The Auburn Tigers football team has two games left on its schedule, and they will be facing both teams without an important member of the defense. Sophomore linebacker Demarcus Riddick will miss the remainder of the season to undergo required surgery for a shoulder injury.
Interim Head Coach DJ Durkin revealed the news on Wednesday on an SEC teleconference call.
“Demarcus, we made the decision in the bye week that he had surgery,” Durkin said, per On3. “And that was season-ending surgery for Demarcus. I just think it was the best thing for him to get that done and keep moving forward and hopefully move up that return date to where he can have some offseason time to get his body right and be in a position to go play like he’s capable of next year.”
Riddick has been recently slowed by his injury after racking up 10 tackles in the first five games of the season. In his last three games, Riddick tallied three tackles, bringing his total season stats to 13 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack.
“Yeah, it’s been frustrating for him,” Durkin said of Demarcus Riddick. “And to his credit, he’s fought through and really tried to do everything he’s capable of each week and he prepares well and does all the things he needs to do treatment-wise. It’s been one of those things where it’s not been able to really overcome it, and I think it shows in his play and he knows it and he’s frustrated by it.”
The Tigers will face Mercer this weekend in Jordan-Hare Stadium before returning the following Saturday to host Alabama for the first nighttime Iron Bowl since 2014. Quarterback Ashton Daniels is expected to sit this weekend to preserve his redshirt before jumping back in to take on the Tide next weekend.