AUBURN, Ala. - If you're looking for Deshaun Davis, chances are you'll find him in the Auburn Athletics Complex, preparing for a test.
Deshaun's studying involves video – lots of video. The test takes place Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, when No. 9 Auburn plays No. 6 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"Every day, I watch at least two games," said Davis, a senior linebacker. "Trying to pick up on some tendencies, the things that they do well, trying to recognize formations – anything that can tip off pre-snap what they're doing, I'm trying to figure it out. And I'm pretty sure they're doing the same thing.
"I pride myself in that about my game. Looking at stuff pre-snap to give my defense an edge, give myself an edge to where the ball is going or what kind of pass concept that they're going to get. It's football, but I try to get the up and up by clicking that clicker more than anyone else."
Davis' knack for studious preparation is legendary in the linebackers' room. It's earned him the respect of his teammates, and a leadership role from linebackers coach Travis Williams.
"It's my job," Davis said. "As a linebacker at Auburn University, you know you have to walk with a different swagger. That's how my position coach has put it to me. I have to be the leader. I have to be the vocal leader. It comes with the territory, and I think I'm fit for it.
"I have to carry myself that way. I can't have any bad days. I can't have any bad games. That's why I have to watch so much film, so when I have those young guys around me, or the young safeties rotate in, I have to be able to put them in position to make plays."
Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele previewed the challenges the Huskies present.
"Washington is a very, very good football team," Steele said. "Mammoth offensive line, big tight ends that can block, multiple tight ends, and they play with two and three tight ends on the field with those big offensive linemen.
"They can give you the locomotive offense. It's coming downhill and it's coming downhill fast. The quarterback (Jake Browning) is very accurate. He's been a starter for three years. He's a very good player. The tailback (Myles Gaskin) is really, really quick and he can make people miss in a short area. He's got a really fast jump-skip. He can plant and skip and take off, makes a lot of people miss tackles.
Despite the magnitude of a season-opening top 10 matchup, Auburn's defense downplayed the hype.
"You just treat it like another game, to be honest with you," safety Jeremiah Dinson said. "They're the No. 6 team in the country. We're the No. 9. So I treat it like any other week. I do a lot of game planning on them. I've been watching them since the summer. Washington's a good team. Browning's a good quarterback. We're going to have to have our hands full, and it's going to be a good game."
The high profile opener marks the beginning of Gus Malzahn's sixth season as Auburn's head coach.
"It will be a big challenge for us and it will be a really good test about where we're at this season with the first game," Malzahn said.
"Usually teams are excited no matter who you play week one. It's not one of those things you have to worry about getting up for. The fact that we are playing a really high-profile game brings a little bit more to the table on both sides from a national standpoint."
Auburn senior linebacker Deshaun Davis visits with reporters on Tuesday before the No. 9 Tigers play No. 6 Washington in Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. Photo: Todd Van Emst/Auburn Athletics
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: