Auburn football: Marcus Bragg to step up in Eku Leota’s absence

The Auburn football team suffered multiple losses over the weekend when they hosted the LSU Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium, starting with edge rusher Eku Leota and ending with the game itself.

Now, the Tigers will face their toughest opponent yet on the road without one of their top defensive players on the field. With the lack of depth at the edge position, it’s no surprise that the defense is undergoing a major shuffle ahead of the team’s first road test.

Some of those changes include Colby Wooden getting to play more outside and Marcus Bragg having the opportunity to step up at the edge position alongside Dylan Brooks. The pair are the two of just three edges on scholarship for the Tigers alongside Derick Hall following the injury of Leota.

Amid the reshuffling of the defense, here is what head coach Bryan Harsin had to say about Western Kentucky transfer Marcus Bragg, per AL.com:

"“I thought Bragg did a really good job,” Harsin said. “…We’ll see what that looks like as we put the packages in and who we have to utilize, but we still want to get the best front seven we have out on the field, especially against what Georgia does — they run the ball effectively, alright, they obviously can throw it; you got to get pressure on the quarterback. If you give him too much time, those guys create out in the open space. We’re still working through some of that, but I thought overall, I thought Bragg played well.”"

The graduate transfer has played in all five of Auburn football’s matchups so far this year, and has recorded 10 total tackles, including two for a loss, as well as a sack in last week’s LSU game. According to Colby Wooden, it’s time for Bragg to step up.

Fans will see how the defense is affected by the loss of Eku Leota this Saturday in the Tigers’ first road test. The Dawgs and the Tigers will kick off from Athens at 2:30 p.m.