Auburn’s defenders didn’t have to be told what was coming. They knew.
Reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Manziel was going to do whatever he could to lead his No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies down the field to beat the upset-minded Tigers with just more than a minute to play.
The plan for Auburn was simple: Contain Manziel.
“We knew we had to keep his feet in the pocket, so he had to throw it to beat us,” Auburn junior defensive end LaDarius Owens said. “We just tried to keep him corralled as much as we could and just try to stay strong as a defense.”
Easier said than done … on most days. But not on the final drive Saturday.
Auburn was able to pressure Manziel on the final four plays after he led the Aggies down to the Auburn 18-yard line with 43 seconds to play, trailing by 4 points.
Auburn forced Manziel to throw an incomplete pass on first-and-10, then senior defensive end Dee Ford got an 8-yard sack. On third down, Manziel ran for 5 yards to set up fourth-and-13 with 18 seconds to play.
Enter Ford, again, with another sack, effectively ending the game with 11 seconds remaining.
“It was a blitz,” Ford said of the final defensive play call. “We wanted to take care of the run. We figured they’d run a draw or something like that. We ran a blitz … I knew it was pass all the way.
“We had great coverage, and it was a great sack.”
Entering Saturday’s game, Manziel had been sacked five times all season. The Tigers dropped him three times in their 45-41 win.
And none was bigger than the last one to ice the game.
“I’m going crazy,” Owens said about the final defensive play. “Because (Manziel) turned away from me, and I’m like, ‘Please somebody be there.’ So when I see that (sack), I’m like, ‘Thank God. Let’s get off the field.’ It was a great thing.”
Ford was so emotional after the play that he drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for his celebration after the ball was turned over on downs.
“I was trying to get him off the field before he got a flag,” Owens chuckled. “But I got there too late.”
Ford and Owens both credited the defensive line’s game-saving performance to the amount of talent and depth Auburn has along its front. It not only keeps opposing offenses frustrated, it keeps the Tigers’ linemen fresh for those late-game pushes.
“That rotation, man,” Ford said about the 10 different defensive linemen Auburn played Saturday. “Coach (Gus) Malzahn said that in the beginning of the game before we came up here, he said, ‘We’re in better shape. We (rotate) more people. We’re going to beat them in the fourth quarter.’ He said that.”
And it happened.
Also, a lot of credit from the players goes to defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who works in veterans and freshmen alike on key downs.
“We rotate all game,” Owens said. “Coach (Garner) practices enough of the defensive linemen, so everybody knows the plan, and everybody’s getting better every day at practice. So he trusts everyone during the game. We rotate, we got faith in each other, and we continue to do that.
“We knew (if) we were close in the first half, it was going to be a battle in the second because we’re going to be more fresh than the other team.”
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