In the first half, the Auburn defense seemed to be unable to halt the Georgia State option offense. The Panther’s running back, Tucker Gregg, racked up 142 yards in the first half, including a 52-yard touchdown run. The defense was also hindered by penalties, losing 40 yards in the first half.
Sophomore defensive end Colby Wooden knew his squad could do better.
“We just weren’t playing our brand of football.” Wooden said. “We weren't playing physical, we weren’t in our gaps. Credit to [Georgia State] for taking advantage of it.”
Auburn allowed 24 points in the first half. Along with poor run-stuffing, the team also had penalty issues, losing 40 yards on defensive fouls in the first half. The Georgia State offense, known for traditionally running the option, was able to pass the ball quite efficiently, too. Quarterback Darren Grainger completed 14 passes for 80 yards.
Coming into the second half, veteran linebacker Chandler Wooten knew his teammates had the confidence to shut down Georgia State’s offense.
“When we came into the half, nobody was panicking.” Wooten said. “We came out into the second half with a whole lot more energy than we did in the first half. We had to play up to our standard, we did that, and came out with a win.”
Linebacker Zakoby McClain missed the first half as a result of his targeting penalty against Penn State. With McClain's absence and team captain Owen Pappoe out with injury, the defense seemed to struggle without their presence in the middle.
However, when McClain returned, he made an instant impact. He recorded two tackles on consecutive plays, including a three-yard tackle for loss in the third quarter.
“Zakoby is the Energizer bunny,” Wooden said. ”He gives us energy, flies around, and makes plays. It was important to us and vital that he came back.”
With the energy that McClain brought, the Auburn defense held Georgia State scoreless in the second half, and forced four three-and-outs. Chandler Wooten led the team in tackles, with 12 total, a career high, and T.D. Moultry had nine of his own. The Tigers had three sacks on the night, with two of those coming from Northwestern transfer Eku Leota. They held the Panthers to only 48 rushing yards in the second half.
Smoke Monday sealed the game for the Tigers in the final minute with a pick-six, the third of his career. After the game, several of Smoke’s teammates were quick to talk about his skillset.
“Smoke is just a ball-hawk.” Wooden said. “He’s got a nose for the ball, whether it’s downhill on a run or picking the ball off. I trust him back there as a leader of that second group.”
While head coach Bryan Harsin credited the defense for their turnaround, he knows that this team will have to improve as they head into their SEC schedule.
"That's the storyline, get better,” Harsin said. “Auburn football, get better. Everybody get better, every single day."
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
