Ladarius Tennison stepping up

[aubiefifty 17,072]

Why you could see ‘a lot more’ of Ladarius Tennison in Auburn’s secondary

By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

6-8 minutes

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Smoke Monday had an inclination this was coming from Ladarius Tennison. It was only a matter of when the sophomore defensive back got his opportunity.

That came last weekend against Texas A&M, when Tennison stepped in for an injured Zion Puckett in the secondary and delivered a career-best performance. Tennison had eight tackles, including the first tackle for loss of his career, as Auburn’s defense turned in a stalwart performance—albeit in a losing effort—on the road.

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“Man, me personally, I was just waiting for it,” Monday said. “I knew he had it in him the whole time. He just needed the opportunity to go out and show what he can do. As you guys saw, he went out and showed that he’s capable of doing the job. He’s capable of coming in and helping out the defense in a big way.”

It was a long-awaited performance from Tennison, who appeared in line for a bigger role in Auburn’s secondary following his freshman campaign last fall.

The sophomore entered the offseason in line to take over as the Tigers’ starting nickel following the departure of Christian Tutt. He was the heir apparent to that spot after a freshman campaign in which he appeared in all 11 games, finished with 21 tackles and started each of the team’s last two games — against Mississippi State and then against Northwestern in the Citrus Bowl — at nickel.

Thanks to depth concerns on the back end, though, Tennison spent most of the spring working at safety alongside Monday. The Tigers also overhauled their personnel in the secondary, bringing in a slew of transfers to the fold: Vanderbilt’s Donovan Kaufman, FCS All-American Bydarrius Knighten, JUCO transfer Ro Torrence and West Virginia transfer Dreshun Miller. Once the favorite to take over in the slot, Tennison’s role was up in the air by the fall.

By the time fall camp ended, Tennison’s name was absent from Auburn’s two-deep depth chart. That didn’t deter the former four-star athlete out of Florida.

“Since day one when Ten came in, he was a smaller guy, but he’s rocked up,” edge defender Derick Hall said. “He’s a really good player, a smart guy. He works really, really hard on his technique and fundamentals and really wants to be successful. That was nothing new for us. He definitely prepares like a starter, like a pro. He does everything the right way. When you come to work and try to take the next step everything falls in line.”

Though not on the two-deep, Tennison has seen the field in eight of Auburn’s nine games this season—all except the season opener against Akron. His first start of the year came against Georgia State, but his biggest opportunity came last week against Texas A&M. With Puckett sidelined due to an injury he sustained a week earlier against Ole Miss, Tennison’s number was called upon. Just like he did throughout the spring, he stepped in alongside Monday at safety and came through for the Tigers’ defense.

“He just played lights out tonight,” linebacker Chandler Wooten said after the game. “He’ll continue to be a force for us.”

Tennison’s eight tackles against the Aggies were second on the team to Monday’s nine. Six of Tennison’s tackles were solo stops, including one for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the second half. He also made an impressive tackle in the open field on a bubble screen, as well as a key stop on special teams, when he stopped Devon Achane at the Texas A&M 10-yard line on a kickoff return in the first half.

Tennison’s performance was notable, though not without its mistakes. He was flagged for a personal foul on punt coverage, when he hit Texas A&M’s Ainias Smith after he called for a fair catch at the 5-yard line, gifting the Aggies 15 yards and a more manageable starting position at the 20-yard line.

“He did some really good things,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “One of the things when you play more, maybe some of those little penalties, things don’t happen as much because you just have more reps, you have more experience out there. But he showed he can play physical. He showed he can play fast. He showed that he’s going to go out there and be a guy that gives great effort.

“We clean up a couple decisions that he had, but when you’re playing hard like that, sometimes things happen. I’ll take the relentless effort from a guy out there playing fast, and he did a good job stepping up.”

Teammates credited Tennison’s big game to his preparation, approaching practice with a starter’s mentality — something he has done throughout the season, even when those kind of gameday reps in the secondary weren’t a given. He has a high motor and brings that “relentless effort” that Harsin alluded to every day in practice, sometimes inadvertently hitting teammates during tag-tempo portions of practice.

“That’s just the player he is,” Hall said. “He’s very physical and loves the game of football. Seeing that out of him this past weekend was not a surprise for us.”

That mile-a-minute mentality still needs to be reeled in, at times, but Tennison’s motor, physicality and versatility -- with the ability to play in the slot and at safety as well as on special teams -- are assets for Auburn, though, and his performance against Texas A&M gave his teammates further confidence in him.

Puckett’s status is still up in the air for this weekend’s game against Mississippi State, as Harsin has not addressed the severity of the starting safety’s injury. Even if he’s cleared for Saturday’s 11 a.m. kick, Tennison may have earned himself more reps in the secondary moving forward.

“He really maximized his opportunity this week,” Monday said. “I think you’ll see a lot more of him coming up in games. He can continue to make an impact on this defense.”

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

[bigbird 60,580]

[Gowebb11 9,424]

Tennison played fast and well. He’s also a solid tackler. I hope we turn him loose on some blitzes this week.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Gowebb11

[Newbomb 193]

Great to see it.  I saw him play a game in his senior year.  He looked like the real deal.  A stand out.  I am glad my limited evaluation ability is proving true on this level.

[bigbird 60,580]

IMO, he or Zion should've started opposite of Smoke all year 

[bigbird 60,580]

https://247sports.com/college/auburn/Article/ladarius-tennison-auburn-football-174924564/

[CodeRocket 410]

The guy closes on his target like a missile. Don't know why he hasn't been playing before now. First time a saw him play I thought I was watching a future star.