Auburn football's defense was able to keep the Tigers in position pick up a win over Baylor throughout its week one matchup.
The Tigers achieved this despite Baylor's starting quarterback DJ Lagway making some head-turning throws at times throughout the matchup. There were multiple occasions where Auburn had to play bend but do not break defense.
Auburn's defensive coordinator DJ Durkin feels the Tigers' halftime adjustment put them in a better position to defend the Bears in the second half.
“A lot of first-game stuff, our message to them was attention to detail," Durkin said. "It was alignments and leverages, which make a big difference because it all fits. What they start to learn is the rush and the coverage fit into one another, or are supposed to. If you’re rushing a certain way, the coverage should dictate how that’s going and what the timing is of the quarterback. (D.J.) Lagway, from Baylor, did a really good job of getting rid of the ball. He was in rhythm. He wasn’t hanging onto that thing. We had to adjust our leverage and alignments in order to defend the type of routes we were getting. To our players’ credit, they made those changes in-game. They made adjustments and certainly cleaned some stuff up and finished better.”
The defensive line and secondary are definitely connected, and if the Tigers can play together on defense in the future, the Auburn defense once again has a high ceiling.
Southern Miss will come to Auburn on Saturday and test the Tigers' defense.
