Here we take a look at five Auburn football players to keep an eye on during this weekend’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Louisiana-Monroe.
It appears Auburn football is calmest with one second remaining.
That, or some coaches might not be so sure what to do with that kind of time. Certainly, in Gus Malzahn’s case, the outcome would have determined the future of either coach as foretold in the eventual firing of Les Miles the following day.
In a victory against a team that most would have assumed coming out on top, Auburn has found a completely new identity on both sides of the field. The offensive approach, now in the hands of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee, has become considerably more conservative and less reliant on a deep throw downfield. That, and Daniel Carlson is the one scoring points.
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On defense, however, Auburn unleashed a new beast. Holding a struggling quarterback to just 118 yards on 15 completions for 27 attempts, and an otherworldly talent in Leonard Fournette to just 101 yards on 16 carries, the defense created breathing room. Having a team that many favored with only one touchdown, is impressive to say the least.
That, and all Auburn needed was their kicker.
Here are five players to look for in the matchup against Louisiana-Monroe:
Carl Lawson
Carl Lawson has been missing at the linebacker position, with a presence that had yet to consume the field as most expected him to at the beginning of the season. Against LSU, Lawson exposed himself to the offense with four total tackles, two sacks and three total hits on the quarterback.
After a week against Trevor Knight’s mobility and inability to be thrown to the ground, it was relieving to see the opposing quarterback being taken down. Pushing the LSU offense further back allowed for Auburn to have better field position after punts, which, in turn, brought in the array of field goals by Daniel Carlson.
A match-up against Louisiana-Monroe will bring another opportunity for Lawson to build on the talent and aura he has constructed here at Auburn.
Tray Matthews
Going up against Leonard Fournette once again brought redemption for Tray Matthews, who last season was seen flying over Fournette in an attempted tackle.
This season, Matthews led the defense with nine total tackles and one pass deflection, aiding in the fallout of LSU’s struggling quarterback without any actual influence in the game in the first half.
Matthews has become the biggest image on defense, their leader and their anchor. Without Matthews stepping up to make play-after-play against LSU, the identity of the rejuvenated defense would not be in sight.
Look for Matthews to be an even bigger difference maker against Louisiana-Monroe, a team that failed to make any noise at all against a struggling Georgia State team.
Sean White
The peculiar case of Sean White has created an abundance of questions and little to no answers. White has consistently shown that he is an awkward choice for an offense run by Malzahn, with struggles in the pocket as his pro-style of play does not fit the scheme Auburn has run for what seems like an eternity.
Yet, against LSU, White was efficient on offense and drove his team down the field to where Daniel Carlson could perform his magic.
White’s play-making abilities, which did not include many passes down the field, was complemented completely by the stops made by the defense. Field positioning was key, and White took advantage.
Against Louisiana-Monroe, a team that has struggled mightily this season on defense, White will have plenty of breathing room and opportunity to dominate.
Kerryon Johnson
The relationship with Kerryon Johnson and the Auburn football team last week was awkward. With Kamryn Pettway getting the majority of the snaps and being more of a weapon on offense – who this week had 17 carries for 61 yards – it appeared that Johnson’s role was either diminishing or being complemented with more weapons.
Evidently, the offense was only working to evolve around him, Pettway allowing Johnson to have a breather and continuing the ever unfolding one-two punch.
With 22 carries for 93 yards, four receptions for 68 yards and a long of 36 to capture an elusive first down alongside 182 all-purpose yardage, Johnson was a beast. Credit to him and his ability to simply perform was overshadowed by Carlson’s domination, yet his presence loomed large.
Louisiana-Monroe will not be able to stop Johnson, and they will only hope to contain him.
Tony Stevens
Consistency is preferred on offense, and none other has performed as consistently as Tony Stevens has.
Against LSU, Stevens did manage to drop several passes – including one that would have brought a touchdown – but still brought in four receptions for 58 yards.
Stevens appears to be the target for White, as he still currently leads Auburn in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns with his 235 yards being 115 more than the second best Kyle Davis.
If there’s anything that Auburn will need to rely on in the future, whether it be Louisiana-Monroe or any future opponent, it’s consistency. Always look for Tony Stevens to potentially be a big difference maker.
Next: Predicting the Rest of the Auburn Schedule
This weekend’s match-up will hopefully be a breather for Auburn, who most definitely will look to take over quickly for a win.