This article originally appeared with The Red & Black on July 12, 2015 and can be found here.

The Auburn Tigers saw their 2014 season derail after nine games. The Tigers’ 35-31 victory over then-No. 7 Ole Miss put the team at 7-1, but they followed it with four losses in their last five games to finish the year 8-5. Head coach Gus Malzahn is preparing for better numbers this fall, but the team has to succeed with some unfamiliar faces.

Former starting quarterback Nick Marshall is gone, which leaves junior Jeremy Johnson in control of the offense. The six-foot-five, 240-pound quarterback doesn’t match Marshall’s speed but boasts a more accurate arm. Johnson played in seven games and started one for Auburn one season ago and posted solid numbers, throwing for 436 yards and three touchdowns with a 75.7 completion percentage. Johnson has the ability to give Auburn a dangerous aerial attack this season.

The Tigers’ run game will look completely different from one year ago. Auburn no longer has its top three rushers from 2014, as Cameron Artis-Payne, Marshall and Corey Grant graduated. Stepping in will be former junior college running back Jovon Robinson and sophomore Roc Thomas. Robinson had a monster year at Georgia Military College in 2014, compiling 2,387 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to earn the top JUCO player ranking by Rivals.com. Thomas played in 10 games and had mediocre results, finishing the year with 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The uncertainty of new men at running back may be unsettling, but expect both backs to come into their own by the time October rolls around.

Luckily for Auburn, the Tigers have some reliability on defense. Five of the seven players who had the most tackles one year ago are returning to the team as part of a unit that has five starting seniors. The biggest player back is defensive end Carl Lawson, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Lawson, a former five-star recruit, had a strong freshman season and was rewarded with a Second-Team Freshmen All-American selection. If he can come back as strong as he was in 2013, it won’t be surprising to see him nab another All-American award.

It’s ill-advised to talk about Auburn’s defense without looking at its new architect. Will Muschamp was hired in the offseason after spending four seasons as the head coach of the Florida Gators. Muschamp is no stranger to Auburn; he served as Tommy Tuberville’s defensive coordinator in 2006 and 2007. The 43-year-old Muschamp was ridiculed for Florida’s struggles on offense, but the Gators never had much issue with the defensive side.

Playing in the SEC West division is like climbing a ladder: if you move up, you can’t afford to look back down at what you already accomplished. Every team in the West is considered a threat this season. Auburn is lucky to play Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss at home, but the challenge of surviving each week will not be an easy one. Add in the Tigers’ season-opener against Louisville in Atlanta and the result is clear: Malzahn and the staff need to find a little magic from their 2013 campaign in order to stay competitive.