Jermaine Whitehead makes triumphant return to defense

AUBURN -- Jermaine Whitehead made a triumphant return to defense in Auburn's loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.

The safety, who played only on special teams in the two games since his reinstatement following a monthlong suspension, made a tackle on his very first defensive snap in nearly two months, coming up to stop Tra Carson after a 12-yard run with 7:08 to go in the first quarter.

Whitehead later intercepted Kyle Allen with 3:59 to go in the second quarter, the third of the season and sixth of the senior's career.

"I thought he did some solid things," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "That interception was big."

Earlier in the week, Malzahn said it was his "personal decision" to reinstate Whitehead without allowing him on defense in the first two games.

"We had him with the defense this week," Malzahn said. "He is a veteran guy, he knew what was going on, and that is the way it worked out."

Miscommunication has been a problem for Auburn's secondary during each of the last four games. Whitehead, who was not available for interviews, was previously responsible for making the calls in the defensive backfield.

With the issues persisting against the Aggies, cornerback Jonathan Jones didn't want to say if communication was better when Whitehead was back on the field.

"You got to get your call from the sideline, you got to do your job," Jones said. "You can't blame it on one person, you really can't."