Auburn football is getting a major defensive boost ahead of its SEC opener against Florida. Da'Shawn Womack and Chris Murray are expected to return from injury, giving Alex Golesh's Tigers experienced edge defenders to help contain Jaden Baugh and pressure quarterback Aaron Philo.
The Auburn Tigers are getting some much-needed help at exactly the right time.
And considering the Tigers are about to begin SEC play against Florida, getting two starting edge defenders back is a pretty big deal.
Especially because we don't know much about the Gators after the first two weeks of the season.
Da'Shawn Womack and Chris Murray are expected to return Saturday after missing Auburn's 43-8 victory over Southern Miss with minor injuries. Both have been practicing this week, and neither was listed on Auburn's initial SEC availability report.
That's especially important considering Auburn was already dealing with the loss of JJ Faulk before the season began.
The Tigers needed some good news at edge.
And they got it.
"It's great to have those guys back out practicing," Alex Golesh said Wednesday. "It's huge to get those guys back. They're difference makers, and they both bring a really good energy and leadership out there. So it's going to be really good."
Murray was particularly impressive in Auburn's season opener against Baylor. He started that game and earned strong grades from Pro Football Focus, including high marks for his run defense and tackling.
Tackling will have a huge impact on this week's game, with the need to finish the job at first contact against star-studded running back Jaden Baugh of the Gators. He is currently averaging over 10 yards per carry, and most of his yards have come after first contact.
Womack was brought in through the transfer portal to help Auburn's pass rush, and his experience becomes even more important as the Tigers prepare for Florida.
But I think there's another positive here that might get overlooked.
Auburn was able to get through Southern Miss without either starter while giving some younger players valuable experience.
Nate Johnson played 29 snaps against the Golden Eagles, while freshman Jaquez Wilkes played 16. DeMarcus Riddick also spent 16 of his 25 snaps working at edge, according to the PFF.
Golesh specifically pointed to how important those opportunities were for Auburn's depth.
"For Jared, for Darion, it's been huge. Wilks, it was huge. Like monumentally huge," Golesh said.
Auburn gets its experienced starters back while some of the players behind them now have additional game experience, and with Florida coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn is going to need all of it.
The Gators bring quarterback Aaron Philo into an environment that Golesh has already talked about being excited for, and for Philo, it's new.
In fact, the Florida quarterback has only made one appearance on the road as a college quarterback when he went to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. Nowhere near the same environment as what he's about to experience on the Plains.
Getting Womack and Murray back gives Auburn two more experienced defenders to help pressure him, and after navigating the Southern Miss game without them, Auburn now has its starting edge defenders back for the beginning of SEC play, which could be a difference maker in Week 3.
