Auburn
Tigers
Preview 2007
By
Pete Fiutak
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2007 Auburn Offense Preview |
2007 Auburn Defense Preview
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2007 Auburn Depth Chart
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2006 CFN Auburn Preview
After winning 33 games over the last three seasons (four more than
Florida, two more than LSU, and three more than Ohio State), you’ll
have to forgive Auburn if it’s ready to break something tasteful for
being the nation’s hard-luck team when it comes to national titles.
Tiger fans are still grumpy over getting passed over in 2004’s
three-way debate with Oklahoma and USC, while LSU got the benefit of
the BCS doubt in 2003 (and won) and Florida got the mega-break of
all breaks when USC lost to UCLA to open the door to the national
title. The success of the other SEC schools in championship games
has once again opened up the debate about that 2004 team and what it
would’ve done against the Sooners or Trojans.
Head coach: Tommy Tuberville
8th year: 71-29
12th year overall: 96-49
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 22, Def. 27, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 23 |
Ten
Best Tiger Players
1. DE Quentin Groves, Sr.
2. LB Tray Blackmon, Soph.*
3. DT Sen'Derrick Marks, Soph.
4. WR Rodgeriqus Smith, Jr.
5. RB Brad Lester, Jr.
6. QB Brandon Cox, Sr.
7. OT King Dunlap, Sr.
8. NG Josh Thompson, Sr.
9. LB Patrick Trahan, Soph.
10. CB Jonathan Wilhite, Sr. |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
9-3 |
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Sept. 1 |
Kansas State |
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Sept. 8 |
South Florida |
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Sept. 15 |
Mississippi State |
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Sept. 22 |
New Mexico
State |
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Sept. 29 |
at
Florida |
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Oct.
6 |
Vanderbilt |
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Oct.
13 |
at Arkansas |
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Oct.
20 |
at
LSU |
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Oct.
27 |
Ole Miss |
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Nov.
3 |
Tennessee Tech |
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Nov.
10 |
at
Georgia |
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Nov.
24 |
Alabama |
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2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
11-1
2005 Record: 11-2
Preview
2006 predicted
wins
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9/2 |
Washington St
W 40-14 |
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9/9 |
at Miss State
W 34-0 |
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9/16 |
LSU
W 7-3 |
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9/23 |
Buffalo
W 38-7 |
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9/30 |
at So Carolina
W 24-17 |
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10/7 |
Arkansas
L 27-10 |
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10/14 |
Florida W 27-17 |
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10/21 |
Tulane
W 38-13 |
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10/28 |
at Ole Miss
W 23-17 |
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11/4 |
Arkansas State
W 27-0 |
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11/11 |
Georgia
L 37-15 |
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11/18 |
at Alabama
W 22-15 |
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1/1 |
Cotton Bowl
Nebraska W 17-14 |
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Let
it go.
Yeah, easier said than done in the grudge-holding world of college
football, but the 2004 issue should actually help the team if it can get
it close to the cup. Now, the voters would be more than happy to give
Auburn the benefit of the doubt and get it into a national title game if
there are several teams in the hunt, but first, Tommy Tuberville’s club
has to be consistent enough to get into the discussion.
Every
time the world is ready to gush all over the Tigers, they pull a dud out
of the bag. Arkansas might have been really good last year, but it
shouldn’t have gone into Auburn and come away with a 27-10 win. A 37-15
home loss to Georgia, with everything on the line, including being in
the national title mix, was unacceptable.
This year’s team has the make-up and the talent to potentially get over
the top, even if the schedule makes it too tough to actually do it.
There might be some major personnel losses on the offensive line, and
the departure of RB Kenny Irons doesn’t help, but the defense has the
potential to be the best yet under Tuberville (and he’s had some
killers), while the offense should be fine as long as QB Brandon Cox
starts to be more of a playmaker.
Now it’s time to finish the job. It’s an overstatement to suggest
Auburn’s window has passed, but Alabama is finally done with its
probation and has Nick Saban patrolling the sidelines. LSU has gotten
better and better under Les Miles, Florida has assembled a mini-NFL
team, and the rest of the SEC is improving by the year. Tuberville and
the program have to prove they haven’t hit a plateau.
What to
watch for on offense: Is Cox ready to be a difference maker? Auburn
has been blessed with some of the most talented backs in the game under
Tuberville, but it’s no coincidence that the team has been at its best
with a quarterback who rocked. Jason Campbell was flawless in 2004 after
going through years of SEC battles. After two seasons at the helm, Cox
has to be better against the top teams and can’t just be along for the
ride.
What
to watch for on defense:
The secondary will be dominant. Losing top corner David Irons
hurts, but three starters return to one of the nation’s stingiest
groups. Helped by a big pass rush from Quentin Groves and company,
expect the Tiger pass defense to control games and force teams to try to
run on the smallish front seven.
The team will be far better if … it keeps the foot on the
throttle for a full season. You can’t blame Tuberville and his staff for
resting starters in stretches during a light part of the schedule last
year, but the team couldn’t find its groove once the lights came back on
against Georgia. The offense was rarely consistent and didn’t show up
against the top teams. That has to change if Auburn wants to be playing
in the really big 2008 games.
The
Schedule:
Great at home, awful, awful, awful on the road. The four
home games to start the year aren’t walks in the park playing Kansas
State, South Florida, Mississippi State, and the high-octane New Mexico
State offense before going on the road to face Florida. The three other
road games are at Arkansas, LSU, and Georgia. However, if the Tigers can
beat the Bulldogs, there’s a chance for a great run to end the year with
Ole Miss, Tennessee Tech, and the Iron Bowl against Alabama in
Jordan-Hare.
Best
Offensive Player:
Junior WR
Rodgeriqus Smith. Smith goes from being a game-breaking home-run hitter
to the number one receiving threat with the loss of Courtney Taylor. He
led the team in touchdown catches (four) and cranked out steady
production all season long. Now he has to prove he can make
five-to-seven catches a game rather than one-to-three.
Best
Defensive Player:
Senior DE
Quentin Groves. The Tigers got a huge life when Groves decided to come
back for his senior year. Now he’ll be one of the nation’s most fearsome
pass rushers with the potential to be a double-digit sack man if he gets
some help from the other side. Few ends can change a game like he can.
Key player
to a successful season:
Cox. Auburn rolls out of bed and finds a productive running back.
To be special this year and be more than just an SEC West contender, it
needs Cox to make everyone around him better. Has he been average
because the offense has had a great ground game, or is he just average?
Being accurate isn’t always the same as being effective.
The season
will be a success if ... the Tigers win ten games. While the four road games (Florida,
Arkansas, LSU and Georgia) might not completely end and SEC title dreams
before they begin, you can all but forget about the national title
(think LSU of last year and its four rough road trips). Sweeping the
eight home games will be expected, but don’t be shocked if South
Florida, Kansas State or (gulp) Alabama pulls off an upset.
Key game:
Sept. 29 at Florida. Of course the battle with Bama to end the season is
a must-win, beating Florida at Florida would be even bigger on a
national scale. If the Tigers can pull it off, they’ll likely start the
year 6-0 and ranked in the top three with dates at Arkansas and LSU to
follow.
2006 Fun Stats:
- Third quarter scoring: Auburn 102 – Opponents 33
- Fourth down conversions: Auburn 11 of 14 (79%) – Opponents 8 of 19
(42%)
- Sacks: Opponents 35 for 205 yards – Auburn 29 for 190 yards