Auburn Tigers.
My DARK HORSE of ALL DARK HORSES LAST YEAR. I thought that the Tigers were finally going to put an offense on the field and be a complete team with new offensive coordinator and pre-season Alabama God Tony Franklin. However the Chic-Fil-A overtime victory which displayed such offensive prowess at the end of the 2007 campaign showed signs early in the 2008 season but faded quickly as they faced SEC caliber defenses. Some might point to the struggles beginning for the Tigers at home against the defending national champion LSU Tigers. With the lead at the end of the game, a FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK led the Bayou Bengals to take down the Auburn Tigers and leave a feeling of uncertainty within the team. However, I feel the downfall occurred the week before. At Mississippi State the Auburn Tigers were abysmal. Unable to take advantage of any Bulldog miscues the Tigers offense continued shooting the selves in the foot and just squeaked out with a rugged 3-2 victory. Such a small margin for victory showed their next opponent (LSU) how to beat an Auburn team which was trying to run the spread offense without the right personnel to do so. Following the loss to LSU, the Tigers beat a offensively anemic Tennessee team and then went on a 4 game losing streak to strip the Tigers of any chances of doing anything spectacular in the 2008 season. The last straw for the Tigers was a humiliating defeat to the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 34-0. Football is taken very seriously in Alabama and although Tommy Tubberville had led the Tigers to an undefeated mark, won a few SEC West titles, that one loss and one bad season cost him his job. Now with a new coach the Tigers look to rebound back to typical Tiger form---defense, defense, defense…..however, it may take some time.
OFFENSE
At the SEC media day in July new head coach Gene Chizik was asked if he has the players to run his style of offense and defense. His answer,” You know, there's a fine line in there between putting in exactly what you would like to do on offense and defense and, you know, trying to adapt and adjust to the talent and the skill level that you have. And I think that's what really defines a great coach.” So, to read between the lines, NO! he doesn’t have the people in Auburn this year to run the offense and defense. Chizik will need to rely on a upper class his upper class back field for leadership. Entering the season junior Kodi Burns will be at the helm at quarterback. Burns threw for just 1,050 yards last season with 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was sharing time with Chris Todd who is out for the coming season with an injury. What should help Burns is a “back to basics” Auburn offense. Nothing flashy, just cut-throat pound it football. The Tigers will rely on senior running back Ben Tate to control clock and give Auburn the an attitude they lost last season. Entering the season Tate is helped by an offensive line that has tons of experience. The receiver position is typical for Auburn this year as they have no real standouts but should better than last year their top three receivers and tight end are upper classmen.
At the SEC media day in July new head coach Gene Chizik was asked if he has the players to run his style of offense and defense. His answer,” You know, there's a fine line in there between putting in exactly what you would like to do on offense and defense and, you know, trying to adapt and adjust to the talent and the skill level that you have. And I think that's what really defines a great coach.” So, to read between the lines, NO! he doesn’t have the people in Auburn this year to run the offense and defense. Chizik will need to rely on a upper class his upper class back field for leadership. Entering the season junior Kodi Burns will be at the helm at quarterback. Burns threw for just 1,050 yards last season with 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was sharing time with Chris Todd who is out for the coming season with an injury. What should help Burns is a “back to basics” Auburn offense. Nothing flashy, just cut-throat pound it football. The Tigers will rely on senior running back Ben Tate to control clock and give Auburn the an attitude they lost last season. Entering the season Tate is helped by an offensive line that has tons of experience. The receiver position is typical for Auburn this year as they have no real standouts but should better than last year their top three receivers and tight end are upper classmen.
Defense
Auburn is known for defense. Last year Tommy Tubberville attempted to change the offense schematically to create a dominated multi-faceted team. But this didn’t work; the offense struggled mightily and forced the defense to be on the field so much that they were bound to make mistakes. Last year’s defensive line was inexperienced and can only get better. Last year they allowed 4.1 yards per carry. This year those rushing totals should decrease due to an upper class line that is riddled with experience. The line backing core isn’t a traditional “hit them in your mouth” styled backers. They replace their Will backer with sophomore Eltoro Freeman and lack size, Together the linebacker average 229 pounds which is undersized for a school which prides themselves on power backers. The corners will be much improved from last year and should be the highlight for the Tigers. Auburn returns all their starters from last year and should shut down the top passing teams in the conference.
Auburn is known for defense. Last year Tommy Tubberville attempted to change the offense schematically to create a dominated multi-faceted team. But this didn’t work; the offense struggled mightily and forced the defense to be on the field so much that they were bound to make mistakes. Last year’s defensive line was inexperienced and can only get better. Last year they allowed 4.1 yards per carry. This year those rushing totals should decrease due to an upper class line that is riddled with experience. The line backing core isn’t a traditional “hit them in your mouth” styled backers. They replace their Will backer with sophomore Eltoro Freeman and lack size, Together the linebacker average 229 pounds which is undersized for a school which prides themselves on power backers. The corners will be much improved from last year and should be the highlight for the Tigers. Auburn returns all their starters from last year and should shut down the top passing teams in the conference.
SEASON PREDICTION
With an easy early sleight the Tigers have an ability to start the season 4-0 heading into Knoxville. However, the West looks very tough this year and that is where the Tigers will struggle. After Tennessee, they must travel to Arkansas, host Kentucky and travel to Baton Rouge and then host Mississippi. I have them losing 4of 5 down that stretch. After a break (Furman), the Tigers face Georgia in Athens and finish the season against Alabama, another two losses. Due to the hot start, Auburn should finish the season bowl eligible in Gene Chizik’s first season but the fans will not be satisfied with fifth place in the West and another loss to the Tide.
6-6
With an easy early sleight the Tigers have an ability to start the season 4-0 heading into Knoxville. However, the West looks very tough this year and that is where the Tigers will struggle. After Tennessee, they must travel to Arkansas, host Kentucky and travel to Baton Rouge and then host Mississippi. I have them losing 4of 5 down that stretch. After a break (Furman), the Tigers face Georgia in Athens and finish the season against Alabama, another two losses. Due to the hot start, Auburn should finish the season bowl eligible in Gene Chizik’s first season but the fans will not be satisfied with fifth place in the West and another loss to the Tide.
6-6
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