Auburn plays well in tough loss to Bama

Auburn Tigers 2009 ... Head Coach: Gene Chizik

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2009 Record: 7-5

9/5 Louisiana Tech W 37-13
9/12 Miss State W 49-24
9/19 West Virginia W 41-30
9/26 Ball State W 54-30
10/3 at Tennessee W 26-22
10/10 at Arkansas L 44-23
10/17 Kentucky L 21-14
10/24 at LSU L 31-10
10/31 Ole Miss W 33-20
11/7 Furman W 63-31
11/14 at Georgia L 31-24
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 Alabama L 26-21

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2008 Record: 5-7

8/30 UL Monroe W 34-0
9/6 Southern Miss W 27-13
9/13 at Mississippi St W 3-2
9/20 LSU L 26-21
9/27 Tennessee W 14-12
10/4 at Vanderbilt L 14-13
10/11 Arkansas L 25-22
10/18 OPEN DATE 
10/23 at West Virginia L 34-17
11/1 at Ole Miss L 17-7
11/8 UT Martin W 37-20
11/15 Georgia L 17-13
11/22 OPEN DATE 
11/29 at Alabama L 36-0

Auburn Tigers

Nov. 27
Alabama 26 … at Auburn 21
Greg McElroy connected with Roy Upchurch on a four-yard touchdown pass with 1:24 to play to cap off a run of 12 unanswered points in Bama’s comeback win over Auburn. The Tigers had one last shot, but the Hail Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone. Auburn started out red hot with Terrell Zachery taking a reverse 67 yards for a touchdown and converted a successful onside kick with a one-yard Eric Smith scoring catch. Alabama tied it at 14 with a two-yard Trent Richardson run and a 33-yard Colin Peek catch, but the Tigers hit a home run to start the second half on a 72-yard Darvin Adams touchdown to take its final lead of the game. Mark Ingram was held to 30 yards on 16 carries.
Player of the Game: Alabama QB Greg McElroy completed 21-of-31 passes for 21 yards and two touchdowns, and CB Javier Arenas made seven tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. He also returned two punts for 67 yards and returns a kickoff 45 yards.
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 15-25, 181 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrell Zachery, 1-67, 1 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 4-138, 1 TD
Alabama: Passing: Greg McElroy, 21-31, 218 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Trent Richardson, 15-51, 1 TD, Receiving: Julio Jones, 9-83
What It All Means: Auburn played its best defensive game of the season, while the offense pulled out every trick out of its bag. However, once Alabama adjusted, and the game settled down, the Auburn offense wasn’t able to come up with much else. The final minute-plus was awful, and the coaching staff that won the first 35 minutes, lost the last 25, and that was the difference. Even so, this was a nice performance over a possible national champion, but that doesn’t mean much of anything around Auburn. You either win the Iron Bowl or you lose it, and now Gene Chizik is 0-1.

Nov. 14
at Georgia 31 … Auburn 24
Caleb King ran for fourth quarter scores from 11 and 24 yards out and the defense held as Auburn had a late chance throw into the end zone as Georgia became bowl eligible. The much-maligned Bulldog defense got a big play from Bacarri Rambo late on a big hit on a pass play, but he was knocked out and was carted off the field on a stretcher. The Tigers got up 14-0 on two Chris Todd touchdown passes, but Georgia game back on a 50-yard Israel Troupe touchdown catch to spark a 17-point run. After taking a late 24-17 on King’s first scoring run, Auburn responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a score from Demond Washington. After holding on the ensuing drive, Auburn got the ball back with all the momentum, but a Reshad Jones interception led the way to the second King touchdown.
Player of the Game: Georgia LB Rennie Curran made 12 tackles
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 20-28, 238 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 20-67, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 6-90
Georgia: Passing: Joe Cox, 9-17, 173 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Washaun Ealey, 18-98, 1 TD, Receiving: A.J. Green, 3-19 
What It All Means: Auburn played an even game with Georgia on the road, but couldn’t get the offense going late while the run defense struggled in the end. Over the next two weeks to prepare for Alabama, the defense has to come up with some new ideas in a hurry against the run or else Mark Ingram is going to cement a Heisman victory with a huge game on national TV. Also, the offense will have to connect on more big pass plays, and QB Chris Todd has to be deadly on his mid-range throws. He was 20-of-28 against Georgia, but he threw two picks. He can’t afford to make those mistakes.

Nov. 7
at Auburn 63 … Furman 31
Auburn’s offense was unstoppable in the first half getting out to a 42-3 lead helped by Chris Todd to Darvin Adams touchdown connections from six, 23, and 41 yards out, and Ben Tate ran for two short scores. Auburn put in all the backups and Furman was able to come up with 28 second half points helped by two short Jerodis Williams runs, but it Anthony Gulley scored on fourth quarter runs from 13 and 50 yards out to keep the blowout going.
Player of the Game: Auburn QB Chris Todd completed 17-of-18 passes for 256 yards and four scores
Furman: Passing: Chris Forcier, 4-4, 96 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tersoo Uhaa, 11-41, 1 TD, Receiving: Adam Mims, 5-27
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 17-18, 256 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Harry Adams, 5-77, 2 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 6-115, 3 TD
What It All Means: It’s never a bad thing for a passing game to get a live tune-up, and the Tiger quarterbacks were nearly perfect with Chris Todd and Neil Caudle combining to complete 27-of-30 passes for 373 yards and four scores. Getting to seven wins is nice, but this win won’t matter much without a win at Georgia to prove that the Tigers are the real deal. Of course, it’s all about the Alabama game in a few weeks, and if the passing game can stay crisp, that could be interesting. The offense will have to be nearly perfect to pull off the upset, and this game might go a long way to improving the timing.

Oct. 31
at Auburn 33 … Ole Miss 20
Ole Miss scored first on a seven-yard Andy Hartmann touchdown catch, and then it was all Auburn. The Tigers went on a 31-point run with Chris Todd hitting Darvin Adams for a 28-yard touchdown pass and Kodi Burns connecting with Tommy Trott from 14 yards out, and then the defense got into the act with Walter McFadden taking an interception 29 yards for a score. Ben Tate capped off the run with a 53-yard scoring dash, but Ole Miss responded with an 82-yard kickoff return for a score from Jesse Grandy. The Rebels made it interesting with a 79-yard touchdown run from Dexter McCluster, but the Tiger defense held firm for the last 21 minutes.
Player of the Game: Auburn CB Walter McFadden made five tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions taking one 29 yards for a touchdown
Ole Miss : Passing: Jevan Snead, 16-35, 175 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 22-186, 1 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 7-105
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 12-22, 212 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ben Tate, 25-144, 1 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 4-68, 1 TD 
What It All Means: And now everyone can exhale. After a rough few weeks in losses to Kentucky and LSU, the offense worked again with Chris Todd having a mistake-free game throwing it and Ben Tate running well when he had room to move. The defense gave Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead a tough day with plenty of pressure, while Walter McFadden took advantage of the chances to make big plays. With Furman up next before dealing with Georgia and Alabama, there’s time to get some more work in before the season-defining games down the stretch.

Oct. 24
at LSU 31 … Auburn 10
LSU got two touchdown passes from Jordan Jefferson, one from 14 yards to Terrance Toliver and one from 17 yards to Brandon LaFell, and he ran for 15-yard score as part of a 24-0 LSU lead. Auburn finally got on the board with a 24-yard Wes Byrum field goal in the third, but Russell Shepard ended any comeback hopes with a 69-yard dash. The LSU defense held Auburn to 193 yards forcing three turnovers and coming up with four sacks. Auburn got into the end zone with three seconds to play on a one-yard Philip Lutzenkirchen catch.
Player of the Game: LSU QB Jordan Jefferson completed 21-of-31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 12 times for 26 yards and a score.
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 8-14, 47 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 18-67, Receiving: Eric Smith, 3-31
LSU: Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 21-31, 242 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Russell Shepard, 6-71, 1 TD, Receiving: Terrance Toliver, 9-86, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Uh oh. This is the third straight game that the offense has sputtered and coughed, and with Ole Miss up next, the once promising breakthrough season has suddenly taken an ugly turn. Chris Todd got nothing going down the field on the LSU secondary, while the Auburn running game went nowhere. LSU’s offense wasn’t doing much of anything until this week, and now Auburn has to face a heating up Ole Miss attack.

Oct. 17
Kentucky 21 … at Auburn 14
Running mostly from the Wildcat formation, Randall Cobb ran for 109 yards with a four-yard touchdown run to give Kentucky the win. On a cold night, Auburn never heated up with just 215 yards of offense and ten penalties (Kentucky didn’t commit any) and got one of its touchdowns on a Neiko Thorpe 69-yard blocked field goal return. Ben Tate gave Auburn a 14-7 halftime lead on a one-yard run, but it was all Kentucky in the fourth quarter with Will Fidler, who came in to replace an ineffective Morgan Newton at quarterback, running for a two-yard score the drive before Cobb took over the game. The two teams combined for 20 completions on 47 passes for 170 yards.
Player of the Game: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb ran 12 times for 109 yards and a touchdown and he caught a pass for 12 yards
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 10-24, 80 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 31-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Terrell Zachery, 4-24
Kentucky: Passing: Morgan Newton, 5-13, 39 yds
Rushing: Derrick Locke, 19-126, Receiving: Chris Matthews, 2-30
What It All Means: All of a sudden, Chris Todd has become human and the offense has started to struggle. The Tigers didn’t seem to wake up again after the uneven and ugly loss to Arkansas, and with LSU up next, the offense has to be much tighter and Todd has to be far better. He only completed 10-of-24 passes, and while the running game did its job with Ben Tate having another great game, there wasn’t any help. Kentucky didn’t commit any penalties, while Auburn was nailed with ten for 76 yards. Keeping Todd clean is step one next week, while the running game has to continue to crank out yards. The defensive line had one of its worst games yet, but there’s still plenty of time to improve and help out the running game again. LSU can’t run and the front seven has to take advantage. 

Oct. 10
at Arkansas 44 … Auburn 23
Arkansas had the machine humming getting up to a 20-0 lead and was never threatened the rest of the way. Ryan Mallett threw three touchdown passes and ran for a four-yarder on the way to a 34-3 advantage, but Auburn tried to make a run with Ben Tate touchdown runs from one and 60 yards away, to go along with a three-yard Ontario McCalebb touchdown to make it closer in the third. Arkansas put it away with ten points in the fourth. Arkansas held on to the ball for 38:27 including 10:11 in both the first and fourth quarters.
Player of the Game: Arkansas RB Michael Smith ran 18 times for 145 yards and a score, and he caught a pass for 12 yards.
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 15-28, 133 yds
Rushing: Ben Tate, 22-184, 2 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 3-24
Arkansas: Passing: Ryan Mallett, 24-37, 274 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 18-145, 1 TD, Receiving: D.J. Williams, 6-57, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The Auburn offense was fine when it was on the field. The Arkansas offense was able to eat up the clock and control the game, while the three fumbles from the Tigers didn’t help the cause. The key now is to not be demoralized; everything is still working. The running game blasted the hogs and Chris Todd has to get past the rocky passing performance. Can the team bounce back and show that the first five games weren't a fluke? Next week's game against Kentucky is vital with LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Alabama still to deal with.

Oct. 3
Auburn 26 … at Tennessee 22
Wes Byrum hit four field goals and Ben Tate ran for an 11-yard score as Auburn got up 23-6 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee got its offense in gear too late as Montario Hardesty took a pass 62 yards for a touchdown, and Daniel Lincoln hit a 26-yard field goal to make it a seven point game, but Byrum’s fourth field goal, a 22-yarder put it away. The Vols bombed away for 79 yards in the final few seconds with a 32-yard Denarius Moore touchdown coming with no time left on the clock to make the score closer, but the Tigers controlled the game. Rico McCoy and Eric Berry combined for 30 tackles for the Vols.
Player of the Game: Auburn RB Ben Tate ran 25 times for 128 yards and a score and he caught two passes for 17 yards.
Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-43, 259 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 21-90, 1 TD, Receiving: Gerald Jones, 7-75
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 19-32, 218 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ben Tate, 25-128, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Fannin, 6-25 
What It All Means: Raise your hand if you thought Auburn would be 5-0 at this point. Once again, the offense showed tremendous balance, with 224 rushing yards and 235 through the air, and the defense did its job for three quarters to make it an easier win than the final score might indicate. Ben Tate cranked out yards in chunks and Chris Todd didn’t make any big mistakes, and it’ll be even more vital to not give away any easy turnovers over the next two weeks in winnable games against Arkansas and Kentucky. The tough games are still to come, but a 7-0 Auburn would go into the final five games as confident as any team in America.

Sept. 26
at Auburn 54 … Ball State 30
Ball State recovered a fumbled punt and turned it into a two-yard MiQuale Lewis touchdown run for a 7-0 lead, and then it was all Auburn as Chris Todd threw five touchdown passes including two to Terrell Zachery from 46 and 65 yards out in the second quarter. The Tigers finished with 560 yards of total offense and got up 40-10 early in the third quarter before letting up. The Cardinals scored 13 points in the fourth quarter helped by two of Ian McGarvey’s three field goals and a Kelly Page one-yard touchdown pass to Zane Fakes.
Player of the Game: Auburn QB Chris Todd completed 19-of-26 passes for 287 yards and five touchdowns.
Ball State: Passing: Kelly Page, 16-28, 101 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Eric Williams, 11-59, Receiving: Briggs Orsbon, 7-35
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 19-26, 287 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Onterio McCalebb, 8-83, 1 TD, Receiving: Terrell Zachery, 5-122, 2 TD
What It All Means: Now the Tigers can throw, too. The running game dominated the first few games, and Chris Todd took over against Ball State and showed the other side of the Auburn attack. It’s time to give the team and the program more credit. The win over Mississippi State looks better and better, and going 4-0 with the nation’s No. 3 scoring offense is more than the fans could’ve dreamed of after Gene Chizik was hired. Now let’s see if the thing works on the road. Tennessee might not be very good, but it has a defense. 

Sept. 19
at Auburn 41 … West Virginia 30
After a rain delay, Auburn overcame an early 14-0 deficit, made by Noel Devine touchdown runs from one and 71 yards, with six turnovers and five interceptions. Darvin Adams caught three touchdown passes and Mario Fannin took a pass 82 yards for score on the way to a 34-30 Auburn lead in the fourth quarter, and then the defense took over. Three interceptions in three possessions ended up turning the tide of the game the Tigers’ favor. Devine also added a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Player of the Game: Auburn LB Josh Bynes made 12 tackles with an interception
West Virginia: Passing: Jarrett Brown, 18-32, 221 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Noel Devine, 15-128, 3 TD, Receiving: Jock Sanders, 12-115, 1 TD
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 16-31, 284 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 19-75, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 6-80, 3 TD
What It All Means: Auburn proved how versatile it could be. The running game that carried the team over the first two games was shut down, and Chris Todd came through with an effective passing day. Basically, players stepped up on both sides of the ball to get the win. While there will be concerns after having so many problems with the West Virginia offense, it was a victory that last year’s team wouldn’t have had the firepower to come up with.

Sept. 12
at Auburn 49 ... Mississippi State 24
Auburn ripped off 390 rushing yards, but it was Kodi Burns who got the gravy with three scores and just 32 yards. The Tigers appeared to on their way to an early blowout on a one-yard Burns run and a 20-yard Antonio Coleman interception return for a score, but MSU came back with 17 straight points including a one-yard Anthony Dixon scoring run and a blocked punt for a score. And then it was all Auburn with Burns connecting with Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 13-yard score and Onterio McCalebb tearing off a 48-yard touchdown run as part of a 28-point run to put the game away.
Player of the Game: Auburn RB Ben Tate ran 20 times for 157 yards and a touchdown.
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 10-23, 186 yds
Rushing: Ben Tate, 20-157, 1 TD, Receiving: Darvin Adams, 5-116
Miss State: Passing: Chris Relf, 5-11, 77 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 20-92, 1 TD, Receiving: Leon Berry, 4-60
What It All Means: Without making much national noise, the Gus Malzahn offense has been fantastic. The passing game struggled against Mississippi State, but the running game was dominant no matter who was carrying the ball. Last week it was Onterio McCalebb the star, and this week it was Ben Tate. Kodi Burns added another wrinkle to the mix when Chris Todd was struggling, but the ground game made the shootout a laugher. If the Tigers can get by West Virginia, they'll be 4-0 (with Ball State to follow) before dealing with Tennessee.

Sept. 5
at Auburn 37 ... Louisiana Tech 13
Auburn came up with 556 yards of offense highlighted by a 93-yard touchdown from Terrell Zachery. Chris Todd threw two touchdown passes, while the running game rolled for 302 yards with Kodi Burns and Onterio McCalebb each running for short scores. Louisiana Tech hunt around for three quarters, helped by a 19-yard Dennis Morris grab, but Auburn stayed ahead comfortably with a 17-yard Darvin Adams scoring grab.
Player of the Game: Auburn RB Onterio McCalebb ran 22 times for 148 yards and a score.
Louisiana Tech: Passing: Ross Jenkins, 18-33, 149 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniel Porter, 17-56, Receiving: Phillip Livas, 5-43
Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 17-26, 255 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Onterio McCalebb, 22-148, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Fannin, 8-82
What It All Means: The Gene Chizik era got off to a rousing start, and more than anything else, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn showed just how much he's worth. The offense that did absolutely nothing last season got 301 rushing yards and 255 through the air as Chris Todd appeared to be a natural under center and Onterio McCalebb and Ben Tate ran extremely well. Don't dismiss this as merely a win over Louisiana Tech; this is a good Bulldog team with a defense that could end up leading the way to big things in the WAC. This was as impressive as Tiger fans could've asked for.