Looking back at 2000 and 2006 on defense

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The 2011 Auburn defense has only 3 returning starters, which has Coach Ted Roof digging deep to put his best 11 defenders on the field. The projected starting lineup might look like…

LE: Corey Lemonier (6-4, 227)

DT: Jeffrey Whitaker (6-3, 308)

DT: Kenneth Carter (6-5, 287)

RE: Nosa Eguae (6-2, 258)

LLB: Eltoro Freeman (5-11, 225) or Jonathan Evans (5-11, 230)

MLB: Jake Holland (6-0, 231)

RLB: Daren Bates (5-11, 203)

LC: T’Sharvan Bell (6-0, 180)

S: Neiko Thorpe (6-2, 186)

S: Demetruce McNeal (6-1,176)

RC: Chris Davis (5-10, 182)

There will be plenty of competition at linebacker and in the secondary, so there could be changes at outside linebacker and corner, when Auburn opens the season.

There is obvious concern with only 3 returning starters on defense but the situation faced by the 2011 Auburn defense is eerily similar to the 2000 Auburn defense, which had only 5 returning starters on defense. Tommy Tuberville’s staff was faced with replacing their entire front-4, 1 linebacker and 1 starter from the secondary.

Looking back at 2000…

·Spencer Johnson and DeMarco McNeil had to step up as freshman but they put up solid numbers. The combo combined for 93 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. McNeil was the star of the two, with 66 stops, 12 for loss and 5 sacks.

·The 2000 defense finished at No. 15 against the run nationally.

·They were No. 14 in total defense.

·They were No. 28 in scoring defense.

·They were No. 46 in pass-efficiency defense.

·They were No. 45 in forced-turnovers.

Senior linebacker, Alex Lincoln finished the season as the leading tackler with 76 tackles. Dontarrius Thomas started as a freshman and he was 3rd on the team with 58 tackles. Interesting enough, there were only 18 players on defense to see action in at least 11 games. It broke down to 4 at linebacker, 3 at defensive tackle, 4 at defensive end, 4 at corner and 3 at safety. What helped the 2000 Auburn defense was a ball-control offense that left the defense with defending an average of 64.1 snaps per game. Comparing that to the average of 72.6 snaps defended per game in 2009, that’s about 110 less plays defended over the course of a 13-game season.

In 2006, Auburn had to replace their starting front-4 again, 2 linebackers and 3 starters in the secondary. The situation faced in 2006 was actually worse than what the 2011 Auburn defense faces.

Looking back at 2006…

·The combination of Josh Thompson and Sen’Derrick Marks at defensive tackle produced 79 tackles, 15 for loss and 4.5 sacks. Marks had to step up as a freshman and he did so with 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

·The 2006 Auburn defense finished No. 45 in run-defense.

·They were No. 19 in total defense.

·They were No. 7 in scoring defense.

·They were No. 33 in pass-efficiency defense.

·They were No. 47 in forced-turnovers.

Linebacker, Will Herring led Auburn in tackles with 66 tackles. During 2006, Auburn had 22 players on defense that saw action in at least 11 games. It broke down with 6 at linebacker, 3 at defensive tackle, 4 at defensive end, 5 at corner and 4 at safety. Like the 2000 Auburn team, the 2006 Auburn team was reliant on a ball-control offense, which put the defense in position to defend only 59.5 snaps per game. Don’t forget this was the season the NCAA changed the clock rules, which shaved about 2-3 possessions per game from 2005.

Observations from the two previous teams…

·Look for Auburn’s run defense to slip in 2011 compared to 2010. The 2010 Auburn run-defense held their opponent to 36.9 percent below their rushing average. The 2000 Auburn defense held their opponent to 28.2 percent below their rushing average and the 2006 defense held their opponent to 11.1 percent below their rushing average. Auburn’s top 3 defensive tackles in 2010 accounted for 36.5 tackles for loss. In 2000, it was 18 tackles for loss and 21 in 2006.

·Last season Auburn had a 5-man rotation at defensive tackle, which probably won’t be the case in 2011. The 2000 and 2006 Auburn defense did show that a solid 3-man rotation is enough to get by as long as everyone remains fairly healthy. Jeffrey Whitaker and Kenneth Carter are the likely starters, so if Derrick Lykes, Gabe Wright or Angelo Blackson can step up as the No. 3 man, Auburn should be okay but not great. How much Whitaker and Carter develop from last season will be a major factor too.

* The 2011 Auburn defense should be better at defensive end and in the secondary, which would translate to a better pass-defense unless there is a total collapse in run-defense like 2009. Auburn’s defense had 16 interceptions and 22 sacks in 2000 during 12 games. The 2006 defense had 10 interceptions and 29 sacks during 13 games. Look for Auburn to improve on their 12 interceptions from 2010 and to be in the same ballpark of 35 sacks in 14 games.

The 2011 Auburn defense easily possesses the personnel on defense to have 20-25 players that see extensive playing time, exceeding the 22 the 2006 Auburn defense had. The only concern is the lack of experience with only 8 defensive players with more than 20 games under their belts entering the 2011 season. Including the 2011 signing class, 40 percent of Auburn’s defensive roster (scholarship) was rated 4-stars or better and 88 percent were rated 3-stars or better. This doesn’t include Nosa Eguae and Daren Bates, who were rated as 2-stars but have become proven players.