AUBURN | For three years, Marcus Harris would celebrate a sack or a big play by smacking his hands to the front of his helmet and then ripping down.

His younger brother continued the tradition in his first game Saturday night.

After Malik Blocton got his first-career sack against Alabama A&M, the true freshman paid tribute to Harris, who started 36 games over the previous three seasons.

“He called me after the game, though, because he saw me do my celebration after I got my sack,” said Blocton. “So he called me and was joking with me and stuff like that.”

Blocton, who said he’s up to 300 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame, had been looking forward to this day for a number of years.

“I’ve been around Auburn for a long time, been recruited by Auburn. And just getting my first snap out there and playing my first game out there, it was like a dream come true,” said Blocton.

There’s nothing easy about playing defensive line as a true freshman in the SEC, but Blocton has secured a spot in Auburn’s deep playing rotation, putting in a lot of work during the summer and fall camp to get to this point.

“So Malik, though, has done a really good job of being a sponge and has taken his technique to another level. He’s going to be a player for us and expecting big things from him,” said defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams.

Blocton is part of an interior defensive line that’s expected to rotate at least seven players among noseguard and defensive tackle this fall.

“It really helps. We stay fresh the whole game,” said Blocton. “I really didn't get tired at all during the game because the rotation was so deep. I get a drive and a half off before I went back in.

“We always kept fresh legs in there so really, really beneficial to me, especially me being a freshman. I don’t think coaches wanted me to take all those snaps anyway.”

Auburn returns to action Saturday against California. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.