AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn redshirt freshman defensive lineman Colby Wooden takes a studious approach to SEC football.
"Focusing on my keys, looking at the tackles, knowing what they're going to do, watching film all week, having an idea of what I should be expecting, what type of blocks I should be getting, and just practicing all week," said Wooden, a student in Auburn University's Harbert College of Business. "The practice that we do is just like the game, so if you can do it in practice, it should be fine in the game."
Wooden's preparation pays off on Saturdays. He leads the SEC with 6.5 tackles for loss, making at least one in four of Auburn's five games.
"Getting the offense behind the chains gives us an incredible chance of getting off the field and getting our stadium loud and jumping which is to our advantage," said Wooden, who recorded two TFLs against Arkansas and South Carolina. "I certainly think that getting back there and causing havoc is what we need for the stands to be loud and jumping and making the opposing offense uncomfortable."
Wooden redshirted last year, learning from All-American defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson. Because he played in only three games in 2019, the 6-4, 268-pounder from Archer High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, was under most fans' radar heading into 2020.
"Just being hungry," he said. "I knew that being redshirted, not a lot was going to be expected of me which is why I wanted to set the tone and come out and show people what I could do. It just put a chip on my shoulder.Student of the game: SEC tackle for loss leader Colby Wooden studies each opponent to learn tendencies"I knew physically and mentally I wasn't ready last year so I took advantage of that. I learned and just watched those older guys, and watched what I was supposed to do and learned from them, and it's translated and helped me tremendously."
Wooden and the Tigers (3-2) welcome LSU (2-2) to Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, with Bengal Tigers true freshman quarterback TJ Finley potentially making his first road start while junior Myles Brennan recovers from an injury.
"They're a talented group," Wooden said. "We've got to come ready to play. They're going to come in here expecting to run the football and pass it as well. Both of their quarterbacks are talented and get after it."
Regardless of who's playing quarterback for LSU, Auburn sophomore defensive lineman Derick Hall knows the importance of effectively rushing the passer.
"Trying to affect the quarterback is huge in this league," Hall said. "If you don't affect the quarterback, it's hard to win games and get them behind the sticks.
"Getting tackles for loss on first and second down. I think Colby Wooden, he's the best guy at getting tackles for loss in the country. He leads the SEC right now in tackles for loss. He definitely helps us out a lot. We have to get more rush off the edge in affecting the quarterback because it's going to be huge in this game."
LSU comes to the Plains after defeating South Carolina 52-24 last week in Baton Rouge.
"They're the defending national champions. That's everybody's goal," Hall said. "We're going to get everybody's best, week in and week out, because we're Auburn. CBS game of the week, 2:30, can't beat it. Everyone in the world's going to be watching. They'll come in here and definitely give us their best.
"As a defense, we have that opportunity for a statement game for us. A huge statement game for us enabling us to get back to the Auburn standard, playing football and dominating."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
