Nov. 5, 2016
By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - Darrell Williams was already counting on a heavy workload Saturday. He just didn't realize how heavy.
Williams recorded a career-high 11 tackles in Auburn's 23-16 win over Vanderbilt, carrying the load after an injury to Tre' Williams and the early ejection of Deshaun Davis.
"Normally, the first-team reps are split between us three," Williams said. "With Tre' down, we already knew me and Deshaun were both going to get more reps. With Deshaun going down on that targeting call, I knew I was going to get more reps so I just had to step up and a lot of other guys had to step up. We prepare for that, so it wasn't too much that we couldn't handle."
Davis exited early, to the dismay of many Auburn fans, who thought replays did not justify an ejection.
"There wasn't really much talk," Williams said. "We're ready for that stuff. That's why we build depth at linebacker. We've got a lot of guys who can play."
One of those guys is graduate transfer T.J. Neal, who made nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
"I have a lot of respect for T.J. coming in and playing like that," Williams said. "He hasn't really gotten game reps like that. He stepped up and did an amazing job. Also, Montavious, he did an amazing job, too. I'm really proud of T.J., because of him not getting much playing time."
Making his first start, Atkinson, a sophomore, made five tackles, including one for a loss.
"It meant a lot to me to start," Atkinson said. "I felt like I played pretty good. Every week I go into practice and compete. Try to do my assignment."
Auburn's six TFLs give the Tigers 56 in nine games, two more than the season total (13 games) a year ago.
"It feels really good to know that we have depth," Atkinson said. "Anybody can come in at any time and get the job done."
The departure of Davis motivated Auburn's defense, which has held six consecutive opponents without a rushing touchdown.
"The whole defense, we just said to one another, 'We're going to play for him,'" Atkinson said. "And that's what we did."
11: # of tackles for @darrellw_ in @FootballAU 23-16 W over Vandy. "Knew I was going to get more reps so I had to step up." pic.twitter.com/SvxjWiYrrV
- Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) November 5, 2016
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer