Auburn’s defensive line has the attention of Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert
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The neutral site showdown between Auburn and Oregon is not only the best matchup of Week 1 in college football, but it may also just be the best matchup of linemen in the nation to open the season.
While all SEC fans know about the defensive linemen that Auburn has to roll out against the Ducks, Oregon features a few offensive linemen that have received plenty of praise this offseason.
When the SEC Media picked the All-SEC preseason team, Auburn placed Derrick Brown (first-team), Nick Coe (second-team) and Marlon Davidson (second-team) as all-conference players. The Pac-12 Media picked Oregon’s Shane Lemieux (first-team), Calvin Throckmorton (first-team) and Penei Sewell (second-team) on the All-Pac-12 preseason team.
When recently asked about the challenge his team faces going up against the Tigers defensive front in the season opener, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert was careful not to provide any bulletin board material for the Tigers.
“They’re about as good as it gets, there’s no way around that,” Herbert recently said of Auburn’s defensive line, according to James Crepea of The Oregonian. “We’re going to need our best from our offensive line and I think they’re pretty special too. It’ll be a good test for us Week 1 and really excited to watch them.”
Herbert did a good job of praising Auburn’s line while at the same time expressing his confidence in his offensive line. When Auburn and Oregon meet in Arlington come Aug. 31, it won’t be a surprise to see the unit that wins this matchup ultimately walk off the field 1-0 heading into Week 2 of the season.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
