Auburn parts ways with DC Ellis Johnson

Auburn has fired defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson.

According to AuburnSports.com, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn informed Johnson of the decision on Sunday.

"At this time I felt it was best for our program to make a change with our defensive coordinator," Malzahn said in a statement. "Ellis is a true professional and I would like to thank him for his contributions at Auburn."

The Tigers' defense gave up 55 points to Alabama on Saturday night in a 55-44 Iron Bowl loss. It was the fifth straight SEC game that Auburn had given up more than 30 points to an opponent.

Auburn, 8-4, ranks No. 57 in total defense, giving up 389 yards per game and 5.60 yards per play. The yardage numbers are actually improvements from last season, as Auburn's defense gave up six yards a play and over 420 yards a game in 2013. However, the Auburn offense wasn't as electric as it was in 2013 when the Tigers made it to the BCS Championship Game.

"This is part of the business and I totally understand," Johnson said in the same statement. "I did think we were good in several areas, but overall it wasn't good enough. I’m disappointed for our players, but this is a results business. I want to thank Coach Malzahn and Auburn for the opportunity the last two years."

Johnson was hired by Malzahn when the former Auburn offensive coordinator took over as head coach of the Tigers before the 2013 season. Before joining Auburn, Johnson served as the head coach at Southern Miss for a season after Larry Fedora went to North Carolina.

Auburn is the second SEC team to fire its defensive coordinator (while keeping its head coach) and the school will be mentioned along with Texas A&M as a possible destination for former Florida coach Will Muschamp if Muschamp wants to be a coordinator in 2015. Before becoming Florida's coach and Texas' defensive coordinator before Florida, Muschamp served as defensive coordinator for Auburn in 2006 and 2007.

For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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