Guerry Clegg: Easy to see improvement in Auburn's defense

ATLANTA --To call it a dominant defensive performance by Auburn would be an overstatement.

Dominance isn't giving up 27 first downs and 405 yards.

Dominance isn't giving up two fourth-quarter drives to turn a rout-in-the-making into a nail-biter.

Louisville's penchant for self-destruction played no small role in Auburn's 31-24 victory Saturday at the Georgia Dome.

And, other than having the most despised head coach in college football, it's hard to know what to think of Louisville. This is just Bobby Petrino's second season in his second time around with the Cardinals. He hasn't had time to develop his customary powerful offense.

Even so, the improvement in the Tigers' defense in Will Muschamp's first game back with Auburn was unmistakeable.

Having Carl Lawson back to harass quarterbacks didn't hurt, either.

All in all, this defensive effort gave credence to the belief that Auburn's defense can be improved enough for the Tigers to contend for the SEC championship.

"Like I said before the game, this is a team that will improve," said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.

The Tigers caught a few breaks, the first coming on Louisville's first offensive snap. Petrino had kept coy about whom he would start at quarterback. The official depth chart read:

Reggie Bonnafon -or-

Kyle Bolin -or-

Will Gardner -or-

Lamar Jackson

It turned out to be Bonnafon -and-

Jackson

Both started, with Jackson lined up behind at running back. But then Bonnafon went in motion, leaving Jackson to take the direct snap. Auburn chased Jackson to his right, then he panicked and heaved the ball downfield. It was an easy interception for Tray Matthews, playing his first game for Auburn after transferring from Georgia, who took it back 35 yards to the Louisville 26.

It was a gift for the Tigers, but it was also the byproduct of putting pressure on the quarterback, something sorely lacking for Auburn last season.

"When you get pressure on a quarterback, especially a young quarterback, things change, and decision-making becomes harder," Petrino said.

Petrino was referring to his team's pressure on Auburn's quarterback, Jeremy Johnson. But the principle applies to the presence Lawson brings to the Tigers' defense. He missed all of last season with a knee injury. In the first half, Lawson had four tackles, including a sack and two tackles for losses. But then he was sidelined again, this time with a hip injury that, while not thought to be serious, kept him out of the second half. It's not coincidental that Auburn pitched a shutout in the first half -- and scored on an 82-yard fumble return by Justin Garrett -- but was scored on by Louisville on four consecutive possessions in the second half.

"Well, Carl Lawson is an impact player," Malzahn said. "I think you saw that in the first half. When he doesn't make the play, he helps other people make plays. With him being out, obviously there was a difference."

It wasn't all the absence of Lawson that led to Louisville's second-half surge. Petrino pulled Bonnafon for Jackson, a much better runner. Jackson finished with 106 yards rushing, 86 of that coming in the second half.

"Well, I thought they did a great job in the first half," Malzahn said of his defense. "In the second half they still did some good things. That freshman quarterback, he's electric now, and he made some plays with his feet. He's going to be tough to deal with."

Again, the defense was far from dominant. But it was effective enough to win the game, if only by the scariest of margins. That alone is improvement.

The Tigers have a breather coming up against Jacksonville State before their trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU, followed by a home game against Mississippi State and Heisman hopeful Dak Prescott. Those two games will go a long way to defining Auburn's season and determining whether the Tigers are a legitimate national contender or just another competitive team with too many flaws to win it all.

-- Guerry Clegg is an independent correspondent. You can writer to him at sports@ledger-enquirer.com

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Guerry Clegg: Easy to see improvement in Auburn's defense ."