What we saw in Auburn's first scrimmage of fall camp
The first-team defense had a big day, but the offense still found ways to be explosive. Here are our observations from Saturday in JHS.
LB Eugene Asante (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)
Auburn made the trip from the Football Performance Center down Donahue Drive on Saturday morning for its first big Saturday practice inside Jordan-Hare Stadium — exactly three weeks before the 2024 season opener.
The Tigers weren’t alone, though. The program opened the gates to former lettermen, Tigers Unlimited donors, On To Victory members and (least importantly) media members to take in all of the action.
Photos and videos weren’t allowed, but we were able to watch all two-plus hours of practice. The day started with individual position drills, some special teams work and 7-on-7 action before switching into a good number 11-on-11 scrimmage drives.
Dan and I were both there for the duration of practice. Here’s what we saw, starting with a strong performance for the defense in “best on best” action.
EDGE Jalen McLeod (Austin Perryman/Auburn Tigers)
1s vs. 1s: Defense wins the day — as you might expect
Before getting into the details of what happened when the first-team offense went up against the first-team defense, here’s who was out there:
OFFENSE
QB: Payton Thorne
RB: Jarquez Hunter and Damari Alston
WR: Cam Coleman
WR: Robert Lewis
SLOT: Sam Jackson V and Malcolm Simmons
TE: Rivaldo Fairweather and Luke Deal
LT: Percy Lewis
LG: Dillon Wade
C: Connor Lew
RG: Jeremiah Wright
RT: Izavion Miller
NOTE: WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (ankle) did not participate
DEFENSE
DE: Keldric Faulk
DT: Malik Blocton and Gage Keys
NT: Isaiah Raikes and Bobby Jamison-Travis
BUCK: Jalen McLeod and Keyron Crawford
LB: Eugene Asante and Dorian Mausi
LB: Austin Keys
CB: Kayin Lee
CB: Antonio “Spoodie” Kite
NICKEL: Champ Anthony
S: Jerrin “Bug” Thompson
S: Caleb Wooden and Sylvester Smith
NOTE: CB Keionte Scott (hamstring) did not participate
The first-team defense looked dominant for most of the scrimmage work. Defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin dialed up a wide variety of looks and aggressive play calls throughout the day. Don’t expect a “bend, don’t break” style from the Tigers this season. The blitzes and designed pressures were fast and furious, and you could tell the offense was having a hard time with some of them.