![]() He's a daunting matchup for Auburn's defense after the last two weeks, and an imposing counterpart for a backup quarterback making his second Auburn start. Auburn's best chance is to force Alabama to dig holes if Young has a clean pocket on first down, he beats opponents with easy short-yardage passing (81% on 5.75-yard average depth). He's 24-for-34 passing with a 64.7% accuracy rate when pressured in those spots, but against pressure on first down, he's 12-for-28 with 39.3% accuracy. Situational pressure is key, and third-down blitzing might not be the best approach for Auburn against Young. Brown dumped it to running back ZaQuandre White, who went 28 yards for a touchdown. Auburn got burned by South Carolina on a fourth-and-3 when the Gamecocks expected pressure. "In particular against the quarterbacks, have yourself in the proper position in coverage and do what you can on the defensive side to try to add a little bit of pressure," Harsin said.īlitzing can backfire, though. He torches teams that give him time Arkansas stuck to its usual three-man rush and paid the price. Auburn is middle-of-the-pack when it comes to pass rush - 2.55 sacks per game ranks eighth in the SEC - but even if Auburn isn't able to bring down Young, forcing bad decisions and getting him out of his comfort zone in the pocket can go a long way. He only is counted for nine throwaways on 102 throws under pressure. Interestingly, though, his average depth of target in those scenarios increases from 8.1 to 11.2 yards. When he is pressured - that's on about 28% of his throws - his completion percentage drops to 52.9% with just 48% accuracy. When Young is not pressured, his completion percentage increases to 78.9% with an accuracy rate of 77.4% and 10.36 yards per attempt. "When he doesn't have anything downfield, I think we're going to try to keep containing our pass rush, get him out of the pocket and closing down and wrapping him up," Hall said. "Rush and coverage working together will be huge in this game." If there was ever a time for Auburn to live up to Monday's assertion, it's now.īut pressuring the patient Young will be just as vital as what the secondary does. He was 31-for-40 with 559 (a preposterous 14 yards per attempt) against Arkansas last week. Young is completing 71.7% of his passes an incredible ratio of 38 touchdowns to three interceptions. I’ve seen him stand in the pocket he's taken hits, he's delivered balls and he's been accurate." "What I think Bryce does a good job of is I think he’s tough. "You can see the growth, maturity he’s made through this season," Harsin said. How his mom is helping outĪuburn coach Bryan Harsin said he got to watch Young play in high school. YOUNG'S COUNTERPART: Auburn football needs a confident TJ Finley as new starting quarterback. ON FUMES: Playing for pride, 3-game losing streak won't diminish Auburn football's Iron Bowl motivation ![]() "I think he's pretty smart for his age, and the talent that he brings obviously helps move him the right direction," Auburn edge rusher Derick Hall said. "I think he's really good on his feet." 2 Alabama (10-1, 6-1) in the Iron Bowl on Saturday (2:30 p.m. Quarterback Bryce Young has a legitimate Heisman Trophy campaign, and Auburn (6-5, 3-4 SEC) is tasked with slowing him down and No. South Carolina's Jason Brown, who was the Gamecocks' third choice at quarterback behind a converted grad assistant, threw for three scores on 10-of-15 passing. In the last seven quarters, opposing quarterbacks are 44-for-52 passing with nine touchdowns. Monday and cornerback Roger McCreary are the senior leaders of a unit that brought in a number of promising transfers this season.īut the execution hasn't lived up to the hype since Monday's comment. View Gallery: Bryce Young: Alabama football quarterback, Heisman Trophy winnerĪUBURN - Two weeks ago, safety Smoke Monday made a bold claim as Auburn football prepared to face Mississippi State's Air Raid offense: "We're one of the top teams in the country against passing."Īuburn certainly has the talent and depth.
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