DJ Durkin Praises Auburn's Young Linebackers After Statement Win Over Georgia

The Auburn Tigers defense answered some major questions during Saturday's upset victory over No. 1 Georgia.

After struggling to stop the run against Florida and Tennessee, the Tigers responded with one of their best defensive performances of the season.

But now DJ Durkin has another challenge ahead of him.

Durkin met with reporters this week to discuss Auburn's defensive improvement, the linebacker rotation, and Saturday's matchup against LSU.

Here are my three biggest takeaways.

One of Auburn's biggest defensive problems entering the Georgia game was its inability to consistently stop the run.

But the Tigers held Georgia to just 113 rushing yards.

Durkin credited the improvement to better tackling, physicality, and players understanding their assignments.

"We made a big emphasis of that the practices leading up to that game," Durkin said. "We thought that was a key to how we're going to win the game."

And I think that's encouraging considering what Auburn's defense had shown in previous weeks.

But one strong performance doesn't necessarily mean those problems have been completely fixed.

Auburn needs to prove it can consistently defend the run, especially against an LSU offense that wants to establish its rushing attack.

With Xavier Atkins unavailable against Georgia, Auburn needed other linebackers to step up, and according to Durkin, that's exactly what happened.

Bryce Deas played his most snaps in a game this season, while De'Marcus Riddick also received an increased workload.

"I thought Bryce Deas came in and played really well for us," Durkin said. "He was productive in the game, was in on several tackles and really played assignment sound."

Durkin also praised Elijah Melendez for his consistency and leadership.

Atkins' dismissal certainly creates questions about Auburn's linebacker depth moving forward.

But the performance against Georgia suggests the Tigers have some capable options.

Auburn's defense performed well against Georgia, but LSU brings a different offensive approach under Lane Kiffin.

And Durkin knows what makes that offense difficult to defend.

"They have a unique style in terms of their tempo definitely puts stress on you," Durkin said.

He also pointed to LSU's ability to use different formations and motions while maintaining that tempo.

That's important because Auburn can't afford the communication mistakes that contributed to Georgia's early success.

Durkin acknowledged that Auburn had players misaligned on Georgia's opening touchdown drive.

Against LSU, those mistakes could be costly.

Auburn showed against Georgia that its defense can make adjustments and respond when things aren't going well.

Now the Tigers need to prove they can put together another complete defensive performance.