linebackers 'champing at the bit'

[aubiefifty 18,231]

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Auburn linebackers 'champing at the bit' to get started in Mason's defense

ByNathan King

4-5 minutes

AUBURN, Ala. — The early returns on Derek Mason are overwhelmingly positive from Auburn's defense. Rising junior linebacker Owen Pappoe was downright giddy talking about him Wednesday.

It's very early along in the Tigers' process of learning Mason's defense, sure; the team hasn't yet donned pads in spring practice. But Pappoe, Zakoby McClain, Chandler Wooten and the other veteran leaders of Auburn's defense — particularly the linebacking corps — have been able to study film with their new coaches about what Mason, new linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding and others could present in 2021.

"Man, I love it," Pappoe said Wednesday with a grin. "Me and Zakoby, we're champing at the bit right now. We haven't even gotten in pads yet, and the run fits that we see right now — I'm just gonna say it, it's gonna be something crazy this year. I really like it a lot, man. The opportunity for us to make a lot of plays is gonna be there."

After studying up on Mason's schemes, Pappoe was all the more excited for spring practices to kick off on the Plains this week. Mason's looks will differ in a number of ways from former defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who ran a 4-2-5 base defense. Mason opts for a base 3-4 — three down linemen, four linebackers — that can flex to a 4-3.

As a result, Auburn's linebackers will be capable of playing a handful of spots this fall. Specifically, players like Derick Hall and T.D. Moultry are being given the "edge" position but can also move back and play some traditional linebacker in the box.

Pappoe thinks that versatility can only help the Tigers, as they'll be capable of moving to different sets while keeping the same personnel on the field.

"Yeah, it's just going to add to their resume, man," Pappoe said of how the new defense can impact Hall, Moultry and other edge rushers. "Just show their versatility, their ability to drop back in coverage, play a little man here and there and then rush the passer. But I think it'll be good for them."

Pappoe and McClain were one of the most productive linebacker tandems in college football last season, combining for 206 stops, 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks as the team's top two leading tacklers. McClain tied Troy's Carlton Martial for the most tackles in the country (113).

Wooten, who opted out of the 2020 season, gives the position group an added boost of experience and production. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior had 25 tackles, 4.5 sacks for loss and an interception in 2019.

"We're taking the approach that we're the heart of the defense," Pappoe said of the linebackers. "As we go, the whole defense is going to go. Every day, we're gonna try to come with the energy and just rally the guys."

The only player Auburn is losing from its linebacking corps is K.J. Britt, who played just two games in 2020 with 23 tackles before being sidelined for the rest of the season with a hand injury.

His absence gave McClain the opportunity to start alongside Pappoe, which the rising senior took full advantage of. Still, Auburn leaned heavily on those two since the position group was otherwise thin and green, with mostly true freshmen. The most productive true linebacker returning from last year besides Pappoe and McClain is sophomore Cam Riley, who had nine tackles in 2020.

8COMMENTS

Although the group is re-adding Wooten, Pappoe still expects players like Riley, Wesley Steiner and Desmond Tisdol to receive bigger roles in their second go-arounds with the team — especially since they didn't have their first spring practices with the team in 2020 because of the pandemic.

[aubiefifty 18,231]

for the record champing is their screw up...................

[Sani-Freeze 552]

22 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

for the record champing is their screw up...................

Hey it's sort of a cool term, might as well run with it. 

 

I'm curious whether Wooten is in playing shape after a year away. He's a little bigger than McClain and Pappoe so it would be nice to have him in the mix. 

[api1957 1,783]

Champing at the bit vs. chomping at the bit

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One definition of bit is a metal mouthpiece used for controlling a horse, and one definition of champ is to bite or chew noisily. These are the senses meant in the idiom champing at the bit, which refers to the tendency of some horses to chew on the bit when impatient or eager. In its figurative sense, it means to show impatience while delayed, or just to be eager to start.