Auburn’s defense has consistently made its case for being one of the best units in the nation this season.
The Tigers enter Saturday’s matchup against No. 16 Vanderbilt ranked in the top 30 in the FBS in rush defense (ninth, 83.6), scoring defense (18th,17.7) and total defense (22nd, 309.8). Still just one of the three teams in the nation that have kept its opponents under 24 points in every game it has played, Auburn leads the SEC in scoring defense in league play (19.5), having allowed just 12 touchdowns in six conference games.
Durkin Balances Interim Head Coach and Defensive Play Caller Duties
And it’s Auburn’s interim head coach that’s been in charge of it all season: DJ Durkin.
Durkin will coach his first game as head coach since 2018 following the departure of Hugh Freeze. With that, it means he’ll have to juggle being the man in charge of not just the defense, but every decision that happens within the white lines.
“The important thing to me in my comments to the staff was that I don’t want to be changing a bunch of things, uprooting, and guys start changing jobs,” said Durkin. “I think it’s important we focus on our jobs. For me, that’s wearing two hats, but I don’t want to be changing a bunch of other people to do that.”
Staff Adjustments Under Durkin
Durkin announced that offensive coordinator Derrick Nix will become the sole playcaller on offense and that Nix has a good understanding of what the offensive guys are capable of doing.
Durkin also mentioned that, while he is advising from a defensive perspective to the offense, he will still be in 100% control of what goes on on the defensive side of the ball.
“I’ll be calling the defense. We won’t change how we’re doing that. I think we have a good flow of how to do things on defense, and I love our staff. I love our group, and I don’t want to uproot any changes on that,” said Durkin.
The Challenge of Wearing Two Hats
Life is demanding on a head coach who has to be the CEO of a program and also call plays on either side of the ball. Durkin says the job description of a head coach has evolved, and that there’s now a fine line between that approach and being able to sustain success.
“I think it probably pulls you further and further away from the field in terms of those things, just with all that’s going on with roster management and NIL and numbers and portal and everything else,” said Durkin. “If you’re consumed by that, by the details, you’re going to miss some of the big picture things. And if you’re a play caller, I think you have to be on the details. So there’s that fine line there that certainly, you know, is it capable of being done? Yes, but I don’t know that it’s the best way to do it, really, in the big scheme of things.”
Auburn Prepares for High-Powered Vanderbilt Offense
The Tigers will take the field on Saturday against one of the nation’s most explosive offenses in Vanderbilt. The Commodores rank 13th nationally with 37.7 points per game while averaging 432.4 yards of offense. Auburn will kick off against Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. CT on SECN at FirstBank Stadium.
“Our focus is 100% on Vanderbilt,” said Durkin. “We are trying to go 1-0 this week, and that will take all of our focus, for sure.”
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