. We practice with noise and all those types of things anyway, so we’re prepared for all that anyway. Just a new environment; you got to get used to it. We know it’s going to be really hectic, SEC game on the road, so you kinda get used to it.”
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.
