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Auburn expecting a boost from return of Carl Lawson
The demise of the Auburn Tigers defense last season began well before the season even started, as Freshman All-American Carl Lawson tore his ACL in the spring. The loss of Lawson's presence off the edge would eventually bite the Tigers, as they surrendered over 26 points a game and accumulated only 21 sacks on the season, good for 94th in the nation in 2014.
While most outside the program see the acquisition of Will Muschamp as the team's biggest gain this offseason, the return of Lawson could be as important for a team with SEC Championship aspirations.
According to AL.com, Lawson's teammates spoke of his importance to the defense Monday while in attendance at SEC Media Days.
"From me seeing him run around, it looks like he's even better (than before the injury)," linebacker Kris Frost said. "That guy, the amount that he works on and off the field is amazing. His work ethic really just propels everyone else forward and allows everyone really to get a feel for what they want to be."
"Football is won up front," added cornerback Jonathan Jones said. "Last year we didn't have that much of a pass rush losing him."
Even his head coach spoke of the value Lawson brings to the table for the team defensively.
"To have a chance to be a good defense, you've got to be able to pressure the quarterback with just rushing four," Gus Malzahn said. "And not having Carl, that really hurt us last year. We had to do some things to take some chances. So the fact that we have him back and he's 100 percent is a real blessing for us."
With the return of Lawson, the signing of five-star recruit Byron Cowart and the defensive mind of Muschamp all being added to the defense this season, the Tigers could have enough on both sides of the ball to return to the SEC title game and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
(h/t AL.com)
