Auburn football: Defense still looking for answers

AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas State just recovered its second fumble, primed for another quick-strike touchdown early in the second half Saturday when Auburn’s defense finally woke up.

Following a short gain, Tigers linemen Nick Fairley and Antoine Carter sacked quarterback Ryan Aplin on consecutive plays, forcing a punt and effectively ending the Red Wolves’ offensive momentum.

But for many fans in attendance, it was too little, too late.

Auburn still allowed 366 yards and 26 points to a team that ranked 95th nationally in total offense last season.

“We were too inconsistent,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said, echoing a refrain from last year. “Whether there were 10 people doing it right, there was one guy that was inevitably not. When that happens, it seemed like that one guy is always found.”

Although it’s only one game — one the Tigers played without suspended All-SEC linebacker Craig Stevens — it’s not too different from last season, when Auburn’s defense bore no resemblance to shutdown units of the past, surrendering a school record 358 points.

Injuries and depth problems ravaged that group, shortcomings Auburn hoped would be solved by the return of three veteran safeties from career-threatening injuries and the addition of a highly touted recruiting class. It appears it won’t be an instant fix, however.

“They did a lot things we hadn’t seen before, but we made good adjustments in the second half,” linebacker Josh Bynes said. “We still have got to get better getting to the right hip, making better tackles, fitting on blocks and just basically playing a fast pace every down, every play.”

Arkansas State, using an up-tempo offense for the first time under new coordinator Hugh Freeze, worked Auburn’s secondary with a variety of underneath routes, similar to Northwestern’s approach in last year’s Outback Bowl. Aplin completed 28 passes for 278 yards.

“It bothers me a lot,” cornerback Neiko Thorpe said. “It’s something we’ve got to work on and get better at. I know our goal is to be one of the best defenses. And giving up that many yards, it’s really not getting there, so we’re going to have to cut that down.”

Roof wasn’t entirely pleased with the team’s tackling — a chronic problem last season — but found some positives to build on.

The Tigers were physical up front, holding the Red Wolves to 43 rushing yards on 35 attempts, an auspicious sign for a team that struggled in that category last year.

“To win in the SEC, you’ve got to be able to stop the run,” Bynes said.

Auburn made proper adjustments to shut down Arkansas State in the second half.

The Red Wolves gained 231 yards before the break, with drives of 82, 55 and 66 yards.

They finished with 135 yards in the second half, their only drive of more than 20 yards coming against Auburn’s second- and third-teamers.

Although the Tigers didn’t force a turnover, they were in the backfield all night. Auburn finished with four sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and 12 quarterback hurries.

And despite its early offensive success, Arkansas State converted only 5 of 18 third downs and averaged a mere 4.4 yards per play.

Roof also was pleased to get 10 defensive players their first college action. Of that group, nine were true freshmen.

“We didn’t wait until the game was out of hand to play them,” Roof said. “We played them early, so those reps as the season moves forward will be invaluable.”

Things don’t get easier for Auburn on Thursday. Mississippi State, under second-year coach and offensive guru Dan Mullen, racked up 569 yards in a 49-7 throttling of Memphis in its opener.

“You know the old adage that you make the biggest jump than your first and second week?” Roof said.

“Well, we’ve got a half week.”