They say that defense wins championships. While the Auburn Tigers may not go on to win a championship this season, defense has certainly helped them win games.
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Alex Golesh’s squad is coming off of a stout close win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 7, storming from behind to win 26-23 in the waning moments of the game. There were struggles throughout the game, but they were overcome by the performance from some members on the defensive front.
Following two abysmal performances against LSU and Ole Miss in the two weeks prior, it was a more vibrant display from the defensive line and linebackers. Following a down first half from the team as a whole, the Tigers came out in the second half and played well enough to get back in the game.
The players sensed that as well, building their confidence.
“I feel like we came, played hard start to finish,” said defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford. “That's what we preached all week, was play hard from start to finish. Start, finish; wherever the game pauses at, just come out and play hard. We've been working on that, coming out in the second half harder than we played the first. I feel like that's what we've done.”
Following a game where the defense posted zero sacks against Ole Miss in Oxford, Auburn bounced back and put up six in the game against Arkansas on Saturday.
Those big plays in getting the quarterback down in the backfield were critical in terms of building momentum, and they were a testament to the work the front force had been putting in.
“Just getting them to move,” Crawford said. “We've got a few good rushers up front, so just letting them rush and be free. That's how we ended up with six sacks.”
Sophomore edge rusher Jared Smith took home one of those sacks during the game, and the young star out of the state of Alabama has been focused on getting home and making big plays throughout the year.
Smith has always shown physicality, but his word this season has been urgency. His sack on Saturday was a display of that.
“Jared's being Jared at practice every day,” said defensive tackle Cody Sigler. “He's being physical, and I feel like that's just really him. That was his coming out party, you could say. He's finally doing what we know he can do.”
The other guy that truly made a difference in the game against the Razorbacks though was true freshman linebacker Shadarius Toodle, who showed out with 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in his collegiate debut.
Saturday’s showing for him was a moment in the making, as he had not gotten on the field yet this year and was on the scout team up until recently. That did not stop him from going hard though in his reps, and that was made clear in game action.
“I think Toodle had a pretty good game,” Crawford said. “He stayed down. He comes out and practices hard every week. Even if he doesn't get the amount of reps he wants, he still does every rep he gets pretty hard. I think it was made for him.”
The play from not just those two players, but by the defensive front as a whole was the result of a hard week in practice, one that was filled with a lot of lessons being learned.
Following two performances that were well below the standard of what Alex Golesh and DJ Durkin want, things felt like they have now been trending in the right direction once again.
“I feel like going into the week we had our confidence back,” Sigler said. “I feel like we had our swagger back. Everybody was just more hyped. We were ready to get back on the train, like I said last week. I feel like we got that confidence built back up.”
The Tigers are now one win away from bowl eligibility, which they will attempt to achieve against Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 14 for the first time since 2023.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
