AUBURN, Ala. — The Auburn coaching staff has never treated special teams as an afterthought, which is precisely what made last year’s struggles so frustrating.

There were some positives. Place-kicker Wes Byrum returned to his freshman form, punter Clinton Durst had a solid but not spectacular year and Demond Washington ignited the kick return game late in the season.

But the negatives, particularly the Tigers’ porous kick coverage and butterfingered punt return unit, were too glaring to overlook.

“We weren’t very good there,” special teams coach Jay Boulware said bluntly.