Auburn's Robensen Therezie aims to regain old form as opponents target him in slot

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Auburn defensive back Robenson Therezie breaks up a pass meant for Shelby County's Austin Tolleson in the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. (Mark Almond/ malmond@al.com)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Robensen Therezie finds himself under fire right now.

Flanked by a pair of talented cornerbacks, a steady senior in Jonathon Mincy and an emerging star in Jonathan Jones, Therezie is seeing increased attention from opposing quarterbacks in the slot.

South Carolina targeted him a dozen times on Saturday.

"Everybody is going to go after whoever the Star is covering, because they're going to assume he's the least (capable) cover guy on the field," defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson said. "Cadillac sometimes surprises them with his speed and his cover ability."

And sometimes, like last Saturday, Therezie finds himself on the wrong end of a battle against one of the SEC's top receivers.

Therezie came away with three pass breakups, but he also struggled mightily to rein in Gamecocks receiver Pharoh Cooper, who finished with seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

The senior defensive back credited quick throws and Cooper making plays for his rough night, but Therezie still feels like he's starting to regain the form that made him one of Auburn's top playmakers in 2013.

"I came to a really slow start," Therezie said. "I feel like my coverage skills have gotten better, pressuring. But everything else is starting to come back to me like last year."

After making a team-leading four interceptions last season, Therezie is still looking for his first pick this season, although he has made 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and broken up five passes.

In part, Therezie's lack of work in training camp left him a little rusty.

An undisclosed eligibility issue with the NCAA kept Therezie from working with the Tigers' starters on defense right up until the night before the season-opener against Arkansas.

Dealing with the thought that he might have to sit out games took a toll on his mind, Therezie admits.

"It was really devastating," Therezie said. "It happened, it's behind me now. It's in the past. I'm just focused on getting back to the old me."

As he's trying to get back to form in the passing game -- and get his hands on an interception -- Therezie has focused on using his physicality to make an impact.

A key blitz against Arkansas helped flip the momentum in the season-opener. He came up with a half a sack against Louisiana Tech and made six tackles against LSU.

On a defense that has struggled to create pressure with its front four, Therezie has been asked to create pressure from a linebacker position in Auburn's 3-3-5, or "Cinco" package.

"It's about being low and just driving through the gap," Therezie said. "Everyone has a responsibility and whatever my responsibility is I just go hard at it, and probably cause another player (to get free) or cause something to happen."

Therezie has also taken his new backup, freshman Nick Ruffin, under his wing, teaching him how to play a role that was originally designed for a bigger player but has evolved into more of a nickel spot.

"He's been amazing from day one," Ruffin said. "He's worked on my footwork. He worked on how I get off blocking, the techniques that we use here as opposed to the things I had a bad tendency to do prior to. He's really been a big brother to me in a lot of senses."

On the field, though, Therezie should expect to continue to see increased attention until he proves he's back to the form that made him a tough cover man last season.

Therezie feels like he's rounding into form, and with the passing attacks coming up on Auburn's schedule, the Tigers need the Therezie that disrupted throwing games last season.

"As far as tackling and everything else, especially zone coverage, I feel like I've gotten better at," Therezie said. "Just, you know, playing my part and not creating a hole in the defense so that the offense can attack."

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