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Where Auburn's defense ranks in the SEC after five games

Auburn’s defense enters its Week 6 bye week with a mixed bag of results, sitting at 1-2 in SEC play after a 24-14 loss to No. 14 Tennessee last Saturday.

Through five games, the Tigers have allowed 357.2 yards per contest, ranking 12th in the conference, with their best outing coming in Week 2 against Southern Miss, where they held the Golden Eagles to just 211 yards. On the bright side, Auburn’s pass defense has been solid, allowing only 208.2 passing yards per game—better than Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky—while linebacker Elijah Melendez leads the team with 43 tackles and four pass breakups.

However, the unit has struggled against the run, surrendering 149 rushing yards per game, the worst mark in the SEC, and has allowed 21.4 points per contest, ranking ninth in the league. The front four has shown promise with 14 sacks through five games, led by Melendez and Xavier Atkins, each with three apiece, as Auburn prepares for a grueling stretch of three ranked opponents in October.

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