T.D. Moultry finally delivers breakout performance

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T.D. Moultry finally delivers breakout performance Auburn knew he had in him

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

5-6 minutes

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Sep 4, 2021; Auburn, AL, USA; T.D. Moultry (99) and Zykeivous Walker (3) between Auburn and Akron at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood/AU AthleticsShanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

Success has not come easy for T.D. Moultry the last few seasons.

The former four-star Birmingham product, a top-100 recruit coming out of Jackson-Olin, had an impressive first season at Auburn, but his past three seasons have been mired by inconsistent efforts, untimely penalties and an inability to make a real impact for the Tigers’ defense.

In Auburn’s season-opening 60-10 win against Akron, though, there was something different about the 6-foot-2, 253-pound edge defender. He looked different on the field for Auburn’s revamped defense under first-year coordinator Derek Mason.

Moultry looked like his old self, and the result was the best single-game performance of his five-year career. Making his 50th appearance in an Auburn uniform, and in the first start of his career, Moultry finished with a team high-tying seven tackles, including three for a loss and a sack in a dominant defensive effort for the Tigers.

“Man, it was amazing, because we all know he had it in him; he just had to let it out,” safety Smoke Monday said. “For him to go out there and do it, it shows how strong and tough he is. The fight from being a backup all these couple years, getting injured and stuff like that — for him to continue to work and keep pushing yourself every single day, to go out there and have a game like that it amazing.”

Moultry spearheaded a smothering performance by Auburn’s new-look defensive front, which totaled 11 tackles for loss and six sacks on Saturday night. His three tackles for a loss led the team and were more than he had in the last two seasons combined, and his opening-game effort against the Zips also eclipsed his previous career-best for a season (2.5 tackles for loss each in 2017 and 2018). The seven tackles by Moultry in Week 1 also surpassed his season total from 2019, when he had just four stops on the year, and they nearly matched his nine total tackles for all of last season.

“The defense overall, I thought those guys were getting to the ball,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “We were flying around. We tackled well. I thought we tackled well. I thought we were relentless in our pursuit to get to the ball. And T.D., he’s a guy who, just talking about that consistency, he does that in practice. He does that in the weight room. He’s got that motor that I think we saw that tonight, and I think he was able to go out there and make plays.”

That’s something that has eluded Moultry much of the last three seasons, as he has struggled to play up to the lofty expectations that followed him from high school or recreate the success he had as a true freshman — when he had 15 tackles, with 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks in a rotational role along Auburn’s defensive line.

He underwent a sophomore slump that was a result of an inconsistent performance throughout fall camp, and his production dipped despite seeing an increased role for the defense that year. Moultry was challenged by the previous coaching staff to be more reliable entering his junior season, but it never bore the kind of results the Tigers hoped for.

After choosing to take advantage of the NCAA’s free year of eligibility thanks to the pandemic, Moultry knew it was now or never entering his fifth season. With a new coaching staff and a new position — the edge defender in Mason’s defense — that better suited his skillset, it was a prime opportunity for a fresh start for Moultry.

So far, he has made the most of it. Better late than never.

“T.D. is my guy,” fellow edge Derick Hall said. “He’s come along in a lot of different things. Just to see him be successful, I’m really happy for him… He’s definitely taken that next step to help push us in the right direction as a defense. I’m extremely excited and proud of him.”

Moultry knew heading into the Akron game that he was going to have a chance to step up in a big way. He acknowledged Hall and Colby Wooden were the team’s two best defensive linemen heading into the season, which meant Akron’s focus would be on containing them — leaving a chance to free up opportunities for Moultry.

The super senior delivered, not just showing improved effectiveness coming off the edge, but displaying some relentless pursuit when plays extended horizontally down the field.

“He shows up every day,” Harsin said. “He’s obviously talented, and I think his motor, his effort, is something that separates him and why he had the kind of game he did tonight. I know he’ll continue that too, because that’s just who he is.”

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