Kevin Steele outlines the challenge facing Auburn’s defense in the opener against Washington
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There’s only one top 10 matchup on the opening weekend of the 2018 college football season and it will be taking place in Atlanta. The Chick-fil-A Kickoff game featuring No. 9 Auburn and No. 6 Washington is the marquee game of Week 1 and likely will serve as the launch point for the victor while pushing the loser to the brink of missing the College Football Playoff.
Make no mistake, both of these programs enter the season with Playoff aspirations and they have an opportunity to earn the first statement win of the season come Sept. 1. Auburn’s coaching staff certainly isn’t downplaying the significance of this matchup with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele noting the imposing challenge at hand facing the Tigers to open the season.
The Tigers will be working through a significant amount of turnover on offense heading into this one and will likely need the defense to lead the way against the Huskies. That adds to the pressure on Steele’s unit which was already burdened with limiting a unit full of playing experience.
During his latest media availability, Steele referenced the arduous task facing his unit in the opener, which is compounded by the fact Washington has a new offensive coordinator this season.
“Obviously, we don’t have any new film on them, so the film we’ve watched all winter, all spring, all summer, is still the same film,” Steele said on Wednesday. “It hasn’t changed. The one thing that is a little different about it is trying to predict what the change in the offensive coordinator/play caller will be. That’s hard to do. But the head coach has been pretty traditional with what he does. But it’s still hard.”
The Washington offensive scheme isn’t the only thing on Steele’s mind, as he sees several potential challenges facing his defense in the opener. The Auburn defensive coordinator mentioned every position outside of receiver when discussing what has impressed him on film.
“Washington is a very, very good football team. Mammoth offensive line, big tight ends that can block, multiple tight ends, and they play with two or three tight ends on the field with those big offensive linemen,” Steele noted. “So they can give you the locomotive offense, if you will. It’s coming downhill and it’s coming downhill fast.
“But the quarterback is very accurate. He’s been a starter for three years, he’s a very good player. The tailback is really, really quick and he can make people miss in a short area. He’s got a really fast jump skip. He can plant and skip and take off, makes a lot of people miss tackles.”
The task at hand won’t be a layup, but Auburn’s defense will match up well with any unit it goes up against this season. If Auburn is going to repeat last season’s success, it will have to be led by Steele’s unit, and it has to start immediately this season. The good part about starting the season off against such a tough opponent is Auburn will know immediately if the unit will live up to the hype.
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
