AUBURN, Ala. – A starter since the first game of his true freshman season, Marlon Davidson will line up Saturday night against Kent State in his 42nd Auburn football game.
The question is: where will No. 3 line up?
A defensive end, Davidson's quickness comes in handy when he rushes the passer. Davidson's strength and toughness allows him to also play inside at defensive tackle.
"I get reps at both in practice," Davidson said. "I just tell myself you never know where you're going to be in the game. Treat every play like it's your last. Work hard at doing something different.
"I work hard at shooting my hands in the right spot, or taking the correct steps. Trying to be the best at everything."
Davidson's versatility provides options for associate head coach Rodney Garner, who oversees Auburn's defensive line.
"I definitely think Marlon, being as smart as he is, and his savvy and instincts he has, I think he does a really good job of being a very versatile player," said Garner who likes to cross-train linemen for both positions because of the prevalence of spread offenses.
"We've done it all three years on third down situations," Garner said. "Now, being able to do it on first and second down, he's embraced that opportunity."
Many factors determine whether Davidson lines up outside or inside. Offensive schemes. Matchups. Trying to balance the number of plays for each defensive lineman to keep everyone fresh.
"He embraces the challenge, where some guys may shy away from it," Garner said. "He's one who wants it.
"Physically, it's more difficult to play inside than it is outside because he's got to engage two 300-pounders every single time that ball turns over, so it's a little bit more challenging physically."
"Outside, you're a lot freer," Davidson said. "When you're playing inside, you have to take on two big guys. You've got to hold your own. It's just a different mentality. A different physical standpoint comes along with it, too. You have to be way more physical to play inside than outside."
Davidson earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors after Auburn's 24-6 win vs. Tulane, in which he tied for the team lead with six tackles, including two tackles for loss. He added three quarterback pressures, helping the Tigers keep the Green Wave out of the end zone while limiting Tulane to 2-for-15 on third down.
"It was crazy," Davidson said of the award. "Felt like a little kid getting good news again. A great honor to be represented like that. It's good to know that everybody sees my talent."
Count Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn among those who sees Davidson's talent.
"Marlon's versatility is very good," Malzahn said. "He is one of our best all-around football players, there's no doubt about that. You can always count on him. I'm real proud of him earning that honor. It's well deserved.
"He probably could've had a couple chances last year to do the same thing, but we are real proud of him and what he's doing with his leadership."
For all of his accomplishments - 19 career tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three blocked kicks and three fumble recoveries - it's Marlon Davidson's intangibles that prompted teammates to select him as one of Auburn's captains.
"He's a tremendous competitor," Garner said. "Very confident in his abilities. Smart, heady football player. He's a total team guy. He wants to win. He exemplifies what a champion is, what an Auburn man is, by his actions, the way he walks the walk."
'A total team guy': Marlon Davidson has started for four seasons on Auburn's defensive line
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer