Auburn Football: Can the Tigers Win Consecutive National Titles with No Defense?

Auburn lost arguably the two best players in America last season in Cam Newton and Nick Fairley, but the defense was ferocious in prime-time games.

Sure, they gave up yards, but the pressure the front four put on the opposition last season was relentless. 

The front four this season is not bad by any means, but the front seven as a whole has certainly been gashed through their first two games.

Utah State ran for 227 yards in the opener. Mississippi State gashed the Tigers for 333!

The linebackers may be a notch down from last season but this defensive line is still ferocious. They held the Bulldogs to two crucial field goals which ended up being the difference of their game.

Corey Lemonier and Dee Ford are two stud bookends. Funny thing is the list goes on an on with Jeffrey Whitaker, Nosa Equae and Kenneth Carter.

Bent But Never Broken

The secondary did not give up the big play, limiting quarterback Chris Relf to just 195 yards passing today. Last weekend, Utah State freshman Chuckie Keeton ended up throwing for 213 yards, though he threw no touchdowns. 

All in all, this defense has avoided giving up the "huge" plays in the passing game, which is all you can ask for.

However, the run defense is a bit of a different story. The Aggies went bonkers, rushing for 227 yards and five rushing touchdowns in the opener. They followed that poor act by allowing 333 yards and two touchdowns to the Bulldogs.

More credit deserves to go towards Neiko Thorpe, T'Sharvan Bell and Demetruce McNeal. They may give up their fair share of plays, but they battle out there and have a tenacity that Ted Roof seems to have given them. There is something about winning a BCS National Championship where your swagger jumps significantly.

They are accustomed to getting into shootouts every weekend and it is just a matter of time before somebody out of nowhere steps up and makes a critical play. 

Does it matter how many yards the defense allows since they keep winning, or will it eventually catch up to them?

How Far Will These Tigers Go?

They won so many close ball games and Gene Chizik has now won the last ten games that have been decided by ten points or less (single digits). How long can we expect them to continue this trend?

Does Auburn have the defense to run the gauntlet in the SEC, let alone the SEC West again? What needs to change? Is this defense going to continue to live on the edge of their seats or will they eventually fall apart?

Most say eight wins would be a magical season, but the coaching staff has provided a ton of optimism thus far.

Lady Luck On Their Side

There were numerous calls, measurements and breaks for Auburn. I'm not saying they can't win without any luck, but most good teams make and earn their own breaks. The defense was flying all over the field in the first few possessions of the game.

This Auburn team is extremely young and most question how long this team can keep their composure in tight games. It is amazing how they just continue to come up with big play after big play despite getting torched at times. That is what I like to call the heart of a champion. How long will their magic last? 

Next Weekend

Clemson will host Auburn in a rematch from last season, where Auburn won a thriller. This game is in "Death Valley" and Clemson is coming off a game where they allowed 272 rushing yards to the Wofford Terriers.

Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalleb run at a high velocity, so Auburn may get into yet another shootout. Clemson, however, has a solid corp of receivers that will challenge the athleticism of Auburn.

The atrocious schedule does not stop there as they must knock off teams such as South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Georgia and Alabama. So, before we start talking about these Tigers going back to the promised land we should all take it one week at a time, just like Gene Chizik.