The deal is, until we hired Steele, there wasn't a D that held a candle to anything Tuberville put on the field. Not even close. Not even in the 2010 championship year, or the 2013 seconds away from MNC year. Our D has sucked balls since CTT left..until Steele got here. Yes, it's been 10+ years since Auburn put a legit D on the field. Now, the "experts", are saying the D should keep them in games until the O-line gels. Suddenly, our defense is keeping opposing offenses in the teens, on average.
Let's compare Total O to Total D since 2008:
Year Total O Rank Total D Rank Final Record
2008 105 26 (5-7)
2009
16 82
(8-5...Outback Bowl Win)2010
3 94
(14-0...BCSNC)2011 91 91 (8-5...Chick-Fil-A Bowl Win)
2012 117 64 (3-9)
2013
7 115
(12-2...SEC Champ)2014 17 58 (8-5....Outback Bowl Loss)
2015 80 85 (7-6...Bham Bowl Win)
2016 43 18 (8-5...Sugar Bowl Loss)
2017
15 25
(10-4...Chick-Fil-A Loss/SECW Champs) I don't know that you can take much from this except that (under Gus) offense wins championships (or at least it warms the cockles of my heart), contrary to popular opinion. A great defense with a stalling, inept offense won't do shit for you. Just ask Will Muschamp's Gaytors. The best of both worlds is the trend in the last two years where Steele shores up the D (two top-25 finishes ain't shabby) and the O gets its collective shit together.