The Auburn Tigers have been among the SEC’s old guard for quite some time, so naturally, their defensive prowess was bound to impress during their esteemed history.
In a new list by ESPN (subscription required) laid out the 50 best defensive units of all time in college football. Auburn appeared on the list three times — twice for the two defenses from 1988-89 under coach Pat Dye and once for the 1957 defense under coach Shug Jordan. The 1989 and 1988 defenses were ranked 28th and 27th, respectively, and the 1957 defense was ranked 25th.
Praise for Dye’s defenses came from the strength in their competition. Auburn allowed more than 13 points just once during their 10-2 season in 1988 and only allowed a single touchdown from a talented Florida State team in the Sugar Bowl that year. The following year, the Tigers went 10-2 again and faced five ranked opponents and held six of their 12 opposing teams to seven or less points.
Here is what the list had to say about the 1957 defense under Jordan:
The late-1950s SEC was a defense-and-field-position league, but allowing 2.8 points per game is still ridiculous. Led by dominant end Jim Phillips, Jordan’s Tigers scored more than 15 points in just three of 10 games but went unbeaten anyway — and scored the school’s first of two national titles — by never allowing more than seven points.
That 1957 team won Auburn’s first national title in football, the second one coming under Gene Chizik and Cam Newton in 2010.
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