In short, even though Auburn defeated New Mexico 45-19, head coach Hugh Freeze was not happy with his defense’s performance on Saturday night.
“I thought we weren’t very good on defense,” Freeze said in his postgame press conference. “And I think DJ (Durkin) would agree.”
Auburn’s defense, led by new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, allowed New Mexico to total 448 yards of offense – 291 through the air and 157 on the ground.
And according to Freeze, several factors are responsible for this.
“We’re not running the ball well. We’ve gotten too many penalties. We haven’t contained (New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier) well and people have been running behind us and converting too many long plays and yardages,” Freeze said.
The entire game was full of penalties. Between the two teams, 25 penalties were committed for a total of 200 yards. Four of those were committed by the Auburn defense for a total of 58 yards.
Meanwhile, New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier looked like he was coming at times as he repeatedly extended plays with his legs before finding one of his pass receivers.
Dampier finished the night with 291 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 22 of 44 passes.
And while those two interceptions – one by Jerrin Thompson and one by Antonio Kite – were defensive highlights for the Tigers, Auburn’s secondary struggled for the second game in a row, allowing five passes of more than 20 yards.
“A lot of their explosive moves were mental failures on our part,” Thompson said. “They didn’t do anything special. We had a good plan. We just have to play harder and make the plays that are given to us.”
Auburn’s already weak secondary was even thinner on Saturday night, as cornerback Kayin Lee did not play against New Mexico due to a calf strain. In his place against the Lobos, junior champ Anthony started, who tied with Thompson as Auburn’s leading tackler with six tackles.
Still, Freeze’s opinion on Auburn’s secondary was very similar to last week.
“We have to play calmly and play the ball better than we are currently doing,” Freeze said.
Fortunately for Auburn’s defense, although they allowed some tough plays, they were able to perform well when their backs were against the wall, allowing the Lobos to reach the end zone only twice.
And according to Thompson, that’s thanks in large part to the Tigers’ defensive line.
“When our D-line holds the line of scrimmage well, it’s hard to do anything,” Thompson said of Auburn’s red zone defense. “I give all the credit to our big guys up front for keeping everything under control and allowing us to cover tight at the back.”
After two straight performances that left a lot to be desired, Auburn’s defense will need to step up next week as the Tigers prepare for their SEC opener against Arkansas, a team that also boasts a mobile quarterback in Taylen Green.
“There’s no doubt that their quarterback is very, very mobile,” Freeze said of the Green and Razorbacks. “He’s a player that can do both, so we’re going to have to come up with a better plan and definitely play better next week.”
