Defensive Line

[aubiefifty 18,398]

Auburn’s defensive line has been ‘a bunch of bullies’ this season

Updated Sep 26, 2019; Posted Sep 26, 2019

4 minutes

Auburn’s defensive line has been on a hot streak.

The unit has produced three consecutive SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week winners and has been a menacing force against opponents one-third of the way through the season. Derrick Brown was the most recent recipient of that weekly honor following his big-time performance against Texas A&M, and it came after fellow senior Marlon Davidson took home the award in back-to-back weeks against Tulane and Kent State.

“We want to keep the train going,” Brown said. “Yeah, that’s something we want to do, but I mean, everybody else out there, they don’t like that, so they want to stop it.”

Stopping Brown, or Davidson, or anyone along Auburn’s defensive line has been far more challenging this season than it already sounds.

With those two seniors anchoring the front, along with redshirt junior Nick Coe, junior Buck edge-rusher Big Kat Bryant and junior defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell, Auburn’s defensive line has lived up to the billing this season as the Tigers have gotten off to their first 4-0 start in five years.

The unit has helped Auburn rank 20th in the nation against the run this season while holding opponents to 89.5 rushing yards per game and just 3.09 yards per carry — numbers that improve to 73 and 2.7, respectively, against Power 5 teams. Thanks to the defensive line, the Tigers also 29th among FBS teams in stop rate (78.9 percent) and 21st in three-and-out rate (42.3 percent), according to The Athletic.

The pressure has also been there in terms of pass rush, as Auburn ranks 32nd nationally in sacks with 11 through four games, as well as several more quarterback hurries that have often made life less stressful for the Tigers’ secondary, which hasn’t had to extend its coverage downfield for long periods of time as opposing quarterbacks have had to get rid of the ball quickly more often this season.

“It starts with the D-line,” safety Jeremiah Dinson said. “We tell them, we don’t hide from it. We tell them every week, you know, ‘It starts with y’all,’ and Saturday (against Texas A&M) they made our job way easier — like so much easier. Derrick, I tell all the D-line they’re a bunch of bullies, and they played like a bunch of bullies on Saturday. As long as they keep that up right there, they’ll make our job easier on the back end.”

While Davidson ranks third in the SEC in total quarterback pressures with 16, according to Pro Football Focus analysis, the dominance of Auburn’s defensive line so far this season was best encapsulated by Brown’s effort as a one-man wrecking crew last weekend at Kyle Field. The 6-foot-5, 318-pounder had four total tackles, with three for a loss, a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and two pass breakups.

Pair that with Davidson’s effort the previous two weeks — when he totaled 12 tackles, with 4.5 for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a hurry — and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s famed “nightmare” pregame speech from last season has been spoken into existence his year. And that’s without eye-popping numbers from Coe — so far.

Still, it has been more than enough for the rest of the defense to “feed off” of, according to cornerback Javaris Davis.

“I love our defensive line,” Davis said. “They're very good. I feel like they're one of the best in the country, if not the best.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[Sizzle 3,948]

Now if we can get Coe back going and get Moultry going and find some consistency then we’ll really have something 

[kennypowers 1,431]

Something special about this team.  You see it in every player...offense and defense.  The Auburn Spirit is stronger than years past.  It is going to be a special season the rest of the way, and I assure you, no game is less important than the next to these guys.  We will win it all this year.  I feel it in the deepest part of my soul.  

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

Scary thing is they haven’t even hit their ceiling yet 

[AuburnNTexas 7,350]

As a unit this year they have been dominant and not just a single player we have gotten help from multiple people some of who will becoming back next year so the cupboard won't  be completely bare. With Coe being hurt and not playing to his potential I wonder if that will mean he will come back for one more year to improve his draft stock.

I know that somebody said Coe hurt his arm. Is it something that will get better with rest or is it something that will need surgery? Also how much does it affect what he can do as last year I thought while he was really good I thought this would be a breakout year.  I see Newkirk has been getting some PT and holding his own. How is Coynis Miller doing as I know he is also recovering?