the best defense no one is ever going to remember

[aubiefifty 18,222]

Auburn has the best defense no one is ever going to remember

Updated Oct 26, 2019; Posted Oct 26, 2019

By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com

Auburn probably isn’t going to win anything of note this season, but this defense still deserves something special.

Trophies would be a nice gesture from Auburn coach Gus Malzahn — trophies for the best defense that no one is ever going to remember.

Trophies or new cars.

Auburn proved on Saturday here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that it has the best defense in the SEC, but the two-loss Tigers are now out of contention for the College Football Playoff after a frustrating 23-20 loss to LSU. It all felt like such a waste, too. The score was so close yet Auburn’s offense was so outclassed.

Again.

It was all so familiar, and not because Auburn (6-2, 3-2) let a second-half lead slip away to LSU for the third year in a row.

The second half in Tiger Stadium was almost a carbon copy of the loss to Florida in The Swamp earlier this season. Auburn freshman quarterback Bo Nix simply couldn’t handle the pressure when the game was still in doubt. He was 8 of 22 passing for 69 yards entering the fourth quarter, and his team only trailed 16-13.

That’s how good Auburn’s defense was playing.

That’s how frustrating it was to see Auburn’s offense flounder with a chance at the upset.

Auburn's offense sputtered in a 23-20 loss to LSU, wasting another virtuoso performance by the defense.

Nix is going to start feeling the pressure after this loss, but he’s not really to blame. He’s too young. If anyone is at fault, then it’s Malzahn for not pairing this all-time defensive line with a more experienced quarterback.

Former Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant, for example.

Give Nix credit for playing it safe. It was clear based on his deliberately cautious approach to passing that his main goal was just not to throw the game away. He only had one interception, and it came at the end of the first half on a heave near the end zone.

But Nix completed just one pass for four yards in the third quarter. When he finally came alive in the fourth quarter it was too late.

LSU has the best offense it has had in years. Maybe ever. Auburn kept stuffing it again and again in the third and fourth quarters, and Auburn’s offense just kept giving it right back. It felt hopeless (and maybe even desperate and pathetic) when running back Boobee Whitlow, who had surgery on his knee less than three weeks ago, started running plays out of the Wildcat formation.

Malzahn should feel some level of embarrassment and shame for that.

His offense managed just 287 total yards. LSU had 508, but couldn’t put the game away until it recovered that onside kick with 2:31 left.

Auburn’s defense did everything in its power to win the game game except score points. In the end, that’s what it was going to take.

“That defensive line is one of the best defensive lines I’ve seen,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said after the game.

Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown might be the best defender in the country. LSU’s offensive line couldn’t stop him without a triple team. Brown’s partner in pain, defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, felt cheated after the game.

“We dominated,” Davidson said. “I really do feel like if you turn on the tape, and you watch it, you’ll see a lot of bad calls by referees and stuff that should have been called. At the end of the day, we played a great game on defense.”

You can’t blame the officials, though. The guys in black and white called 12 penalties on LSU. The only problem was Auburn had 15.

LSU (8-0, 4-0) now has two weeks to prepare for Alabama. That clash will be the game of the season in the SEC, and a contest of the two best offenses. The league’s best defense lost on Saturday in Tiger Stadium, but who’s going to remember it? Maybe only the people who try to hire away defensive coordinator Kevin Steele in January.

“I think a lesser team would not have won that game today,” Orgeron said.

That’s a funny way of saying the best defense on the field wasn’t his.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

[nixtosanders94 2,180]

Auburn fans will remember it. Before this one the two best I remember were the ‘88 defense and ‘04 defense. They did win conference titles but missed out barely on a natty. Still remember those guys. No way we won’t remember Brown and Davidson and company.