It wasn’t what the No. 6 Auburn faithful expected, with the offense working out kinks and the defense doing the early work, but it was enough for the Tigers to take down overmatched Louisville, 31-24, to begin the Jeremy Johnson/Will Muschamp era.
2015 Auburn vs. Louisville final score, 31-24, with 3 things to know from Tigers’ win
The Will Muschamp defense led Auburn to a win.
Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Muschamp was much-maligned as Florida’s head coach, but his chops as a defensive coach were never in question. And after taking over the Auburn defense this offseason, he’s already making an impact, helping the Tigers jump out to a 17-0 halftime lead and a 24-0 lead before finally yielding a field goal in the third quarter.
The Auburn offense eventually got rolling, but the Tigers are not without need for improvement going forward. Quarterback Jeremy Johnson, widely considered a Heisman candidate heading into the season, threw three interceptions and didn’t look at all like the player he was hyped up to be.
After a slow start, Louisville’s offense got rolling, too. The Cardinals scored 24 points in the second half, but they didn’t “roll” on Auburn that many teams have in the past. Despite a mistake-prone day, and a finish that was less than ideal, Auburn was able to hold off a Louisville team that could make some noise in the ACC race. That counts for something.
Three things to know
1. Is Will Muschamp the real deal? He figured to be able to turn the Auburn defense around eventually, but that’s a lot to expect in one season. Louisville doesn’t have an elite offense, but Muschamp’s unit sure was ready Saturday at the Georgia Dome. If he really can turn the Tigers’ defense around as quickly as advertised, then this could be a College Football Playoff team.
2. Is James Quick okay? The star Louisville wide receiver went down and did not return. If his injury is significant, that could be a major blow to the Cardinals’ offense.
3. So back to Jeremy Johnson ... with three picks (and he’s lucky it wasn’t four) he has some work to do to get back in the Heisman race. He’s proven in past seasons that he can be a star, but he’ll need to get back on track for Auburn’s offense to reach its full potential.
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