Young Auburn linebackers deliver as Tigers turn attention to Mississippi State

Auburn registered a season high six sacks on Saturday against Arkansas. The Tigers were finally able to wreak havoc with their down lineman which led to the success in affecting the quarterback. Head coach Alex Golesh talked Monday about how they schemed things up against the Arkansas protection.

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“There was an intent to flush him (KJ Jackson). To be able to force him to then make some decisions on the run. We showed some six up pictures and were able to pop some guys out and mess with some protectional things,” Golesh said.

Another part of having success and creating negative plays was players along the line of scrimmage winning their one-on-one matchups

“Some situations it was obvious pass. To see them do that was great. When you’re calling a defense and can get pressure with four guys that allows you to do a lot of things on the back end,” defensive coordinator DJ Durkin said.

Freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle, a member of the team’s practice squad until recently, earned half of those sacks. Toodle was named the SEC’s freshman of the week for his excellent performance.

Another linebacker who elevated his play, after injuries to starters Elijah Melendez and De’Marcus Riddick, was Michael Matthews-Canty. Both he and Toodle were mentioned by Riddick last week as ones who would be able step up and perform when called upon. Durkin assessed Canty’s performance Saturday.

“He played really solid. He came in, made some plays. He went in there and he didn’t flinch. He was confident based on his preparation and how he played,” Durkin said.

Looking ahead to Mississippi State, for the third straight game, the Bulldogs will have to start backup quarterback AJ Swann, after a season-ending injury to starter Kamario Taylor. Swann has thrown for 351 yards and 2 touchdowns. Golesh said he is concerned that Swann can add a dynamic to the Bulldog rushing attack.

“AJ’s good enough to get out of trouble and certainly can pull the ball down and go. You’ve got to be really sound defensively. Just a different type of athlete. He’s as good as anybody in the country at creating offense and suiting offense to personnel,” Golesh said.

Durkin knows his secondary will have to improve this week. They have struggled in coverage for much of the year, especially the last three weeks. Mississippi State’s receiving core will provide another challenge for this unit.

“Those guys are as talented as anyone that we will face. They’ve got real speed and they present some issues with what they do,” Durkin said.

Auburn leads the overall series, against the Bulldogs, 66-29-2. They also hold a 14-8-1 record in Starkville. However, Auburn has not tasted victory at Davis Wade Stadium since 2020. This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2023, a game won by Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. on ESPN2.

Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.