Tigers desires more after win
Etheridge and the Defense are looking for a better turnout against Miss. St.
“Too many yards.”
That’s how Auburn senior safety Zac Etheridge described Arkansas State’s 323 passing yards against the Tiger defense Saturday night.
Red Wolves starting quarterback Ryan Aplin surgically took apart the Tigers for 205 yards in the first half before what Auburn coaches described as “adjustments” helped contain the pass-happy attack the rest of the way in a 52-26 season-opening Auburn win at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“They’re a great offensive team, but we can’t give up that many yards to anyone,” said Etheridge, playing in his first game since a frightening neck injury suffered Oct. 31, 2009, that nearly ended his playing career. “It meant a lot to get back on the field and having fun.”
Arkansas State’s 323 passing yards mark the second consecutive game Auburn has surrendered 300 or more yards through the air. Northwestern’s Mike Kafka torched Auburn for 532 yards in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl, a 38-35 Auburn victory.
Auburn defenders and coaches agreed the Red Wolves’ spread offense was confusing.
“I think second half defensively, we got a better feel for what they were doing,” Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said. “It was a little bit difficult with a new offensive coordinator (Hugh Freeze), trying to figure out what he did at a different school versus what he would do now with different types of personnel. That became a little challenging.”
Etheridge simply said, “We didn’t know what to expect.”
Auburn allowed Arkansas State just 135 total yards in the second half and forced three successive three-and-outs in the third quarter with the Tigers leading, 35-23.
Whereas Auburn’s defense had little depth last season, several young defenders saw playing time Saturday, including redshirt freshman lineman Nosa Eguae, and true freshmen defensive end Kenneth Carter, defensive back Chris Davis, linebacker Jessel Curry, defensive end Craig Sanders, defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker, and defensive end Corey Lemonier.
“The thing that was encouraging tonight is we played a lot of young guys when the game was still (not) in hand and tried to rotate our defensive linemen and get a bunch of young guys in there,” Chizik said.
“We tried to rotate our secondary and get some young guys in there … same thing at linebacker.”
Senior linebacker Josh Bynes said his young teammates “Did an excellent job … and to never have played in Jordan-Hare Stadium before.”
Bynes didn’t see the loss of senior linebacker Craig Stevens, who was suspended before the game for an undisclosed reason and amount of time, as a big deal.
“It wasn’t too much of an impact,” he said. “We had some other guys step up and do what they’re supposed to do.”
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.