Jeremy Johnson threw some interceptions and the defense was desperately hanging on late in the game.
What exactly has changed at Auburn from 2014?
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For all the hype of Johnson and new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, the one thing that stood out from Auburn’s 31-24 season-opening victory over Louisville was Lamar Jackson.
That would be Louisville’s freshman quarterback.
Other than that, it was business as usual at Auburn.
Big plays on offense, big mistakes on defense and the Tigers hoping something good happens when it matters most. This time it was an incomprehensible timeout by Louisville coach Bobby Petrino that allowed Auburn to eventually run out the clock instead of giving the Cardinals — and the thrill-a-minute Jackson — the ball again.
It’s a long way from Atlanta to the College Football Playoff, despite the hype shortcut Auburn tried to take this offseason.
“We have a chance to get better each week,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn told CBS’ postgame show moments after 2015 looked a whole lot like 2014. “We learned a lot about our team, so that’s exciting.”
Not all of it is what they thought in a preseason coronation.
What they learned: Johnson has talent and could potentially develop into an elite player, but he made some confounding throws (three interceptions) and barely completed 50 percent of his passes.
What’s exciting: It could have easily been six interceptions. To be fair, Cam Newton, the player Johnson has been compared to by the Auburn staff and players all offseason, struggled in his first big game in 2010 before ripping off the best single season (considering the circumstances) in half a century.
What they learned: the defense, despite the hype of Will Muschamp returning to The Plains as defensive coordinator, still has serious flaws. Auburn gave up 240 yards rushing and 8-of-16 third down conversions, and had no answer for Jackson, who is nine months removed from high school football.
What’s exciting: Because of that spectacular Petrino timeout gaffe, Auburn didn’t have to defend to save the game. It was that bad in the second half, after the Tigers took a 24-3 lead and were cruising.
There’s more pressure from the outside and with blitz packages, but the unit still has problems with the fundamentals of tackling and wrapping up — just like it did last season under DC Ellis Johnson.
Look at the bright side, everyone: it took Newton three games in 2010 before he felt comfortable in Malzahn’s system, and the Tigers were average on defense all season — and still won a national title.
All it took was a once-in-a-generation player to make it all work.