Auburn's defense not missing a beat

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Will Herring thinks this Auburn defense gets the nod over last year&#39;s in at least one regard.<br> <br> The 17th-ranked Tigers&#39; free safety says they have had fewer mental lapses that led to giving up big plays.<br> <br> ``I think that&#39;s the one area we&#39;ve drastically improved on,&#39;&#39; Herring said.<br> <br> It&#39;s helped Auburn turn in comparable defensive numbers with the 2004 squad that led the nation in scoring defense and had far more star power in the secondary.<br> <br> The Tigers (6-2, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) have yet to allow a team to pass for 200 yards in the first eight games. Opponents have managed only three touchdown passes, putting Auburn&#39;s defense in a five-way tie for the nation&#39;s fewest.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think it&#39;s the scheme as much as it is the individuals taking it upon themselves to take responsibility each play not to get caught sleeping,&#39;&#39; Herring said. ``Last year, it seemed we&#39;d play great 95-99 percent of the time, but then we&#39;d relax and take a play off and they&#39;d hit us through the air up top.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> As a result, Auburn gave up big scoring plays late in wins against Alabama and against Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, among others.<br> <br> The secondary especially had its doubters coming into the season after losing cornerback Carlos Rogers, the Thorpe Award winner as the nation&#39;s top defensive back, and strong safety Junior Rosegreen.<br> <br> ``Coming into the season, our secondary was the weakness of the defense,&#39;&#39; said cornerback Jonathan Wilhite, a junior college transfer who has started the last three games. ``So we just took that and made it a positive. We just believe in each other.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tigers rank fourth in total and scoring defense, allowing 269 yards and 10.9 points per game in defensive coordinator David Gibbs&#39; first season. They&#39;re eighth against the pass (162 yards per game).<br> <br> In league games, Auburn has been even better. The Tigers are allowing 9.4 points and 255 yards against SEC opponents, both league lows.<br> <br> It helps that they&#39;ve played the league&#39;s two lowest scoring offenses (Mississippi and Mississippi State), the worst passing offense (Arkansas) and the worst running team (South Carolina).<br> <br> The Tigers, who visit Kentucky (2-5, 1-3) on Saturday, held Ole Miss on a goal line stand and allowed only 209 yards in a 27-3 win.<br> <br> ``Every year, you set goals to be one of the best defenses out there,&#39;&#39; said strong safety Steve Gandy, who got his first career start against the Rebels. ``When you&#39;re in the SEC, you&#39;ve got hard teams to play and you&#39;ve got to prove it each week.<br> <br> ``They were inside the 5, inside the 2, and we held them. That just says a lot about our defense. When everybody&#39;s playing good, we think we have one of the best defenses in the country.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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