Auburn’s defense did enough in Week 1 to beat Baylor , but the performance wasn’t a clean one.

The biggest issue seemed to be tackling. The Tigers missed 17 tackles in the season opener, according to Pro Football Focus , which helped allow Baylor to throw for 419 yards.

“We did not leverage the ball really well, and in routes or in tackling, I didn’t think,” head coach Hugh Freeze said after the game. “That hurt us several critical fourth downs.”

Against Ball State -- a significantly weaker opponent it should be said -- those issues seemed to be fixed. Auburn only missed three tackles, per PFF, holding the Cardinals to 68 yards of total offense.

“We really emphasized on setting blocks, perimeter tackling, and really just -- everybody getting to the ball and swarming to the ball,” s

See Full Page