Fly War Eagle
Fansided

Auburn Football vs Arkansas State: 5 Things to Watch for in Game 2

By Jake Mastroianni

Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) speaks to his teammates on the field during the first quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Sean White (13) speaks to his teammates on the field during the first quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) passes the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) passes the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /

Will the Defensive Line Get a Sack?

Let me be clear, the defensive line played exceptionally well against Clemson. For the most part they stuffed the run up the middle, and they got enough pressure on Deshaun Watson to make him get rid of the ball early.

However, they didn’t record a single sack in the game, and Auburn only had three tackles for a loss.

Last year Auburn only had 19 sacks as a defense. Coming into this year with one of the best defensive lines in the country, I picked Auburn to have over 30 sacks.

They didn’t quite get out to a good start coming away with zero against Clemson. Granted, Deshaun Watson is a hard guy to bring down.

Still, the three tackles for a loss is not a great number either considering Clemson’s inexperienced defensive front helped produce 14 tackles for a loss in the game. Some of that can be blamed on horrible play-calling and a struggling offensive line.

Last week Toledo recorded 4 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss against the Arkansas State offensive line.

Carl Lawson hasn’t recorded a sack in over a year, so I’m really hoping he breaks that streak this weekend.

I would also love to see Marlon Davidson get his first sack as an Auburn Tiger.

Arkansas State quarterback Chad Voytik is experienced and can move, but I still think Auburn gets at least three sacks this weekend.

Next: Game 2: Auburn vs Arkansas State Matchup and Predictions

Going forward we need more impact plays from the defensive line. Hopefully they get things kick-started this weekend against Arkansas State.

Home/Auburn Football