2006 Auburn Tigers

2006 Auburn Tigers Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Jan. 1
Cotton Bowl
Auburn 17 ... Nebraska 14
Auburn managed just 178 total yards and did absolutely nothing in the first half, but scored on a Carl Stewart nine-yard catch and a one-yard run converting off a fumbled fake punt attempt and an interception return deep into Husker territory. Nebraska dominated the first half getting a 13-yard Nate Swift touchdown catch and a 20-yard Brandon Jackson scoring run, but was shut out in the second with the passing game struggling to get moving. Auburn's offense wasn't much better, but it did just enough to get a 42-yard John Vaughn field goal. The Huskers had a chance late, but chose to go for it on fourth and 11 instead of a long field goal. Zac Taylor's pass went out of bounds, and Auburn had the game in hand.
Player of the game ... Auburn CB David Irons made three tackles, one tackle for loss, and broke up one pass that led to the early interception. He also did a great job of putting the clamps down on the Husker receivers.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 10-21, 111 yds
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 24-72  Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 6-70
Nebraska - Passing: Zac Taylor, 14-25, 126 yds, 1, TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Marlon Lucky, 25-88  Receiving: Marlon Lucky, 6-67
Notes & Thoughts ... Quarter by quarter game notes ... It wasn't exactly the prettiest Cotton Bowl. Auburn finished up its season with 11 wins despite the lack of a consistent offense, while Nebraska ended with two major disappointments in losses in the Big 12 title game and now in the Cotton. ... Nebraska's offense seemingly pulled out every play in the book, but it didn't seem to matter. The receivers couldn't get open against the speedy Auburn defensive back seven, while the running game wasn't used enough in the second half to take control. ... As soon as Auburn got out of the first half tied, it seemed like it was going to be its day. It's hard to play that poorly, get that thoroughly dominated and come away tied. ... Brandon Cox had a better second half than the stats will show, while Zac Taylor struggled to get anything going. ... Nebraska didn't necessarily get outcoached, but it was almost like the Bill Callahan and his crew tried to hard and outthought itself. There were several bizarre, ill-timed, and curious play calls.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 11-1 2005 Record: 11-2 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	Washington St W 40-14
9/9	at Miss State W 34-0
9/16	LSU W 7-3
9/23	Buffalo W 38-7
9/30	at So Carolina W 24-17
10/7	Arkansas L 27-10
10/14	Florida W 27-17
10/21	Tulane W 38-13
10/28	at Ole Miss W 23-17
11/4	Arkansas State W 27-0
11/11	Georgia L 37-15
11/18	at Alabama W 22-15
1/1	Cotton Bowl Nebraska W 17-14

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 9-2 2005 Record: 9-3 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	Georgia Tech L 23-14
9/10	Miss State W 28-0
9/17	Ball State W 63-3
9/24	W. Kentucky W 37-13
10/1	South Carolina W 48-7
10/15	at Arkansas W 34-17
10/22	at LSU L 20-17 OT
10/29	Ole Miss W 27-3
11/5	at Kentucky W 49-27
11/12	at Georgia W 31-30
11/19	Alabama W 28-18
1/2	Capital One Bowl Wisconsin L 24-10

Nov. 18
Auburn 22 ... Alabama 15
David Irons picked off a John Parker Wilson pass on the Auburn 39 to seal the Tigers' fifth straight win over Alabama. Brad Lester and Kenny Irons ran for touchdowns in the second quarter capitalizing off turnovers, and Prechae Rodriguez caught a 22-yard scoring pass in the third to go ahead for good. The Tiger defense forced four turnovers, but gave up a 52-yard touchdown catch from Nikita Stover and a 13-yard Travis McCall score to take a 15-14 lead in the third quarter. Alabama outgained Auburn 364 yards to 261.
Player of the game ... Auburn DE Quentin Groves made seven tackles, two sacks, and forced two fumbles.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 6-14, 137 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 19-85  Receiving: Rodgeriqus Smith, 3-55
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,18-33, 252 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 16-48  Receiving: Nikita Stover, 5-101, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Yeah, maybe Auburn won it's fifth straight Iron Bowl, and that's all the fans will talk about for the next year, but it masked another bad performance by the offense. Brandon Cox, who doesn't look healthy, was awful with too many misfires, while Kenny Irons rarely got moving. Thank goodness for the defense that gave the offense good enough field position to capitalize. Even with all the problems, ten wins from an SEC team, no matter how it got them, is impressive in any year. It might not be a national title year, or even an SEC West championship season, but this has been a successful season no matter how it's measured.

Nov. 11
Georgia 37 ... Auburn 15
Georgia's defense stuffed Auburn's offense holding it to 171 yards and picking off Brandon Cox four times. Tra Battle came up with three interceptions taking one 30 yard for a touchdown, and Matthew Stafford had his best day as the starting quarterback with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Kregg Lumpkin and a nine-yard scoring run to put the game away. Lumpkin also ran for an eight-yard score and Brannan Southerland ran for a one-yard touchdown on the way to a 24-0 first half Bulldog lead. Auburn scored on a 21-yard Brad Lester run and a 34-yard touchdown pass to Rodgeriqus Smith, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the mistakes.
Player of the game ... Georgia DB Tra Battle made 2.5 tackles, broke up a pass, and picked off three passes taking one for a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 4-12, 35 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Courtney Taylor, 2-51. Receiving: Rodgeriqus Smith, 1-34, 1 TD
Georgia - Passing: Matthew Stafford, 14-20, 219 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kregg Lumpkin, 21-105, 1 TD  Receiving: Martrez Milner, 3-41
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Well there goes that. The SEC title dreams are now all but shattered after the ugly loss to Georgia, and the national championship and BCS hopes were blown away by an awful game from Brandon Cox. Could the poor performance be blamed on having three straight layups that the team didn't have to try in? it's hard to just turn it back on again after going through the motions for almost a month. Cox hasn't found his groove all season long, while a banged up Kenny Irons, has never been right. There can't be the slightest amount of sulking or the season can really become a disaster with a loss at Alabama.

Nov. 4
Auburn 27 ... Arkansas State 0
Courtney Taylor caught a 13-yard touchdown pass and John Vaughn hit two field goals in the first half on the way to a 13-0 lead, and then Carl Stewart pounded in two touchdown runs in the third quarter. ASU only gained 86 yards in the first three quarters before the the Tigers emptied their bench. Auburn rolled up 300 yards, but turned it over four times preventing it from being a bigger blowout.
Player of the game ... Auburn QB Brandon Cox completed 12 of 21 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 12-21, 251 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 11-93. Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 4-116, 1 TD
Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard, 9-17, 61 yds
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 11-37  Receiving: Kevin Jones, 4-34
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... At some point, Auburn has to come up with a good all-around performance. Even against Arkansas State, there were four turnovers, seven penalties, and an apparent lack of focus. The starters on defense went through the motions and shut down the Indians, but with so many starters stepping in and out of the lineup to get some rest, there has to be come concern about consistency with Georgia and Alabama coming up. It seems like we have yet to see Auburn's offense at its best.

Oct. 28
Auburn 23 ... Ole Miss 17
John Vaughn hit three second half field goals, Brandon Cox threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Rodgeriqus Smith and Brad Lester ran for a six-yard score to hold off Ole Miss. Rebel quarterback Brent Schaeffer threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Lilly, but his two interceptions led to ten Tiger third quarter points to take command of the game. The Rebels started off the scoring with a 27-yard Mico McDwain touchdown run.
Player of the game ... Auburn QB Brandon Cox completed 21 of 34 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 21-34, 253 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 23-106. Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 8-108
Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer, 8-16, 161 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 13-44  Receiving: Robert Lane, 2-78
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Auburn did its best to keep Ole Miss in the game with turnovers, penalties, dropped passes, and a variety of poor plays to screw things up. Fortunately, the defense played better than it'll probably get credit for. Oh sure, the Tigers moved the ball, and Kenny Irons and Brandon Cox had big games, but there needs to be far better execution next week against Arkansas State to prepare for the final two showdowns against Georgia and Alabama.

Oct. 21
Auburn 38 ... Tulane 13
Freshman Ben Tate played in place of a banged up Kenny Irons and Brad Lester with 156 yards and a one-yard touchdown, while Brandon Cox threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers in the rout. Lester started the scoring with a two-yard run, but Tulane answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Damarcus Davis. Then Cox took over while the defense only allowed two Ross Thevenot field goals and forced three turnovers.
Player of the game ... Auburn RB Ben Tate ran 26 times for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 16-19, 212 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ben Tate, 26-156, 1 TD. Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 5-63. 1 TD
Tulane - Passing: Lester Ricard, 20-39, 283 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Matt Forte, 21-117  Receiving: Preston Brown, 9-139
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Auburn was able to play an unfocused, average game without its star back, Kenny Irons, and still beat Tulane with ease. There's no reason to try to look into all the yards the Tiger D gave up; it stiffened when it had to. Ben Tate showed how good the future of the running game might be, and now he might get more and more work to keep Irons and Brad Lester fresh. If Brandon Cox didn't have hit best game of the year, it was a close second with no mistakes while doing a great job on third downs.

Oct. 14
Auburn 27 ... Florida 17
In a tale of two halves, Florida dominated in most of the first half scoring easily with a big Percy Harvin run leading to a 16-yard Tim Tebow scoring run and Dallas Baker making a brilliant 15-yard touchdown catch on the way to a 17-8 first half lead, and then Auburn turned up the defensive pressure. The Tiger pass rush couldn't be stopped in the second half with Gator QB Chris Leak rushing his throws and making mistakes, with the biggest a controversial slip on what was ruled a fumble, even though his arm appeared to be going forward, leading to a 34-yard John Vaughn field goal. Tre Smith turned a blocked punt into a touchdown and Patrick Lee returned a fumble 20 yards for a score with no time left on the clock.
Player of the game ... Auburn DE Quentin Groves made four tackles, three sacks, forced a fumble and had two quarterback hurries
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 18-27, 182 yds
Rushing: Brad Lester, 17-94. Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 5-37
Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 9-17, 108 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 5-66  Receiving: Dallas Baker, 4-62, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The Auburn defense unleashed its speed and fury better against Florida than it had all season long with the second half turning into a breathtaking display of the Tiger pass rushing ability pressuring Chris Leak into mistakes. The offense got a good, pounding effort late from Brad Lester to make up for the lack of production from Kenny Irons. Irons doesn't appear to be running with the same burst of the same spark he had last year; he's too tentative. This might not be enough to get Auburn back in the national title hunt quite yet, but it was a key victory to get back in the SEC race.

Oct. 7
Arkansas 27 ... Auburn 10
Arkansas got off to a 10-0 lead thanks to a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Monk, and then the running game and the defense did the rest of the work with Darren McFadden tearing off a 63-yard touchdown dash, and Felix Jones, who ran for 104 yards, ran for a one-yard score set up by a quirky trick play with Reggie Fish kneeling next to QB Mitch Mustain and taking a hand-off for a 25-yard run. Auburn managed a 24-yard Rodgeriqus Smith touchdown catch and a John Vaughn field goal in the second quarter, but the offense was held to 212 yards for the game and couldn't get anything generated in the second half.
Player of the game ... Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran 28 times for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 17-29, 153 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 15-75. Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 5-34
Arkansas - Passing: Mitch Mustain, 7-10, 87 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 28-145, 1 TD  Receiving: Felix Jones, 3-8
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It almost seemed like Auburn panicked against Arkansas. Once the Hog running game started to work, the Tigers pressed a little too much on both sides of the ball and abandoned Kenny Irons. Give the Arkansas defense credit for keeping Irons under wraps, and for controlling the game with the ground game, but Auburn needed to get the ball more to its star, and it needed a better game from its offensive line. Brandon Cox was under too much pressure and Irons didn't get enough room. Now the team needs to gear the emotion back up with Florida coming to town next week.

Sept. 28
Auburn 24 ... South Carolina 17
Auburn had to hold on late as South Carolina drive stalled on the five-yard line after a broken up fourth down pass in the end zone to Sidney Rice. In the homecoming for Auburn Kenny Irons, who began his career at USC, he pounded in two one-yard touchdown runs with the second coming on the first play of the fourth quarter to cap an amazing start to the second half. Auburn took up 8:35 on a 17 play drive leading to a John Vaughn field goal, recovered an onside kick, and then held on to the ball for the rest of the third quarter. South Carolina owns the fourth with a long drive of its own going 93 yards in 15 plays culminating in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jared Cook. Syvelle Newton threw two touchdown passes for USC for the first touchdowns scored this year by an SEC team against the Tiger defense.
Player of the game ... Auburn RB Kenny Irons ran 27 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 13-19, 180 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 27-117, 2 TD. Receiving: Tommy Trott, 3-31, 1 TD
South Carolina - Passing: Syvelle Newton, 21-35, 240 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Syvelle Newton, 20-44  Receiving: Kenny McKinley, 8-110, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Auburn didn't exactly need to be pushed with the win over LSU just two weeks ago, but the win at South Carolina will only make the team stronger. It was a tough battle with the Gamecocks coming up with a surprisingly solid offensive performance, and the Tigers survived with timely defense and a fantastic call by the staff to get the onside kick that allowed the offense to hold on to the ball for all 15 minutes of the third quarter. QB Brandon Cox wasn't always sharp, but he did a great job under pressure and was excellent at spreading the ball around. On the negative side, the defense has to figure out how to close things up on the other side of CB David Irons, or Florida will throw at will in the showdown two weeks from now.

Sept. 23
Auburn 38 ... Buffalo 7
Auburn went through the motions, but still had few problems with an overmatched Buffalo squad as Brad Lester ran for two short scores and Ben Tate tore off two fourth quarter touchdown runs. Buffalo only gained 198 yards of total offense and scored ones on a five-yard Evan Wallace catch in the third quarter. Kenny Irons sat out for the Tigers.
Player of the game ... Auburn RB Brad Lester ran 18 times for 83 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 12-21, 111 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: James Starks, 20-66 Receiving: Chad Upshaw, 4-63
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 6-10, 134 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ben Tate, 7-114, 2 TD  Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 3-48
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Auburn took the Buffalo game off, and there's nothing wrong with that. There was never any question the Tigers were going to win, so it was a great chance to get Kenny Irons some rest and get the backups some meaningful work before diving back into the SEC schedule. The coaching staff will be certain to get on the team's first half effort since this should've been over in the first half, and it's not going to be happy with the seven penalties. In the end, it's hard to argue with an easy win, 7.2 yards per carry, and a ten of 14 day from the quarterbacks.

Sept. 16
Auburn 7 ... LSU 3
Auburn survived a tough, hard-hitting battle holding on twice with a controversial late deflection by Eric Brock to stop one drive, after the officials picked up the flag after calling pass interference, and a big hit on Craig Davis on the six-yard-line as time ran out. Auburn got a one-yard Brandon Cox quarterback sneak for a touchdown in the third quarter to cap off a 12-play, 75-yard drive. LSU got its only score on a 42-yard Colt David field goal as time ran out at the end of the first half. Auburn only gained 182 yards of total offense, LSU gained 309.
Player of the game ... Auburn DB Eric Block made four tackles and broke up one pass to stop LSU's final two drives.
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 20-35, 267 yds
Rushing: Justin Vincent, 6-16 Receiving: Craig Davis,7-94
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 11-20, 110 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 25-70  Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 3-22
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Don't read too much, if anything, into Auburn's lack of offense against LSU. These were two teams, and two defenses, playing at the highest level. Auburn got the one big drive to get the points it needed, and the defense did the rest. The Tiger D (the Auburn version, did a fantastic job of keeping the LSU running game from not going anywhere, while the back seven kept short to midrange passes from turning into long gains. There won't be a letdown against Buffalo next week, but the momentum of this has to somehow carry over to the road trip to South Carolina in a few weeks.

Sept. 9
Auburn 34 ... Mississippi State 0
Auburn used several weapons to overcome the tough Mississippi State defense that keyed on stopping Kenny Irons. Brad Lester ran for touchdowns of two and 20 yards and Brandon Cox threw two touchdown passes including a 20-yard touchdown to Rodgeriqus Smith late in the third quarter. Mississippi State only managed 161 yards of total offense, but got big days on defense from LB Quinton Culberson (10 tackles) and DT Deljuan Robinson (7 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, one sack).
Player of the game ... Auburn WR Courtney Taylor caught nine passes for 103 yards
Stat Leaders: Mississippi State - Passing: Tray Rutland, 12-25, 82 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 15-69 Receiving: Omarr Conner, 6-49
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 18-27, 249 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 21-69  Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 9-103
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Mississippi State was never going to pose too much of a challenge unless its defense rose up and forced several Auburn mistakes. Brandon Cox was efficient and rock-solid, and Brad Lester made plays he needed to with the MSU D keying on Kenny Irons. After two games, Auburn has to be happy with how it's playing going into the LSU showdown. The offense is doing what it needs to, and the D is doing a great job of generating pressure.

Sept. 2
Auburn 40 ... Washington State 14
Auburn struggled early to convert drives into touchdowns with four John Vaughn field goals, the longest from 52 yards, keeping Washington State in the game, and then Brandon Cox connected with Brad Lester for a 34-yard score to give the Tigers the lead for good. Kenny Irons finished the job with a 58-yard scoring dash on Auburn's first play of the second half for a 26-7 lead. Wazzu got a 50-yard touchdown catch from Cody Boyd to make things interesting, and then, thanks to a fake punt that prevented a three-and-out, the Auburn offense took over with Brad Lester and Carl Stewart each running for scores.
Player of the game ... Auburn RB Kenny Irons ran 20 times for 183 yards and one touchdown. He also caught three passes for 40 yards.
Stat Leaders: Washington State - Passing: Gary Rogers, 6-9, 83 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: DeMaundray Woolridge, 9-86 Receiving: Michael Bumpus, 6-37
Auburn - Passing: Brandon Cox, 11-18, 191 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenny Irons, 20-183, 1 TD  Receiving: Courtney Taylor, 3-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... You know you're good when you beat up a decent team like Washington State on a day when not everything is quite clicking right. The 40-14 final score could've easily have been 60-14 if the offense could've converted on a few third downs in the first half. The defense did a great job of getting to Wazzu QB Alex Brink early and effectively taking him out of the game. Against Mississippi State next week, any pressure on the quarterback will result in major mistakes. On the flip side, the Auburn line has to a better job in pass protection after allowing four sacks.

2006 Auburn Preview

- Auburn Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

2005 was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding year after losing the million dollar backfield of Jason Campbell, Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, but this is a program that reloads under Tommy Tuberville.

There aren't any more secret meetings with Bobby Petrino. There isn't a hot seat under Tuberville, and there's a lot of hope that Auburn just might be in the hunt for the national title. But this isn't a program that does well when the big-time pressure is on.

The Tigers need to be in the disrespected, no-one-believes in us role. Put them on the covers of magazines and say they're the preseason national title favorites, like in 2003, and things don't work out quite so well. Whisper that they were the SEC's best team at the end of last year after going on a four-game winning streak that included a thriller at Georgia and a whipping of Alabama, and then they go into the tank against a fired up Wisconsin team in the Capital One Bowl. No, this is a team that does far better when there's something to scream about. That's why this year might be so dangerous.

Auburn loses several good starters, but none of them, not even four of the top five receivers or All-American offensive tackle Marcus McNeill, will hurt that much. Out with the old, in with near mirror images of the players who left. In other words, Auburn should be even better than last year good enough talent to be ranked among the ten best in America with a schedule that makes a great team a national title contender. More on that in a moment.

Of course, Auburn does play in the SEC and sure-things, like 2005 Tennessee, have crashed and burned before. The defense is a bit shaky at tackle and safety hoping good prospects can produce right away. The offense needs WR Courtney Taylor to regain his 2004 form and is in huge trouble if there's an injury problem on the offensive line, but that's all nitpicking.

So here you go, Auburn. To get you in the proper frame of mind: You're not good enough to win the national title and you're not even going to win the SEC title. You had no business playing for the national title in 2004 or 1983, and you shouldn't have even been part of the discussion in 1993. Chuck Long deserved the Heisman, the real Tigers in the West are in LSU, and you'll always be second banana to that team in Crimson. 

There, hope that gave you what you needed. Now go play for the national championship.

The Schedule: Auburn has four road games, at Mississippi State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama. Any team worthy of saying the words national title has to win those four games. The home dates are nasty opening up against a Washington State team that's better than Auburn fans might give it credit for. LSU, an improved Arkansas, Florida and Georgia all have to come to Jordan-Hare. As rough as those games might, Auburn needs those tough wins to get the necessary love from the BCS.

Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Kenny Irons. What would've happened if Irons was given the ball in the opener against Georgia Tech? He only got one carry for six yards against the Yellow Jackets, was held to 28 yards on 13 carries against Mississippi State, and then ripped through everyone else with the only blemish a 27-yard day against South Carolina, but he scored twice. He has home-run hitting speed and he proved he can handle being a workhorse.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Will Herring. He's certainly the team's steadiest defender leading the team in tackles last year and cranking out 178 for his career at safety. Now he's being tried out at outside linebacker to get him even closer to the action. If he starts all 12 regular season games, he'll set the school record for most consecutive career starts. 

Key player to a successful season: Junior NG Josh Thompson. The only potential issue with the Auburn defense is at tackle. Since the D relies on athleticism, there isn't a whole bunch of size in the middle, but that doesn't mean run stuffers aren't needed. The 302-pound Thompson is one of the team's strongest players, but he must stay healthy for the defense to succeed.

The season will be a success if ... Auburn wins the SEC title. That would make it an extremely impressive two in three years. It's not every season you get so many big conference games at home and the Tigers must take advantage.

Key game: September 28 at South Carolina. Any talk of winning a title of any kind can quickly stop before the end of September. The Tigers have a showdown against LSU on the 16th in Auburn, but the real landmine could be against Mr. Spurrier in Columbia on a nationally televised Thursday night game.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Second quarter scoring: Auburn 127 - Opponents 37
- Third down conversion percentage: Auburn 46% (73 of 158) - Opponents 33% (55 of 169)
- Rushing touchdowns: Auburn 28 - Opponents 11

The Last Time Auburn…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Capital One Bowl vs. Wisconsin)
…missed a bowl game…1999
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Mississippi State)
…was shutout…2003 (USC)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Ball State) 
…went undefeated…2004
…won a conference title…2004 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1997 (Dameyune Craig)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Kenny Irons)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1999 (Ronney Daniels)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (RB Ronnie Brown, RB Carnell Williams, CB Carlos Rogers and QB Jason Campbell)