AUBURN, Ala. -- Who saw this kind of turnaround from the Auburn defense this season? Who would’ve guessed that the Tigers would be No. 7 nationally in scoring defense heading into Saturday’s Iron Bowl?
Will Muschamp did. In December, when he was introduced as South Carolina’s new head coach, Muschamp stood on the podium and told reporters that there was “a lot of success to be had” for whoever would succeed him as Auburn’s defensive coordinator.
Three weeks later, Kevin Steele said the same thing. Steele, the man hired to replace Muschamp, could not believe the Auburn defense that let Leonard Fournette run all over them early in the 2015 season was the same group that later stymied future first-round QB Paxton Lynch in the Birmingham Bowl.