Auburn defensive end Nate Johnson knows what playing in the SEC demands.
He spent last season with Missouri before transferring to Auburn, and now brings that knowledge to Auburn’s defensive front.
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“Every week is a dog fight,” Johnson said. “Every week you have to be on top of your game. We’re going scout team now; you can’t create bad habits going scout team because it’s going to show up on Saturdays. I feel like every week you have to be on top of your habits, on top of your game.”
Johnson missed some time earlier this month, but is now back to full go as Auburn’s season opener against Baylor approaches.
“I just got back healthy,” Johnson said. “I’m feeling pretty good now.”
Defensively, he’s still making his adjustments. Specifically learning to rush from the 4-i spot on the line, but as a group, the defensive ends are playing connected.
“Everybody’s got areas where we can improve at, but overall we’re connected,” Johnson said. “We’re going pretty good and I’m excited to see us play on Saturdays.”
Through a couple of scrimmages, Auburn’s defensive staff continues to harp on the need for urgency. Mostly in between plays and getting back to the line fast. With some fast-paced offenses on the Tigers’ schedule, it’s become the biggest emphasis in live reps.
“Just getting lined up,” Johnson said. “We play five or six tempo teams this year. We practice against a tempo team, so I feel like we got an advantage in that area…When we play teams that don’t run tempo, we’ll be fresh, we’ll be ready. We’re going to be prepared going against teams that use tempo.”
Auburn begins its season Sept. 5 against Baylor in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CST.
Auburn Undercover is an independent Auburn sports media company covering Auburn athletics, recruiting and insider news.
