DJ Durkin's defense made life miserable for Ball State in Auburn's 42-3 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers held Ball State to 68 total yards, the lowest total an Auburn team has held an opponent since 1985.
The Cardinals couldn't get anything going on the ground, finishing with -3 yards rushing. South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite sees a defense that is as tough as they come in college football.
"Number one, they play hard," he said. "That's the first thing I look at: the soul of the defense. How do they fly to the ball? How do they hit? They play hard and play with good fundamentals."
As the Jaguars' coach points out, the numbers support what Auburn's defense has been able to accomplish through two games this season. The Tigers are second in the country in rushing defense, allowing 30.50 yards per game, while tied for the top spot with five sacks per game.
"The statistics are off the chart," Applewhite said. "They're stout, really stout."
Applewhite, who played quarterback at Texas before going into coaching, credits Durkin for what he sees in Auburn's defense.
"Coach Durkin does an outstanding job of just week-to-week nuances and what he feels applies to that opponent," he said. "He's not, 'Here I am, this is my defense, this is all we call. We're here, and you know exactly where we're going to line up.' There is some of that, don't get me wrong. There is some, 'We're just going to beat your head in.' But they're not going to sit there and line up like cardboard cutouts where you know exactly where they are. They're going to move around, move their fronts, move their backer alignments, move their looks. They're going to make you find them."
Auburn and South Alabama kick off at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday, with the game airing on the SEC Network.