If there's one thing that has gone well for the Auburn Tigers so far this season, it's been their ability to prevent opposing offenses from moving the ball on the ground.
This was even the case in their SEC opener against Oklahoma. Auburn held the 11th-ranked sooners to 32 yards on the ground, and 29 of them belonged to quarterback John Mateer.
Defensive lineman Malik Blocton credited the effort the Tigers have put in as well as the reinforcements they received during their offseason for their success stopping the run.
"That's just a testament to all the hard work that we put in," Blocton said. "Even the new guys coming in, being a big impact, Dallas Walker. I mean, people really stepped up for this D-line and this rush defense. So, I mean, it's just a real testament."
After the way the Oklahoma contest ended up, the Tigers are motivated to have an even better defensive performance against Texas A&M this week.
"We definitely got a chip on our shoulder and a bad taste in our mouth," Blocton said. "We got to get that going. We know for sure we're a couple of plays away from winning the game. But, I mean, that was the story the whole last year. We're not trying to make that the story this year. We're trying to win these games. We're just trying to take that step forward, that step. We're just trying to get over that hump."
As the season continues to progress, Blocton and company are determined to keep the pressure up on opposing offenses and prevent them from moving the ball on the ground.
"That's what we do. That's what we put our stamp on, stopping the run," Blocton said. "Nobody runs the ball on us. And that's what we do. That's what we take pride in."