Rival coaches' scouting report on Auburn

[WFE12 9,191]

No. 10 Auburn: 'They Keep You Off Guard'

 

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The offense has a chance to be good if [Jarrett] Stidham, [a 6' 3", 214-pound sophomore transfer quarterback] is as good as advertised. When he played at Baylor, he could sling it. The question is, will they run him as much as they ran Nick Marshall? They may not have to with those backs [juniors Kamryn Pettway, 6-foot, 235, and Kerryon Johnson 6-foot, 212]. It was clear what they could do when Pettway was healthy last year. Gus Malzahn does a good job of making mismatches with formations, and they keep you off guard because you can’t just load up to stop the run. If you dedicate too much to it, they’ll burn you over the top. They like to get the ball to the perimeter a lot too. So you’ve got to tackle in space.

They’ve got a really good defensive front. They play physical. They play with their hands. They play low. They lost some good players on the interior line, but I know they have some guys they feel good about. [Defensive end] Marlon Davidson was a big-time recruit, and he started as a freshman last year. At 6' 3", 282, he’s only going to get better. We’ll see if [former No. 1 recruit] Byron Cowart can give them anything as a [6' 3", 283-pound junior] defensive end. They’re very athletic in the secondary. There are not a lot of favorable matchups. Tray Matthews, the [6' 1", 209-pound senior] safety is everywhere.

[AURex 1,994]

Well, yep, we are all waiting to see.