Auburn defense gearing up for offense with NFL flair

AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn defense still doesn't know which Louisville quarterback it will face on Sept. 5 at the Georgia Dome.

It could be one of four Cardinals quarterbacks competing for the starting job -- Reggie Bonnafon, Will Gardner, Kyle Bolin or Lamar Jackson -- or a combination of players from the group.

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said in an interview Friday he was in "no hurry" to announce a decision.

The uncertainty hasn't impacted the Auburn defense's game planning as it focuses on the offensive schemes favored by Petrino -- the power spread he developed as an assistant in the NFL under coach Tom Coughlin -- more than the individual pieces.

"He kinda have an NFL flair in his offense," Auburn defensive back Jonathan Jones said. "You get a lot of motions, you keep their eyes in the right spot, he challenges guys. In college ball it's hard for people to keep their eyes on the right keys, and he does a good job challenging defense to keep their eyes on the right spot."

Petrino is known as an offensive mastermind in the college ranks, and he has the numbers to back it up.

In his previous four-year stint (2003-06) at Louisville, the Cardinals averaged more than 34 points a game, with a single-season record of 49.8 points per game in 2004.

After a brief stint in the NFL, the former Auburn offensive coordinator spent four years at Arkansas (2008-11). The Razorbacks led the SEC in passing offense for three of those seasons and led the conference in total offense in 2011.

In his only year at Western Kentucky, the team set a new school record for total offense (5,502 yards).

Auburn transitioned from training camp into game preparation on Tuesday and increased that focus as the week went on.

"I know next week it will be straight Louisville, but it's been exciting to go against somebody else's looks instead of our offense, getting into some of their formation and their looks," Jones said.

Jones is confident that Auburn's new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who has a built a reputation as a guru on the defensive side of the ball, will have the Tigers ready.

This will be the first time a Muschamp-coached defense faces a Petrino-led offense.

"I think coach has us a good plan for whoever they have at quarterback, whether they have a running quarterback or a pocket passer in," Jones said. "We'll definitely have a good plan for both of those guys."

Michael Niziolek covers Auburn football for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Follow Michael on Twitter@wareagleextra, and on Facebook facebook.com/wareagleextra.

This story was originally published August 29, 2015 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Auburn defense gearing up for offense with NFL flair ."