While there were many positives from Auburn’s 38-24 win over Baylor to open up the season last Friday, the Tigers’ defensive effort, namely in the secondary, was a glaring issue.
After all, Auburn’s defense had a stellar preseason camp, and the backend of the Tigers’ secondary is believed to be one of the more talented groups in the SEC.
“I get making mistakes. You miss some tackles in week one, usually. However, I thought we tackled really well in live scrimmages, the two we had (during camp),” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze on Monday. “It just seemed like we weren't fresh and crisp.”
Of Baylor’s 419 total passing yards, 319 came on gains of 15 or more yards. The Tigers gave up plays of 55 yards, 36 yards and a 33-yard touchdown, which came on fourth down – two of Baylor’s touchdowns came on fourth down.
The 33-yarder came on a blown coverage, a play Auburn executed nearly every time it was called in the preseason.
“We kinda busted a coverage. Well, not kinda… We did. I've seen them do that 100 times in camp and execute it beautifully. And obviously, that coverage is based upon pressure getting to the quarterback and the ball coming out fast, which it did. But you know, we're just flat-footed like I haven't seen,” Freeze said.
Obviously, Auburn knew what kind of quarterback it was going up against in Sawyer Robertson. One of the top returning quarterbacks in the Big 12, he lit the Tigers up all night long. His 419 yards through the air were the most given up by an Auburn defense since Will Rogers went for 415 yards in 2021.
One of Robertson’s favorite targets all night was tight end Michael Trigg. He proved to be a nightmare matchup, repeatedly slipping over the middle and churning out extra yards through would-be tacklers.
“We definitely didn't tackle well there, didn't play with the right leverage on the ball and didn't understand a couple of times where our help was. Got beat on the inside routes by No. 1 a bunch. Now, I think DJ (Durkin) and I – we would be the first to say we didn't have the greatest plan for him. We probably should have bracketed him somehow," Freeze said.
The Tigers will get to shore up some of their pass defense next week as they host Ball State for Kickoff on the Plains at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. Freeze and Durkin will most certainly be looking for the defense to mirror the same energy and production it put on display throughout camp.
“We just didn't play like I've seen us play,” said Freeze. “So that's the good thing – is I know we can get better."
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