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WOOHOOOO

Auburn joins in the fun with Borges' resignation. I think it was for the best. Tony Franklin appears to be the heir apparent. His spread offense could be very dangerous with Kodi Burns and a plethora of good RBs. Im excited thinking of the possibilites.

Both nfl.com and ESPN report that Petrino has resigned as the Falcons' Head Coach and will take the job that no one else seems to want at Arkansas. He must be really desperate to get back to college football and a shot in the SEC. Even if it is at scandalous Arkansas.

There have been several reports of Muschamp a strong candidate too. All theses so called "sources" arent worth crap. Just goes to show you, dont believe a thing until there is a press conference.

SIXCESS!!!

It feels every bit as good as it did the first time! What an incredible atmosphere. Ive never seen so many people at Tiger Walk. The players were pumped, dancing and yelling with the fans. The crowd before the game was roudy and loud-just an electric atmosphere. I cant find any words to try and describe the awesomeness of it all. Here are some great videos of it:







War Eagle!

How Embarassing

That was pathetic. That was unacceptable. That was embarassing. That was a whole lot of other adjectives that come to mind, none of which gives warm and fuzzy sensation. We got beat like a red-headed step child. The first play from scrimmage was foreshadowing of what was to come as Brandon "what color jersey does my team wear again?" Cox lobbed one up ripe for the taking...and Georgia took it. It will be commonplace to say that the Tigers lost in in the 3rd quarter, but to be brutally honest, it was way before then. Even though at the half the score was 17-10, it shouldve been much worse. The only reason our offense was able to score was because of stupid penalties on a very pumped up UGA team. For that reason, and thanks to the defense, did AU sustain any drives. It had to happen though. Too many games this season has our D been the glue that holds together a win and even some close losses. In the 3rd quarter, once again, the D set us up to hold on and take it to the wire. Jerraud Powers (who is the only competent, trustworthy corner on the team) made a nice INT by baiting Stafford into the throw to set the Awulffense up at the 27. Again, the D is the only reason we scored. The next drive we could not cash in for 7 which could have started deflating UGA, but instead had to settle for 3. Following the go ahed FG, the defense finally let 11 straight weeks of lights out play get to them and ran out of gas. Although, I blame the secondary (excluding Powers of course) moreso than the rest of the D. However, when it all comes down to it. I blame the lack of offensive execution. Perhaps its the playcalling? I dont know. I do know that it is rediculous that our receivers cant get open. Its hard to believe that Tim Hawthorne, Rob Dunn, Chris Slaughter, et al (all of whom were highly regarded recruits) dont have the talent. The problem is much higher than them.

Here is why our offense did not work:

1) The O line did not block as well as they needed to, therefore our running game was ineffective.

2) Because of the illegitimate ground game, the play action pass was therefore ineffective.

3) We cant throw the long ball.

4) Since we cant throw the long ball, all UGA had to do was blitz and cover short and medium passes.

5) Cox holding the ball too long + non blocking O-line = sacks

The recievers combined for 6 passes caught. 6! 6! I wont say anything more about this as it infuriates me. The offense we have is not a big play style offense. It is designed to chew up time and move the ball methodically downfield. The only problem is that it wasnt moving. I vote for some new philosophies or maybe a mixture. We need big play capablities.

Interesting Facts:

Aubrun and Bama have each lost to MSU, UGA, LSU, and a team from FL (USF and FSU)

Both teams are 6-4

Both are unranked

________________

Another interesting bit of info:

In the 2003 season
-Auburn had just endured a disappointing season, culminating with a blow-out loss at Sanford Stadium against Georgia.
-Tommy Tuberville was rumored to possibly be coaching his last game...with Bobby Petrino reportedly ready to leave his current head coaching job after just one season to replace him.
-Alabama had a brand new coach who would be coaching in his first Iron Bowl and would be bringing Alabama back to the top of the SEC.
-After originally being scheduled as a CBS afternoon game, because of the poor performance thus far by both teams, CBS opted out. ESPN then picked up the game as their Saturday Night Game of the Week.

Sound familiar?

I will say this. I know I definiately could not have gone out there and played any percentage as well as the players go out and do. I know I cant coach anywhere close to a good as any on the staff. That being said, my opinion doesnt matter, plain and simple. The only reason any fans get so ticked off with performances like Saturday's is because we've been spoiled. We have tasted victory time and time again. We have felt what its like to be mentioned with elite teams. We have experienced winning a lot of games. Its for those reasons and the simple fact that I love Auburn with all that I have that its such a crushing loss in a disappointing season. A lot of Auburn fans believe this team is better than 6-4. Im one of them. We keep forgetting though, that these are a bunch of 18-22 yr old young men (mostly 18 and 19 on this team). This is a VERY young team. It will be great to see what they in the coming years. Its easy for us to complain and place blame. Each of the players experienced that same loss on Saturday. Something tells me it bothers them a little bit more and they take slightly harder than I do knowing that they were the ones that lost. The difference is, that they have to go back out there each week and try and get better, while we sit on our asses and point out the problems. You better believe they want to make up for it.

But now as fans we have a job to do, just as the players have a job to do. In less than 2 weeks, everyone knows who is coming into our house. This game will be our season. Sure, its been a disappointing year. The one thing that can take the pain away is to wipe the floor with the school we all love to hate. I challenge all the fans out there to slow down and think before you change your attitude towards Coach Tubberville and start calling for his head. He has done so much for Auburn, and we take him for granted. I challenge you to come to Auburn ready to go to war for this team, to stand behind them no matter what and put some validity behind the cheer that we chant each week. No matter how we play, or who we have lost to, It is great to be an Auburn Tiger. You better come ready to let the players and coaches know it.

War Damn Eagle

3 weeks in review

Sorry for the lack of posting. School has gotten pretty busy. Luckily it has backed off a little. Anyway on with the recaps.

Vandy: Solid win. This is what we should be doing against the likes of lower tier SEC teams. e.g. Miss St. Although I will say that Vandy has been no slouch this year, just ask Steve Spurrier. The offense continued its imporvement and the 4th string defense end up letting the Dores score in the 4th. Not too shabby at all.

@ Arkansas: What a nerve wracking game to watch. Watching us march down the field and eitheer 1) Kick a field goal 2) miss a field goal or 3) punt/turn the ball over was frustrating. However the defensive effort was noithing short of spectacular. Holding possibly the 2 best RBs in the nation to a combined 87 yards? I doubt LSU will be able to accomplish that. Cox continued his souless robotic last minute game winning drive ways, marchiung down to the 12 to set it up for Wes Byrum, whom I could not be happier with. Muschamps antics I missed on TV and when I saw the youtube video, I thought for sure was editted. But sure enough after going back to the ole Tivo, there it was clear as day. I have to say that I like the way he coaches. It seems that the players agree, as does their play.

@ LSU. That was gut wrenching. Those are always thge hardest to lose. We came out in the 1st half and completely dominated. Our offense did everything it wanted. Of course, Glen Dorsey going out on a much dispute chop block helped a little. But I concede we should have been penalized for that. However, Auburn got the short end of the stick wehn it came to the officiating. The waved off 6 men on the line of scrimmage should not have been waved off and the spot on a thrid down on LSUs last drive was a good foot extra.  

 

Cout them: 6 men on the line

Also worth mentioning were the countless facemask tackles that went unflagged. But aside from all of that, the bottom line is that Auburn couldnt maintain its level of play inthe 2nd half that it enjoyed from the 1st. We let LSU back in it, our offense couldnt give our D a rest and so it happened the way it did. This is a loss that hurts. We can most likely kiss going to Atlanta goodbye unless LSU somehow miraculously loses 2 more games (big time unlikely). Nonetheless, we must move on and focus on an Ole Miss team that isnt sure what it is. They scared Florida and lost big to Ark. Who knows which tema we will face. I just know that Auburn needs to focus on winning out. 

By the way, I wont repost it because Erik at Deepsouthsports has done so in a way that cant be duplicated. Check out the pics of classy LSU women that I sent to him.

Other things worth noting:

Quentin Groves tied the Aubrun career sack record with his sack this weekend.

Montez Billings has emerged as a great option for Cox. Im sure Rod Smith is grateful for the attention taken off him.

Speaking of emerging, Cox has brough himself out of the depths since Miss St and is playing great. 18-28 for 199, 2 TDs, 0 INTs against LSUs D is impresive. And yet again another last minute go ahead drive, even though we lost. If there was another minute left I have no reson to doubt that he would do it again.

The Kodi Burns situation is getting retarded. Everybody now knows that when he comes in he will run a quarterback draw to the right out of bounds for two yards. I like what they started to do against Florida throwing to him in the flats for a possible trick play. They need to let him come in for a series and run the offense, which includes throwing. It will only help him. If all else fails on a dropback, he can scramble for 20 yds instead of 2 on the draw.

This coaching situation with TAMU is both silly and scary. I have heard so many scenarios. Finebaum, of course is leading the parade with the Tubby will leave blah blah blah. I, along with every other Auburn fan would love to buy Phillip Marshall's view that he would never leave, but Im sure any Ole Miss fan would tell you not to fall for that. Even funnier situations that Ive heard are 1) Saban has no buyout so hed go to TAMU for a pay raise. 2) Ive heard Les Miles is gonna be gone after this year no matter waht at LSU and they are going to hire Steve Spurrier (crazy, I know, even though Miles has proven to be an idiot with is prayer agaisnt us with no time left). Theres also the Miles to Michigan rumor. The rumors are good and plenty. While I hope that Auburn is left out of the coaching carousel come seasons end, I cant help but wonder who they would go after if it actually happened. My vote would be for Will Muschamp or Bobby Petrino. Just a thought.

War Eagle!

All I can say is WOW

That was awesome. Me and some other fellas rented an RV and left Auburn around lunchtime. We arrived around 6, parked, and set up shop. We watched USF dominate WVU in a game in which there were 10, yep count em, 10 turnovers. So right off the bat, Auburn started to look better. We went out to a bar called "The Swamp" afterwards, to be pleasantly surprised that half the bar was filled with Auburn people. Yells/cheers were traded and the usual talking of trash. Although the women in Gainesville dressed a little on the trashy side (there was a midnight run in which the3 runner wore only underwear, wow) and the men wore enough gel to clog every drain in the state of Florida (it looked like a Backstreet Boys audition) Id say that 90% of the fans were very classy and polite. We tailgated in the RV lot next to a fella named Jim, who talked endless shit about Auburn being gay and Florida having more beautiful women, which was easily refuted once a few UF girls came by and we pointed out that Tebow kissed his roommate. But, all the usual remarks aside, he was a nice guy and offered anything we needed as newbies RVing. Saturday, we watched Corso and Herbstreit claim that UF would win and win big. We knew right away, that was the kiss of death and Florida had no shot (plus Corso was a nice shade of burnt orange, what foreshadowing). We then watched Miss St lead USC for a little while and give them a scare. Again, Auburn looking better. Then we watched Mark May, the only ESPN analyst who realizes Auburn's talent and has some respect for us (he picked us to win last year) said that Auburn could stay in it. Shortly thereafter, Lou Holtz goeth on a rant thaying that Florida wath too good and Auburn had ath much a chanth to win ath he did to be elected thenator of Florida. What an idiot, this is the SEC, Lou, teams rarely win by 19 points. . .especially when that team has an outstanding defense. 

Credit the guys at theauburner for this one

Anyway, we started the 2 mile trek to the stadium (yep, 2 miles). The campus is huge, and we saw no one tailgating unless they were a block away from the stadium. Whereas in Auburn, every inch of campus has tailgaters. It makes for a better atmosphere. I was impressed with the number of AU fans there. Tiger walk was good, the entire band was there too. Florida Field was pretty nice, the stadium was big, however the tiny-trons (they weren't near big enough to have jumbo as the prefix) looked as old as the guy leading the oldest cheer before the game. 

Once the game began, as I'm sure everyone else saw and experienced, that was not the AU team we have seen all season. I don't know where they came from, but I'm glad they showed up. They help UF to a 3 and out, only to drive the field and score on the first possession. The stadium wasn't as loud as I had expected it to be, for obvious reasons. I felt like the Auburn fans were pretty loud. After the game we went back to the same bar, where most of the Florida fans were once again classy and polite.

Other random game thoughts:

-Cox was back to his old self again. His stats: 17-26, 227, 0. He was 5/5 on the 1st drive and 10/12 in the first half. You cant ask for much better than that.

-Rod Smith was impressive, especially running after the catch and keeping his feet inbounds when he had to. He caught 9 for 102. AU receivers don't go for 100 in a game too often. It was also nice seeing Billings make some big grabs

-Fannin and Tate ran well. Only setback was Tate fumble, which happened after and extremely nice run up the middle.

-The freshmen O-Linemen are ridiculous. The holes were definitely there all night. Tommy Trott even had some nice blocks.

-The Defense, once again was amazing. Our DBs had superb nights tackling in the open field. Our D-Line got great penetration. Marks blocked a FG, had a big TFL in the redzone. Lee had a nice interception and FF. Chris Evans was all over the place, and Tray played well despite being hobbled by his ankle. It was a very solid effort by Muschamp and his D.

-It hurts to lose Davis and Groves. Davis is out for the season but Q will be back for LSU. 

-I really think Coach Tuberville won the game from us with his arguing the catch off the punt. The defense fed off of his anger, and in turn lit up the UF offense fro a - 6 yds in 3 p0lays and got the ball back to the offense for the game winning drive. That should be up for Pontiac Game Changing Performance (go vote), even though Byrum's kick will suffice

-It was great to see them bring back the wheel route to Stewart. That's been a big play for us in recent years.

-Last but not least, Wes Byrum, wow. What can you say about this kid. He kicked the game winner from 43 yds out twice!. He has ice water running through his veins. 18 yrs old, in a big time pressure situation and he delivers twice. We plucked this kid out of Florida (he was the #1 kicking prospect in the nation). That was one he will remember for a while, as will the fans. 

 

This was a big win, and big turning point for the team. They have a chance to turn things around. I'm not claiming that we will win out, but these last 2 games have built the confidence we've been lacking. WAR EAGLE!

Well...

I'm really not quite sure how it happened. There were several things that happened during this game that got me excited. But ultimately, I was left disappointed and utterly shocked. As good as our defense is, their strong suit is not the first drive of the game. Thinking back to each game, we have kicked off first and surrendered some sort of points to each team. Perhaps we might consider receiving first next time. Cox's first pass attempt bounces off the hands off our 6th year senior TE and into the hand of a Miss St defender for a pick six. That hurts. On the ensuing drive, and a throw into triple coverage later, Auburn has now turned the ball over twice. 

Enter Kodi Burns. If you weren't paying attention as to why the crowd cheered so extremely loud, you'd have thought Superman made an appearance. Although the offense was different and over simplified, Burns was very impressive. He ran like a champ, his throws were there, and he sparked a dull offense. Its pretty clear who our best TE is now. Bennett had the deflection-INT and a big holding call, and Trott dropped a huge 3rd down conversion that was right in his hands-Im talking it might as well have gone right into his pocket. Burns lead Auburn to 2 second quarter TDs to go ahead 14-13 at the half. When MSU scored a late TD, Cox was brought in to lead us down the field...and that he did (good for him), all the way to the 9 for a 1st and goal. At this point is where things get blurry for me. It is kind of beyond me as to why this team couldn't score from the 9. The hard part was over. Going down the field, drive 80+ yards was the tough part. Scoring from the 9 in 4 tries should be easy.

Anyway, I was glad for Cox that he took us down the field, even though we didn't score. I'm pretty sure that booing your starting QB is something a Bama fan would do. Again, I was impressed with Burns. Some good news: we racked up over 300 yards on offense for the 1st time in several games going back to the GA game last year, maybe further. Our running game is good, and so is our defense. Apparently, Quentin Groves admitted to going for the big play (sack) too much and was getting out of our defense. Good for him, I look for our D to continue to get better (If that's possible).

Its going to be interesting to see how the QB situation plays out. I don't know what to think.

Mario Fannin is great, he just needs to hold onto the ball. Ben Tate has been nothing but solid. I cant wait until Tristan Davis returns. Similarly, welcome will be the sight of Lester lining up in the backfield. My confidence in Robert Dunn as a returner and a good receiver keeps building. I'm holding judgement on the WR corps just yet, as the game plan didn't give the new rotation (Smith, Dunn, Hawthorne) a chance to shine. 

It will also be nice to have our starting FS, CB, and MLB back. they've all been out for 2 weeks now. Our defense has been great considering. I think a convincing win over NM State will help this team bounce back and help jump start them going into a tough road and SEC schedule. I cant really gauge and future expectations at this point. I will say War Eagle anyway, and its still better than being a bammer.

Once again

The guys at TheAuburner never disappoint.

Super Mario Fannin

Tough to swallow

There's a lot of things for one to point at as a reason that the Tigers lost last nights game. A lot of people will wanna place the blame on the shoulders of Brandon Cox. I'm struggling with this one. Some I'm going to present 2 views; both positive and negative.

Positive

The Auburn defense is friggin STOUT. In the 3rd quarter it held USF on 12 straight downs inside the red zone to ZERO points. ZERO. They played 90% of the game without 4 starters. USF's supposed big time offense was pretty much held in check.

This Auburn team does not panic when they get behind. For the second straight week, they came back from behind, this week from 11 points back. That's a sign of a big time program.

Wes Byrum is a stud. 6/7 on the year with a long of 49. Impressive for a true freshman. This guy is our biggest recruit last year as far as impact goes.

Mario Fannin finally got some carries and was impressive. At one point he trucked his own offensive 300 lb O lineman (Antwon Daniels, who I later saw exiting the field with a trainer). Completely ran him over. 

Our receivers aren't half bad. Gabe McKenzie is money. He's had a big year thus far.

Ive been impressed with our DBs. All of them tackle really well in the open field when they break down.

Negative

It is completely ridiculous, in my opinion, that our kickers should have to make any tackles on punts or KO's. Byrum tweaked his ankled against K-State, and Shoemaker dislocated his elbow last night. The kick coverage setup USF's tying field goal allowing a 59 yd return into AU territory. 

As i said coming from behind to take the lead and not panicking was the sign of a big time program, another sign is keeping and extending a lead and not sitting on it...

Further related to that issue, is the tackling philosophy of this team. What happened to breaking down, wrapping up, and tackling through the opponent? Everyone now wants to "run into" the ball carrier, and fly around like a bunch of pin balls. Sure, sometimes it may work or even be necessary, but it doesn't work most of the time.

The offense does not have an attacking mentality. They just don't seem to want it (aside from those like McKenzie, Fannin, and maybe a few others). The plays run have been conservative and vanilla.

Brandon Cox has shown that he is a good quarterback. That's why his play has been so perplexing. He is a proven winner (20-6 as a starter) but he did not play well last night, or last week. The entire game he telegraphed his every pass, by locking on to his primary receivers and rarely looking elsewhere. He threw into double and triple coverage over and over again (resulting in 2 INTS). He also fumble on a QB sneak on a 4th down attempt. We cant place all the blame on him. But Im wondering what is up, because Ive seen him play incredibly (see 2005). Overall he made a lot of questionable decisions. I also know that I have no idea what its like to be in his shoes. But where will the line be drawn if play continues the way it has. This is a tough spot for coaches to be in. Its hard to bench a senior QB who has won a lot in the past. But if it keeps going this way, something needs to be done. I want him to turn it around and do well. It'll be great for him and the team, but if it doesn't happen, Id hope a change would be made. 

Our receivers and Tommy Trott dropped several passes.

I wonder why we ran the clock out when a few passes would've gotten us in field goal range...Byrum certainly showed he could've hit it.

So there are my thoughts. Its a frustrating loss. We should've won the game. Of course, USF missed 4 field goals. If they had made one of them, they would have won in regulation. The bottom line is that our offense needs to improve. We need to let Borges loose and start attacking. Quick drops from Cox are effective. Lets let our receivers gain some of our yardage. Keep the 1-2 punch of Tate and Fannin (hopefully Lester if he can return) going. It will open up our pass game. Lets see some trickeration. We need some flash. When we gain momentum on defense, instead of coming out and running, lets throw to the end zone. Each week, we get more and more predictable. I always tell my buddies sitting with me, we should throw a fade into the end zone here, and I always get the response, "you do know this is Auburn right?" Teams have found out that blitzing makes us fall apart. Try Kodi Burns as a change up every now and again. Something needs to change. To the defense: keep doing what you're doing. You can play with anyone in the country.

Man oh man

Well..that didn't quite go the way any of us expected. But when the offense woke up with 4 minutes to go in the game, they got it done. As expected, the defense played lights out. Groves is about as clutch as they come. The atmosphere at Jordan-Hare was great. I do love a good night game. We have another late one next week (8 PM CST). Anyway here are some things that stood out to me:

Welcome back the the world of catching the ball, Mr Rodriguez. Prechae was a big factor last night with 6 catches for 70-something yards, several of which were clutch 3rd down conversions.

Cox can take a beating. He got hit over and over again, but he continued to come back and make plays when we needed them. He had a very mediocre day, but when it counted, he was a winner.

Ben Tate payed well despite the lack of any holes to run through. Lester was missed more than I thought he would be. His quickness and explosion through the hole is a luxury. I was surprised that Fannin didn't get a carry, but I'm sure we will see him soon.

Tristan Davis was also missed on KO returns. Cant wait till he returns

Byrum and Shoemaker were spectacular. Bryum was 3/4 on field goals...apparently kicking with a sore ankle. Shoemaker averaged 42 ypk. Not bad for a couple freshmen.

Robert Dunn had a nice punt return to set up a field goal in the 3rd.

Gabe McKenzie had several key catches. Our tight ends are superb.

Tray Blackmon was flying around the field. He missed the 2nd half (ankle) but should be back this week. All the linebackers played well.

Jerraud Powers played a great game.

Looking ahead to next week, I have no clue what to expect. I haven't seen Grothe and South Florida play. I keep hearing they are the real deal. I still think Auburn will win. Our defense can keep us in any game. 

Woohoo

In my mind, its officially game week and I couldn't be happier than a bammer player with an ice cream cone. Is it just me or does the Bama team have a problem with player arrests? They've had now 5 or 6 arrests this summer, with no apparent punishment. Sure, Saban claims that he is handling it all in house, but it seems an arrest warrants at least a one game suspension. Perhaps I feel that way because I'm used to Tuberville. There's no arguing that the players know if they screw up, they will not play. (Ask Tray Blackmon)

Anyway, K State comes to town this week. As always the visiting teams fans will receive a warm reception as well as learning what football and tailgating is all about. I wish that I could say the same for the K State players. Their welcome from the Auburn players will not be as pleasant. In all honesty, I fear for the lives of the Wildcat offense. Tray Blackmon hasn't been able to hit anyone that is not on his team in a really long time. Whomever he layeth his wrath upon first will likely go into cardiac arrest.

For instant chills, watch this:

My thoughts from preseason camp are as follows:

Chris Slaughter catches everything. He may only be 170 lbs soaking wet, but he will eventually be a BIG factor.

Jerraud Powers has exceeded any expectations I had for him. He has had a spectacular camp. Look for him to have an All SEC season.

The Running Back U tradition continues. Honestly I have no clue which back I'd play.

Cox has been sharp, and surprisingly mobile. He is probably the most important player on the team.

Our D-Line and TEs are among the top 3 in the country as units.

Our defense is gonna be stout.

My outlook on the first game is that it has the potential to trip us up, but the players and coaches know it. The chip on their shoulder from being overlooked is big and heavy. I fully expect both sides of the ball to play lights out. I'm hoping they beat the 'cats like a red headed step child. I think K State is a good program. They will stay close for half a quarter until AU shakes of the rust and explodes to victory, 42-13. War Eagle, Ill see you all on Saturday.

Theres a tingling sensation running down my spine

Jordan Hare Stadium in NCAA 08


Im sure you all feel it. Its the sensation that one gets when football season is lurking. Today, marks the unofficial start of football season with the SEC media days. So in the spirit of the greatest sporting season known to mankind, I shall take a look at Auburn's depth chart and schedule, providing an attempt at a realistic view.

First, lets look at the offense

QB
Starter: Brandon Cox, SR
Backup(s): Tray Blackmon, RS SO

Ok, so Tray Blackmon obviously doesnt play QB. Its a good way of describing how great the backups are. I thought I would put someone back there who will make a play if put in a dire situation. Who wouldnt like to see Tray running the option, pitch to a RB and then lead block for him? Count me in. Going back to the actual backups, I do exclude Kodi Burns from the lack of talent. Im torn with this guy. I, personally, have not watched him practice. I hear many good things though. I would love to see him win the backup job, and play in some situations a la Tebow. But, then again, his talent excites me so much that Id like to see him redshirt so that we have 4 years to play him. (another thing to consider is dual threat QB Deron Furr has committed to sign with AU, I like where this is going). Anyhow, going in to Two-a-days, I assume Blake Field will begin as the number 2, to be taken over by either Burns or Caudle.

RB
Starter: Brad Lester, JR
Backups: 4 Horsemen of he Apocalypse
(aka Ben Tate, SO/Mario Fannin, RS FR/Tristan Davis, JR/Enrique Davis, FR)

We are loaded at RB. Period. Honestly, I feel bad for Coach Gran and Coach Borges. Chosing which running back plays and how often is gonna be a chore. All these guys could start at big name schools. We have lester who scores 1 TD every 10 times he touches the ball. Then there is Ben Tate, who has Bo Jackson Jr written all over him. He is big, fast, and strong. He catches, runs up the middle, over defenders, around them, etc. Next we have Mario Fannin. I had the pleasure of seeing him in the final scrimmage. All I will say is that he is gonna be rediculous. Tristan Davis, making a glorius return to the offense, will add some lightning speed. If he can improve at all the fundamentals, he will be just as good as he rest. As far as Enrique Davis goes, I dont know much about him, but should he live up to hiss billing, we will have a good young back. He should be redshirted though with the depth we have.

FB
Starter: Carl Stewart, SR
Backups: Mike McLaughlin, JR/Danny Perry, SR/Tate or Fannin

Carl Stewart is a stud that gets little recognition from outside his teammates and coaches. This guy, like all the other RBs, could start at RB anywhere else. Plus he looks like he can eat you for lunch. McLaughlin and Perry should be able to provide ample run blocking. Tate and Fannin can get in on the action in the 2 back sets playin the hybrid "F - back" position.

WR
Starters:
Rod Smith, JR
Montez Billings, RS SO
Robert Dunn, JR
Backups:
Tim Hawhorne, RS FR
Terrell Zachary, RS FR
Chris Slaughter, JUCO transfer
Alex Rose, RS FR
Prechae Rodriguez, SR
James Swinton, JR

These guys, saving Smith, are a bunch of untested, unexperienced bad asses. Billings had a great spring. Look for Hawthorne, Zachary, Slaughter (pending NCAA clearance) and company to get plenty of experience this year. They might be half decent. Every publication Ive read about them wont give them any shred of hope. I think they will surprise everyone.

TE
Starters:
Cole Bennett, RS SR
Tommy Trott, RS SO
Gabe McKenzie, RS SO
Backups:
Brent Slusher, FR
Bailey Woods, FR

Probably the best group of tight ends in the nation. Bennett returns with a medical redshirt to add experience and leadership for the exremely athletic Trott and McKenzie.

OL
King Dunlap, SR
Leon Hart, SR
Jason Bosely, JR
Tyrone Green, SR
Andrew McCain, JR
Backups: Too many and too inexperienced to name

These guys are a question mark heading into preseason. From what I hear, they are playing pretty solid. We have some freshmen that might get a look, most impressive of which is Ziemba. The starting lineup may look a little different come Sept. 1st. But, looking at last year, despite talent, the play of the big uglies as a unit has no where to go but up.

Defense

DL
Starters:
Quentin Groves, SR
Josh Thompson, SR
Pat Sims, RS SO
Sen' Derrick Marks, RS SO
Backups:
Antonio Coleman, SO
Tez Doolittle, SR
Mike Blanc, SO
Michale Goggans, SO

Quentin Groves is easily the best player on the defense, maybe the team. He brings the kind of leadership and selflessness to this team that will make a big impact on everyone around him. Marks was moved to end from the inside allowing Sims to get on the field. Overall, this group is very solid. Look for Quentin Groves to have an All American year, ending up as Auburn's career sack leader.

LB
Starters:
Craig Stevens, RS FR
Tray Blackmon, SO
Merrill Johnson, JR
Backups:
Steve Gandy, JR
Chris Evans, SO
Courtney Harden, SO

Although some might consider these guys a big question mark. The Auburn faithful know better. Anchored by "The Little Ball of Hate" this unit could be nothing short of spectacular. I fear for opposing offenses, becasue I know its only a matter of time before Tray Blackmon kills someone.

CB
Starters:
Pat Lee, SR/Jonathan Wilhite, SR/Jerraud Powers, SO
Backups:
Walter McFadden, SO/Zach Gilbert, SR

I dotn have much to say about these guys. Wilhite used to impress me, but had a lackluster season in 06. Jerraud Powers show promise. Im empcting a lot of rotating of players. I jut dont know much about them.

S
Starters:
Eric Brock, SR
Aarion Savage, SO
Backups:
Michael McNeil, FR
Zac Ethridege, RS FR

Savage and Brock are solid. Both are good hitters. Word on the street is that Freshman Michael McNeil is ready to play. He is big, fast, and like to hit.

Special Teams
K Wes Byrum or Ross Gornall
P Ryan Shoemaker
KR Tristan Davis and Mario Fannin
PR Mario Fannin

As far as kickers go, who knows how they will turn out. Gornall won the battle in the spring, but the position will be wide open next week. Byrum supposedly has a good leg. Shoemaker will be soild. Look for the return game to be one of the best in the nation once again. Tristan Davis will return a few all the way this year. He is due big time. He led the neation in return yardage last season.

Now a look at the schedule.

K-State I think Auburn wins easily, showing normal first game rust
South Florida Mark Slabach of ESPN, surprsingly picke SF for this one. I think not. It might be semi close, but Auburn wins. I saved the link from Slabach's story to rub it in his face.
Miss St. Win, no explanation neccessary
Mew Mexico St Win
Florida This one is tough. Playing at the swamp will be no cakewalk. But all the talent Florida lost last years makes me think Auburn can hang. Ill call it a Loss, but I think its a winnable game.
Vandy Even though they have some talent and will play hard, AU wins
Arkansas Very winnable. McFadden will get a taste of Blackmon. That will make for an intersting matchup: Manchild vs Manchild. I say AU triumphs
LSU Another tough road game. Winnable. Call me crazy, I think we win
Ole Miss Win
Tennessee Tech Not even gonna address this one, that doesnt mean the team shouldnt.
Georgia Its in Athens, so AU will win
Bammer All this tlk about Bama being back, but no one has seen them play or win a game yet. Only time will tell if they have the ability to break the streak. We can always expect them to play hard, but Im confident in that the game is in Auburn, and that we have more talent and less thugs who have been kicked off the team, AU gets the 6th straight.

That gives a 11-1 record. Be advised that this could be a 9-3 or 10-2. Less than 10 wins is a disappointment to me. This team has the talent to go to Atlanta, it just needs some luck in staying healthy and being the right situation at the right time, which ios true of every team, each year. No one is talking about Auburn this year, which makes me think they will over acheive, as they like being the underdog. Sooner or later this "dont rank me high" outlook has got to go and the team has to want high expectations from someone other than coaches and actually deliver. Thats when we become elite.


Also, I saw this picture earlier this summer of the new jumbo-tron being installed. Thats more like it!

Bammers are funny

Here's a funny story for you. Im living and working in Charleston, SC this summer. Its a great place, very classy, dignified, and beautiful. I have very much enjoyed living here, although I miss Auburn and Im ready to be back for some Auburn football (its good for the soul).

Anyway, this past Friday evening at midnight, I was at Books-A-Million for the midnight release of the final Harry Potter book (laugh if you want). Keep in mind, that for the summer, I have briefly escaped all of the "Bama's Back", "Got Saban?", yatta yatta yatta running of mouths. In its stead, has been a small amount of educated and well informed discussion of South Carolina football(and Auburn football in return) and SEC football in general. I have run into a few Florida fans, and when they find out my allegiance to the greatest school of all time, they immediately spout out their supposed greatness. I of course reply with a deflating stab of "who beat Florida last year? without any offensive touchdowns? Oh yeah, that was Auburn." Some of them throw out the "oh we got screwed, that called fumble was crap..." but most of them just kinda crawl back into the fetal position and say "yeah yeah". But for the most part, every Carolina, Florda, and SEC fan here has been pleasant to discuss football with. Ive tried not to be rude to Carolina fans, giving them their due for playing us exceptionally hard last year, as I have no reason to be rude to them.

But back to the story: I was in line at the book store, and who should end up behind me, but a large man who over hears me saying I was from Alabama. He then proceeds to tell me and the young lady whom I was speaking to that there is nothing good to do in Alabama. I answer with a quick, "not where Im going back to, I love Auburn." He replies, saying that he is an Alabama fan. A mixture of resentment and nausea swept over me, as I knew what was coming. He asked me how he thought "that new coach" would do. I told him how that coach did, was not of any concern to me, or any Auburn fan. It only matters one day a year.

He also went on telling me of the various memorabilia and Bear Bryant paraphernalia he had in his place of living (which Im sure must've. been a double wide). After his ramblings, which I tried my best to tune out, I asked if he went to UAT (knowing good and well the answer and I didnt even have to ask) to which he responded with a No. I fought every urge to make a clever comment about sidewalk alumni and I even left out the fact that we have won 5 straight over Bammer. By this time, I had reached the counter, where I received my book. It just made me laugh, you can always count on the to find a way to slightly taint such a nice place. No matter where I go, and how the place Im in changes, Bammers are all the same.


** Disclaimer** I am fully aware that there are educated Bama fans who can actually have a well informed discussion of anything. This story is mainly to confirm that there are those stereotypical Bammers, and they are everywhere, in large quantities.

Cody's runs

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This is the most amazing, ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Its like Tre Smith (only in the Bama game in 2002) on acid. This is PEE WEE football. Note to Tommy Tuberville: offer him a scholarship NOW.

Thoughts

Recently, there was an article out about Auburn's refusal to schedule big non conference opponents. I agree that Auburn has been pretty weak in this area. Our non conference games in the last few years: Citadel, LA Monroe, Ark St, Tenn Tech, La Tech, Tulane, etc. During football season I would wonder why non SEC games were so dull. Bingo, the light comes on. The most exciting non conference game recently I have experienced was last year's opener vs. WSU. I think most of the excitement came from ESPN and being the first game. We easily handled the cougars. If I think back further, the opener vs USC in '03 was pretty exciting, that is until the game started. While I see some improvement in scheduling with home and home series with West Virginia and Clemson in the coming years, and a slight improvement in caliber of teams (South Florida, New Mexico St, Kansas St.), they are still easy wins and uninteresting games for me as a fan. Sure, we lost big to USC in '03, but we almost beat them in LA in '02 with 2 freshmen starting at receiver, a sophomore Cadillac (who struggled with cramps) and an awful JUCO QB in Daniel Cobb. Give me a road opener vs a team that has done something. Tennessee opens with Cal, Arkansas played USC and soon Texas, Florida has Florida St and Miami, USC plays Notre Dame, etc. The bottom line is that the top tier, widely respected teams play top tier, widely respected teams. Until Auburn nuts up and decides to play some of them, we will never get the respect we feel that we deserve. Until then, all we really have to look forward to this year are untelevised home games at 1:30 PM against crappy teams that will send the crowds home early in the 4th quarter and likely will not gain any exposure or highlights on ESPN. We are banishing ourselves the the scroller at the bottom of the screen while Ohio St., Texas, USC and others alike get all the TV time, highlights, and gameday visits. Honestly, Im tired of these early afternoon snoozers. I want to go to a night game that is on TV and yell so hard that I get a migraine every week, not just when we play LSU or Florida or Bama. Every game should feel like the Auburn Florida game last year. It was the most intense, exciting, deafening game Ive ever been a part of and its one of my fondest memories as a student and Auburn fan. If we want gameday to come to Auburn, we need to give them more than just one chance when we play LSU or 'Bama. I always complain about no respect, but now Im thinking Ill quit complaining about ESPN and start with the Athletics Dept. The reality is that other than our SEC games, we do nothing to earn any respect. When I turn on Sportscenter, I dont like to see highlights of LSU murdering Tulane. I dont think other fans want to see Auburn handling the Citadel (not that there is any tape of it anyway). Its time to stop blaming ESPN and pollsters, and start looking inward.

Excuses (Scott)

If there is one thing I hate most in sports, it is excuses. (Actually I hate flopping to draw offensive fouls in basketball more, but for emphasis I will exaggerate [lie], and elevate excuses to number one.) Winning is expected – regardless. Losing is offensive – regardless. College football coaches are notorious for the amount of excuses they offer every year. Each football season I have to listen to coaches talk about their lack of experience, loss of seniors, tough schedule, difficulty in finding quality opponents, rule changes, …. The list goes on forever. Tommy Tuberville is no exception. Last year the Tigers finished 11-2, which is a good record; however, it was not good enough to take the Tigers to Atlanta, in my opinion a disappointment. The team played well pretty often, and I am proud of a lot of the games they played. Never-the-less, they loss two games they could have won. The team could have gone undefeated, no excuses.

First I need to address Auburn’s non-conference schedule. I have discussed this at lengths before, and I will continue to do so. It is embarrassing. Washington State is an average team. It has never been more than an average team. They are a team that finishes with a decent record, but is rarely a threat to win the PAC-10. The other teams were: Buffalo, Tulane, and Arkansas St. All pathetic. Whenever talking about Auburn scheduling I hear an unbelievable preponderance of excuses. There is a great variety but they break down into two categories. The first attempt to excuse our non-conference schedules is to deny the problem. People brought up Washington State as if that silenced the issue. There is some saying about one rotten apple not affecting all the other apples. I ignore clichés so I can not recall it to memory, but the inverse of the proverb is equally true, one decent apple does not exculpate all the rotten ones. For this years upcoming season I already hear fans speaking in a manner that I assume only intends to deceive themselves – fans talking as if Kansas State or New Mexico State might give Auburn trouble. That is ridiculous. Auburn might play down to one of those teams, and keep it close for a little while, but neither team has any shot to win. If you honestly believe that either team has a decent chance to win next year, then as a fan you should get your sack clothe and ash ready, because you believe Auburn will be terrible. Some say the non-conference is not an issue because Auburn plays such difficult conference games. Yes there are difficult conference games every year, but let us not be so snobbish as to believe that every SEC team is a great team. This year Auburn will play Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss. More often than not, Arkansas is mediocre, and Houston Nutt will find a way to completely destroy every bit of success they enjoyed last year. Sure, there are tough conference games, but scheduling a quality opponent, will not create a schedule so difficult that the entire season is hopeless. In fact, losing a non-conference game is far more forgivable than losing to an SEC opponent. The sooner Auburn teams and fans stop worrying about the elusive “national championship” and start winning attainable SEC championships, the more respect Auburn will have around the country. Attempting to preserve the undefeated season is not worth boring the fans with games against Southwestern North Dakota State Community College.

The second excuse, one that Athletic Directors love to deliver, is that they tried, but no team wanted to play. As if every team in the nation is deadly afraid of Auburn. The last few teams Auburn scheduled home and home games with fared pretty well (Georgia Tech, USC, Syracuse). If teams like Texas and Ohio State can play each other, then Auburn can find championship contenders to play. The truth is that the Athletic Dept. is either to lazy to do the legwork to find quality opponents, or unwilling to make the necessary away game – both unacceptable. I have heard the argument that fans (especially ones donating large sums of money) would rather have more home games. This is not logical. No sane person would rather get up to watch Auburn play Tennessee Tech in person than watch Auburn play Oklahoma on television. If that person is a rich contributor, all-the-better, they can afford to travel to the game. Play a home-and-home series with a championship contender, and play no Division I-AA teams, no excuses.

At the end of last season, Auburn won a News Year Day Bowl, went 11-2, and had beaten the “national champion.” Yet listening to Tuberville, one would have been amazed we scraped together a win against Tulane. Unless you believe the LSU and Florida games were enormous flukes, then Auburn was at least capable of beating any team. Yet Tuberville would have us understand that we should be incredibly thankful that the team did not play embarrassingly worse. There was a time when coaches gave players credit for winning and took blame for losing (see most articles quoting Bear Bryant after win or loss); those days are over, and coaches are now too media savvy, too self-promoting, and too easily fired. They are able to, enjoy doing, and need to take credit. It is difficult to justify a several million dollar yearly salary. What I could only wish hearing last year was, “Good season, but could have been better. It will be next year.” Do not justify losing or patronize fans, no excuses.

This year I am already trying to acclimate and desensitize myself to the inevitably upcoming excuses. ESPN has recently rated Auburn’s schedule as the fifth toughest, and expect Hugh Nall to say at least 37,905 times that the line is inexperienced (which is true). Yes we lost a lot of linemen last year, and a lot of other players, but so did every other team in the nation. That is the nature of college football. Every player leaves in a few years. Despite this great teams are expected to be good every year, not once in every four years. If this seems impossible to you as a coach, then you should let it be known that you have no intention of being a great team. It should be no surprise that great teams are great because they constantly bring in great recruits. There have been plenty of teams with rosters of underclassmen to play great. Losing experienced players is unavoidable. Attract great recruits, no excuses.

As to this year’s aforementioned difficult schedule, get over it. Auburn has won in Georgia, LSU, and Florida before. Auburn has lost in Auburn before. Home field is valued at only a few points by the guys in Vegas who get paid to know more about football than you and I. Unfortunately, the schedule will cause many people to doubt Auburn’s chances this year, and some coaches will inevitably bring it up to justify a record, if it disappoints. For fans like me who vomit up the excuses that coaches feed us each year, Will Muschamp is a coach after our own hearts. “I don’t care where you play, it’s tough,” he recently said when asked about this year’s schedule. “The schedule is an excuse. I don’t care. I don’t want to hear it.” Just win, no excuses.

Whats the Difference between Auburn and Alabama?

Auburn agrees to pay 92.5 million for a new basketball arena, Bama agrees to pay 92.5 million for a liar.

Im excited about the new arena. It is scheduled to hold 9600 fans and was modeled after Duke's facility. It looks awesome, and the eye sore that is Beard Eaves Memorial Coliseum will be demolished eventually. The new arena follows campus aesthetics and wont look like a typical cylindrical basketball facility.War Eagle

Wow

My Hidden Affair (Scott)

I know this will come as a shock considering I have lived in the state of Alabama my entire life, but I watch the NFL. (I also watch the NBA religiously, but don’t let that get out – they lynch people around here for that.) My favorite team has always been the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like Auburn, Pittsburgh is traditionally a defensive minded team, with a run first offense, but to someone like me the two teams are nothing alike.

First I need to say that I hate offense. For the most part I can be counted on to hate everything exciting, entertaining, or generally attractive in football. I hate long passes; I hate trick plays; I even hate shotgun formations. Defense is the name of the game. I’m the kind of guy who gets my linebacker to win the Heisman in college football video games. Despite a similar team personality, defensively speaking Auburn and Pittsburgh have been night and day, giving me a peculiar split-personality. For the most part I can always count on Auburn playing hard nosed 4-3 man-to-man defense. Sure the occasional cover 2 or cover 1 from the safeties is to be expected but nothing too out of the ordinary. Who needs fancy tricks when superior athleticism and execution do the trick?

For a guy like me, Pittsburgh’s defense is like a guilty pleasure. In the 80s 3-4 defense was all the rage (NFL coach’s for the most part all do the same thing, they’ve practically all been running the same offense since Bill Walsh, and the whole league gets caught up in the same fads and trends); eventually most of the teams went back to the tried and true 4 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers, 4 defensive backs. Pittsburgh however, didn’t, and consistently had one of the best defenses in run stopping and pass rushing all throughout the nineties. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau made the “zone blitz” famous. So on Saturday conservative old Scott proudly watched his beloved Tigers stifling teams with 4-3 man, while a day later (on the Sabbath no less) I would secretly revel in the exciting 3-4 zone defense of Steel Town.

Perhaps the most important feature of the 3-4 is that on standard defensive plays you want to rush 4 men; ordinarily these would be the 4 defensive linemen, however with only 3 down linemen, the extra rusher comes from any one of the 4 linebackers or in rare occasions one of the defensive backs. The effect is that the quarterback does not know where all the rushers are coming from. Usually the defense plays in a zone relying on a quick and unpredictable pass rush to prevent the quarterback from exploiting holes in the zone (in the scheme speed and strength in the front 7 can make up for lack of speed in the secondary). See how the Steelers frustrated Peyton Manning in the 2006 NFL play-offs. Manning who has a made a career out of being able to read defenses and react, could not tell what the Steelers were doing.

Ok, Scott, you’re oddly obsessed with defenses, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that when Will Muschamp came to Auburn, it was hinted that he would bring a few 3-4 packages. My Auburn Tigers? 3-4? I didn’t really take it too seriously. When David Gibbs was at auburn he tried to use a system that would occasionally switch a linemen to a linebacker similar to what Bama did under Joe Kines’ defense. I think the system was a little too confusing, and we did not really employ it that much. Then Gibbs was gone a year later. Muschamp comes in and word on the proverbial street is to watch out for Quentin Groves to play linebacker in some 3-4 sets. Again, it was rare to see it in any important game situation.

However, now with a year under his belt I’m told to watch out for the Muschamp’s 3-4 again and I am getting scared. The 3-4 is the flashy woman I sleep with when I am away on business, but despite my unfaithfulness, I always love and come back to the 4-3. I know I can count on her. Of course my infidelity could remain a secret for only so long, and the football gods may be punishing me for the rest of my life. I’ve had to suffer through Tuberville running fake punts and attempting fourth down conversions, and whatever other football debaucheries he conjures up, but now the sanctity of the defense I have counted on for so long may be violated. A second middle linebacker will be running through the holy of holies.

I honestly do not expect to see the Tigers spend too much time in the 3-4, but Scott Looney favorite Sen’Derrick Marks has been moved to defensive end. In the 3-4 defensive ends are generally built more like defensive tackles as only 3 linemen are expected to engage 5 offensive linemen, so his presence at the end would be extremely valuable. Also we possess linebackers capable of playing zone coverage or rushing through offensive lines (Tray Blackmon can run through any offensive line and most brick walls), and the aggressive pass rushing will take some heat off our suspect secondary. My only fear is the ability to maintain the interior run defense, which is the obvious potential weakness when you take away one of the defensive tackles.

In conclusion, getting the best 11 players on the field regardless of position and not letting dogmatic conventions get in the way of in game adjustments is the best defensive philosophy. I expect to see Auburn stay, for the most part, showing the same defense it always has, but I’m coming to terms that I will see some zone, and I may even see an extra linebacker. Part of me will be abhorred, but deep in my football id I will be aroused, and I may even come to terms with my repressed desires. Just don’t expect me to like fake punts.