Recap: Auburn defeats Miss. St., 17-14

Auburn opened
SEC play this season with a win over SEC West opponent Mississippi State, 17-14. Either team could have run away with this one and/or loaded up with a lot of points if it weren't for turnovers. Both teams lost a fumble and threw an interception that seemed to stall any momentum they possibly had at the time. Both offenses seemed to sputter just five days after showing up to the extreme, undoubtedly due to this game being an SEC matchup rather than one against a lesser team.

While Auburn's offense didn't show the same game they have in the past, the defense did step up. Nick Fairley had to be the defensive star, recovering a fumble, intercepting a batted ball, and coming up with a handful of tackles. On the offensive side, Cameron Newton showed he is a one-man playmaker, single-handedly converting several third downs with his legs, but the offense misfired as a whole many times when they could have put the game away.

The game was a much lower-scoring affair than I predicted in the preview, but the margin of victory was just about on the nose. The game really was decided with Mississippi State's failure to convert their last fourth down, a mere 25 seconds left in the game. Up until that point, I wasn't sure we had enough to get the victory, but as they said several times on the broadcast on ESPN, any win in the SEC is a quality win.

The Tigers have a 9-day break before their matchup with yet another southern Tigers team, Clemson, which is scheduled for a 6 pm Central kickoff on the plains. Let's hope Auburn can keep this ride going.

War Eagle!

Preview: Auburn vs. Mississipi St. (tee-hee)

First, let me say that I had a nice long preview typed up yesterday, only to have it not save or write to the blog. So here is my attempt to salvage a lot of what I had written.
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Is Auburn playing Mississipi St. or Mississippi St.? I think it's Mississippi St., but I'm not sure.

Auburn and Mississippi State are both coming into the game Thursday with high-powered offenses from their previous games against Sun Belt opponent Arkansas State and C-USA opponent Memphis, respectively. I didn't watch the Mississipi State-Memphis game, but it appears that Mississippi State's offense was firing on all cylinders while their defense absolutely manhandled Memphis. Auburn, on the other hand, had a potent offensive output but showed a defense that appeared sluggish, similar to how the defense played last year. Cameron Newton lived up to the hype, being named SEC Offensive Player of the Week.

I would say that both teams look to score many more points than they did the last time these teams met in Starkville. 2008's game was an Auburn win, 3-2. This game appears to be headed in a much different direction, and I think we should expect a shootout decided in the last half of the fourth quarter. The line is anywhere from a 1.5 to 2.5 point spread in Auburn's favor. If the line stays at or below 1.5, I'd say take Auburn. If it gets above 2, I'd say take Mississippi State. As far as a prediction, let's go with Auburn 44, Mississippi State 42. The over-under line is at 53.5 or 54, and I would say go with over on that one--I know this is the SEC now, but they're both nice offenses.

War Eagle!

Review: First Football Saturday 2010

Mrs. Brock and I met Drake and Drake Jr., along with a few friends, at a local pub/eatery to watch football on this, the first day of college football season 2010. We did not attempt the eating challenge this time (4 lbs. of meat in the form of a mega burger--see picture to the right), but a good time was had by all. Both Auburn and Bama were playing on the big screens, although the Bama fans couldn't watch the game without sound, so we had to listen to that while watching the Auburn game. No big deal I guess.

Drake Jr. was easily the youngest person in this pub/eatery, and he was a livewire. He was carrying around his toy pistol, shooting at people. Then he got into the iPhone and its crazy blinking light app, making the iPhones "kiss", shaking the phones around, all of which was caught on video by Mrs. Brock. Drake Jr. also pretended to tell me stories in jibberish, and I pretended to make the iPhones disappear, which amazed him. Later, probably when he was tired of playing Leapster, Drake Jr. decided his new name was going to be Frank Peepee, which we later coined as his drinking name (a name he would use only while in bars). I suggested that the persona of Frank Peepee should speak in third person, which was funny to all at the table above 5 years old. Drake told Drake Jr. he should get ready to go, to which Drake Jr. replied "You have to say, 'Frank Peepee, you should get ready to go.'" Classic Frank Peepee.

Once we left, Drake Jr. decided he was no longer Frank Peepee since we weren't in the pub, but at our friends' house, Drake Jr. did not want any of the dogs to lick him, so I had to carry him in. He was yelling at one of the dogs to sit, which he did not immediately do, to which Drake Jr. said, "It is hard to be a teacher of dogs." Well spoken, Drake Jr.

Drake Jr. ate some Auburn cookies shaped like tigers which he enjoyed thoroughly. He was actually offered the tiger head or the butt, and he chose the butt (I knew Drake Jr. was a butt man). Later he told Drake he wanted ice cream also, but he was already pretty hopped up on cookies. Drake Jr. enjoyed shining the laser on the floor and making the dogs chase it. One of our friends wanted Drake Jr. to play with the dogs, so she held one of them up to him. Drake Jr. petted him, then pointed out that the dog had a penis. He then remarked two more times about the dog's genitalia, to which Drake said, "You can stop staring any time." Drake Jr. let the conversation go after a little while. He never really warmed up to the dogs either.

In all, football took a back seat to the antics of Drake Jr./Frank Peepee. Auburn won the game 52-26, but they did not cover, as I suspected they may not. However, as I mentioned earlier, the over/under of 58 points was easily achieved. I realized, though, that Drake Jr. is some good entertainment, and Frank Peepee even better. We may try to watch most of the games in some sort of pub in hopes of seeing some more of Frank Peepee.

2010: The Year We Make Contact

College football season officially begins tonight with several games on the docket for a Thursday night. For Auburn fans, the season begins Saturday with the traditional cupcake team from a non-major conference--the Red Wolves of Arkansas State, a team who, according to ESPN, averaged just 330 yards of offense per game in '09. For Auburn fans, I'm sure that several questions come to mind:

1) Will Cameron Newton live up to the hype as QB?

2) Who will step up and replace Ben Tate as the workhorse on the ground?

3) Will Gene Chizik improve on last year's record or settle for mediocrity?

After Alabama's national championship last year, Auburn fans are somewhat deflated but not much. Alabama's fans have been gracious toward Auburn's fans about the NC (at least the ones I've talked to), but I'm sure that Auburn would like to hold that spotlight soon also. While I think that is an incredible long shot and likely not to happen this year, it certainly gives Auburn a target at which to aim.

Auburn is a favorite in Saturday's game, hovering around 31 points with a 58 points over/under. I'm not sure about the 31 points (I feel like that's a pretty close line), but I think the combined output will definitely exceed 58. If I had to make a prediction (which I'm sure you guys would like), I'll go with Auburn 49, Arkansas State 17 (I guess I'll go with that line).

If you aren't going to the Plains this weekend, the game is on at 6 pm CST on FSN South.

War Eagle!

Auburn-Northwestern Preview

Auburn takes on Northwestern tomorrow in the Outback Bowl, 11 AM ET, on ESPN. I'm upbeat about the game, and I think Auburn will win, but there will be some questions:

1) Will Auburn's sometimes-missing offense show up?

2) Will Northwestern's defense play like they have played this year?

3) Will the players be awake for the early morning game? Auburn had trouble with this earlier in the year.

Rather than write up a lot of the statistics matching up the teams, I direct you to this article that does just that. Auburn looks like the team to beat, but of course, several teams who have already lost looked like the team to beat (Fresno State, Nevada, Houston). All I can say is I hope for a good showing for Auburn and a win, no matter by how many points. I earlier predicted that Auburn would win, 24-23. I will now append to predict one more touchdown for Auburn and a 31-23 win.

War Eagle!

Bowl picture clears for Auburn

As reported earlier, Auburn accepted a bid to the Outback Bowl, 10 am on January 1, potentially playing against Wisconsin for the third time in a bowl game since 2003. Auburn should count itself lucky to get the best bowl game of predicted bowl games for the six SEC teams with 7-5 records (by the way, Auburn's record against these other five 7-5 teams is 1-3 with a win against Tennessee and losses against Kentucky, Georgia, and Arkansas...Auburn didn't play South Carolina).

This site has projected bowls and teams who have accepted bids to bowl games already. As of posting time, it appears six teams have accepted bids:

1) UCF, to the St. Petersburg Bowl (December 19)
2) SMU, to the Hawaii Bowl (December 24)
3) Navy, to the Texas Bowl (December 31)
4) Auburn, to the Outback Bowl (January 1)
5) Ole Miss, to the Cotton Bowl (January 2)
6) Oklahoma State, also to the Cotton Bowl (January 2)

Iron Bowl 2009

OK, here's a different perspective:

Auburn finishes up the regular season on the plains against dreaded rival Alabama. Auburn comes in hobbling, starting the season strong with five consecutive wins, only to drop 4 of the last 6, including losses by 7 to both Georgia and Kentucky. Many of Auburn's players (Todd, Ziemba, Trott, etc.) look confused, making mistakes that you'd expect freshmen to make. On the other hand, Alabama is riding a high that, with this win, could mean two straight undefeated regular seasons. There is talk of Ingram winning the Heisman (a long shot, considering who is in this pool), and McElroy is back to his early season form.

I think Auburn may be in this game early, but expect Auburn to fall apart around the 3rd quarter when their depleted team becomes too tired to hang with Alabama. Alabama will look to exploit this weakness on the offensive side with constant running to set up the pass; they will look to exploit this weakness on the defensive side with pressure on Todd, who does not know what to do under pressure.

As much as I'd like to see Auburn win this game, I don't think they are on the same par as Alabama. I'd like to see a close game, but that too will not happen. Prediction: Alabama 34, Auburn 17.

Auburn: No Game = No Loss

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I guess 7-4 is better than I expected at this point.

Preview: The South's Oldest Rivalry

It's Auburn's next to last game, which means it is time to take on Georgia in the South's Oldest Rivalry. Take a gander at the program from the 1959 game, 50 years ago, also at Sanford Stadium.

This is honestly the first time I remember neither team being ranked when they meet, and quite a slide from 2004's premier matchup of top 5 teams that Auburn won 24-6. Georgia has had the upper hand lately, winning the last three. Auburn's last victory came in a 31-30 win in 2005 with a last minute field goal. Check out this nice summary for the past twelve meetings between the teams. The home team has dropped 3 of the last 4 games between these two teams, and 8 of the last 12.

Neither team is playing well, with Georgia losing to Tennessee and Florida by considerable margins and Auburn dropping three in a row, including a home loss to Kentucky, before correcting with a win over Ole Miss. This Georgia fan really thinks Auburn is going to put the hurt on, but I'm not sure.

Now for the annual historical analysis that comes with this game: Although not as storied as the Auburn-LSU matchup, this one is much closer. Auburn holds a slight edge over Georgia in the all-time series, 53-51-8, but Georgia holds the all-time scoring edge over Auburn, 1747-1698. This is the seventh-most played series in the country. Most noteworthy that I can remember is this reminder of Robert Baker almost being bitten by UGA V back in 1996, probably one of the most memborable moments in the recent rivalry.

As I alluded to in the podcast, I'm surprised Auburn isn't favored in this game based on current play. I think Auburn has a chance to take this game and get at least 8 wins (with the dreaded Iron Bowl left), and if the offense can play well like they have the last couple of weeks, they just might pull it out. The defense must take control, putting the game in the hands of Joe Cox, who has struggled at times throughout the year. For a prediction, make it Auburn 27, Georgia 23.

War Eagle!

Ole Miss Recap, Furman Preview

So, Auburn exceeded expectations last weekend, beating Ole Miss 33-20 and becoming bowl eligible again. I didn't see that coming, but Max Power certainly told us it would be close. I'm not sold on Auburn being "back", but if they can play better, we may beat Furman and Georgia, getting up to at least 8 wins (with Alabama looming in the distance). I didn't watch the game (again), but from what I've been told, Auburn got up after the injury that sent Zac Etheridge to the sideline for, probably, the rest of the season. Luckily, Etheridge will be OK and will be ready next season.

On to the Furman game...the Paladins come in with a 4-4 record, 3-3 in the Southern conference. The only things I really know:

1) That shirt is awesome! A bunch of kids at the school got them when they went on the college trips last year. I think that is hilarious!

2) At least one player on their team went to Hoover (safety Max Lerner, also from MTV's Two-A-Days).

Auburn should take this one easily as a tune-up for a night-and-day Georgia team. Prediction: Auburn 45, Furman 17.

War Eagle!

Told Ya So

Auburn won. Big. But it could have been much different. (Thanks rogue, corrupt SEC officials.) There was no indisputable evidence and so many holding calls that weren't called against the Tigers, but magically were called against the Rebels.

But give Auburn credit. They played hard and were hungry for this one. I knew it was going to happen, but didn't want to say it - wish I wasn't typing it right now.

Stubborn coaching, plus a terrible quarterback that needs to be benched, plus poor OL play, plus tired defense, plus slow receivers = not the best season in over 40 years. The waiting continues. The death march goes on - on to Northern Arizona. Maybe the Rebels can defeat another FCS opponent.

Here's hoping the Rebels don't end up needing a win in Starkville to become bowl eligible...

On a related note, RB Rodney Scott deserves much praise and recognition for his heroic actions in possibly saving Auburn's Zac Etheridge from paralysis or death. Outstanding, Rodney!

Auburn....what's left to say?

I know I didn't post a recap of last week's game against the Bayou Bengal Tigers, but that's because I didn't watch it (that's two weeks in a row where I found something more productive-working on my dissertation-than watching the Auburn Tigers go down in flames). I imagine the game went like this: Auburn completes a pass for 1 yard, then runs for 2, then punts on third, just to catch LSU off guard. Then LSU scores. Repeat ad nauseam.

Is this week's game going to be any different? Max Power thinks so, but I think it'll be another game that a team other than Auburn runs away with. At a 4.5 point line, I think you take Ole Miss on this one, and put a lot of money on it...that is, unless they decide to bench Chris Todd, then you just put about half of what you were going to bet on the game, but still on Ole Miss. Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News likes Ole Miss here too, by more than the spread. They came out like gangbusters against Arkansas, and that trend continues this week against highly-favored-turned-laughing-stock AU. I'm not saying I'm laughing, but I probably won't watch the game again either. Prediction: Ole Miss 34, Auburn 13. I hope I'm wrong again.

Navy Nightmare!

Auburn has declared this Saturday's Halloween game against Ole Miss as a Navy Nightmare. But, I have to ask a couple of questions. One, will navy scare a team and fans who wear the color all the time? Also, whose nightmare will this game be?

I suppose some could argue that the nightmare could belong to Houston Nutt. Or Gus Malzahn. Because as most people who follow these teams expected, this game is turning into a grudge match. Don't believe me? Check out here, here and here. For much of this season, my fellow Rebels and I have discussed how Malzahn has been wanting to stick it to Coach Nutt ever since their messy separation in Fayetteville. But what about Coach Nutt? One could argue that Coach Nutt is equally bitter about how Malzahn splintered the fanbase and began Nutt's unfortunate departure from the school he loved. So, don't be surprised if Ole Miss' coaching staff (many of whom were also affected by the feud with Malzahn) has some tricks up their sleeves.

There are a lot of questions in this game. Will Auburn's high octane offense shake off the last three games and return to its early season form? Will Malzahn choose to use different players in order to kickstart "Gus' Bus?" Will Dexter McCluster continue to shine like he did last Saturday? Which Jevan Snead will show up? Can Ole Miss' defense slow down the AU offense and hold them to 20 points or less?

Many Auburn fans I know who have tickets to the game aren't going. They cite Halloween, the weather, Auburn's current three game slide and the fact that Auburn has not played well in early games in recent history. But for weeks now I've had reservations about this game and I still do. I think Ole Miss can win this game, but it is going to be a fight and the Rebels don't historically play well in Auburn.

Bottom line is this - as the "homer" for Ole Miss on this blog I am picking the Rebels to win this one. But it will be close - Ole Miss 27, Auburn 21.

Forward Rebels and Happy Halloween!

Jevan & Co. Take Down Petrino's Pigs

Final score: Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 17. But that score was closer than the game actually ever was as the much heralded Ole Miss offense finally lived up to some of the preseason hype last Saturday.

Arkansas fans made a huge showing in Oxford as they REALLY wanted to take the evil Houston Nutt down and strut through the Grove post-game telling all Rebel fans how terrible he is. Alas, they are left to wonder for another season and off-season about what might have been had they had the sense to keep him in Fayetteville.

Jevan Snead and the offensive line looked spectacular. Dexter McCluster was a man on a mission and received SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Heck, he only had 36 less yards than all of Arkansas' offense! And speaking of retrospect, Ole Miss fans were left wondering what might have been had this offense shown up in Columbia in September or Oxford a few weeks ago. But, that's water under the bridge now. What Ole Miss can still do is win out. Do that and they assure themselves of probably the 3rd best record in the SEC.

First things first, though. The Auburn Tigers are up next and on a bad skid. And if you don't think Gus Malzahn has had this game circled since he was hired you're smoking something. There is still plenty of bad blood between Nutt and Malzahn for how things ended in Fayetteville and Gus will have plenty of tricks up his sleeves to try and embarrass his old coaching "buddies."

More on the Rebels and Plainsmen later in the week. For now though, enjoy the sound victory Rebels!

I'll take the Tigers to win.

Found this out there by some LSU fan. Don't know if they realized that "irrelevance" was spelled incorrectly. You might say that was the joke, but I don't think so.

I agree with Dick that this game used to be THE matchup in the SEC west, with the winner going on to represent the west in the SEC championship game. Unfortunately for both teams, neither is living up to the hype. Auburn is looking like the team to beat in the west, and by that, I mean teams are looking to their matchup with Auburn as a win. LSU has had a couple of close games against Georgia and Mississippi State. With a combined 10-3 record, I'd expect more out of these teams.

I don't really understand the whole jersey controversy. LSU likes to wear the away jersey, and Auburn always wears their home jersey. Doesn't the home team get to pick? I don't really know what the rules are for jerseys, but this seems like two coaches trying to get a psychological advantage in the game.

I think this game takes a while to get going, and look for a lot of sputtering, a lot of wheels turning but going nowhere. If you're looking for a prediction, I think LSU ends up winning late (this would make the third game in a row), taking the game away from Auburn. Call it LSU 26, Auburn 20. I hope for Auburn's sake they can pull it out, though.

War Eagle!

This game used to mean so much more...

I really enjoyed the LSU-Auburn rivalry in its heyday. During the early- and mid- "aughts" this game decided the SEC West - and was always a supreme example of defensive ferocity.

At least LSU still plays defense.

Will Muschamp no longer incurs sideline warnings or headbutts players for (either of) the Tigers, but Gus Malzahn (at least until two weeks ago) and John Chavis have restored some luster to the assistant ranks for each team. As compelling as the new Auburn offense v. new LSU defense matchup is, however, the LSU offense v. Auburn defense matchup has the potential to be a stink fest. LSU's offense has, except for the last two minutes of the Georgia game, made defenses from Athens to Seattle look great all season. Then again, if Charles Scott and Keiland Williams are going to start looking like DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart anytime this season, Auburn's defense will certainly supply the butt.

If you want to hear a prediction, you should know that I've been predicting the arrival of LSU's running attack all season long. We're still waiting for that. I can confidently predict that something weird or sensational (having little or nothing to do with the competition itself) will happen. (See the barn burner, the cigar chomp, the no-call pass interference and, of course, the Lesticles game.) I've read that Coach Cheesedick has reported on Alabama sports radio that the War Chickens will don their road whites in Tiger Stadium, "forcing" LSU to wear navy (it really does look purple in the stadium, though). Unfortunately I don't get Alabama sports talk radio in New Detroit, so I don't know what was said. I also don't know if anyone really feels like they have a handle on the SEC-white jerseys-at-home rule, though.

The game is at night on the deuce. As incredible as it is for Auburn to lose three in a row, I think LSU steals this one. Whatever you do, don't take the "over" on points.

Ugh.

I didn't even watch the game, but I'm sure it went a little something like this:

Auburn plays well in the first half, going into halftime up by a touchdown, thanks to a blocked kick that was returned. Otherwise, it's 7-7 and a little sluggish.

Now, just as with every game this season, Auburn forgot there was a second half and that you have to play it. That was unfortunate, because as we know, if Auburn showed up for the first half and is only up by 7, this can't look good. And it didn't, with Auburn yielding 14 points in the last quarter. Chris Todd throws for under 100 yards, just like in the days of old (last year), and Auburn shows that their short-lived success under Gene Chizik was not sustainable.

Kentucky wins the game for the first time since 1966, and Auburn shows us that a 6-6 record, which is where they're headed, is only a 1 game improvement over a coach who had proven himself over the years.

If you watched the game, how did I do?

More Wildcats!: AU-UK Preview

But not the Wildcat offense...the Kentucky Wildcats (who, coincidentally, are one of the answers to last week's trivia question). Auburn, somewhat downtrodden after their waxing at Fayetteville, return to the plains to take on what shouldn't be, but will be, another test of the team's poise, game plan, want-to attitude, etc (6:30 pm Central, ESPNU). Auburn is looking for a bounce back, and a win will put them back in the top 25, maybe around 23 or 24, depending on their performance. I expect another close call for the Tigers, but there are a few things playing in their favor this week:

1) The game is back in Auburn. Auburn loves the home field advantage (who doesn't?), but they tend to play like a different team when it's in front of the fans, and this is not just this year, but several years in recent memory. This is probably one of the strongest advantages they have in this game.

2) The game is back in the night. Auburn looked like they were still asleep in last week's game, and seeing how the other five games were all played at night, with Auburn looking decent (I won't say "good"), Auburn will be up for this one.

3) Will Hartline play? Kentucky's QB was pulled in last week's game due to a sprained knee. I sprained my ankle once, and I had to miss league bowling one week, so I'm guessing that in football, a much more stressing and physical sport, a sprain could easily be reaggravated. On the flipside, bowling is one of the few sports you can participate in and do well while drinking beer.

I hope that last week's team doesn't show up again, and I think that a loss probably woke a lot of the team up to some of its problems. Unfortunately, though, this is the SEC, and no team can be overlooked. Expect a medium scoring effort for both teams, with Auburn returning to the W column in a tight one. Prediction: AU 34, UK 30.

War Eagle!

Alright, who invited last year's team to play?

Tuberville had the margin of victory correct. Unfortunately, he had the wrong team winning. Arkansas easily handled the former #17 Auburn 44-23 in Fayetteville yesterday. In what looked like a return to last year's form (or lack thereof), Auburn looked like a rusty team that was going to have trouble putting up some points. Maybe it was the playing during the day. Maybe it was the playing in Arkansas. Maybe. I think it was perhaps that Auburn has played enough games this year for teams to figure out how to stop them. In Auburn's lone bright spot, Ben Tate ran for 184 yards on 22 carries. Todd, however, looked like the lost, scared QB at the helm of last year's team, barely cracking 130 yards passing for a team that had averaged double that over the last five games. Arkansas had a game plan and stuck to it, holding Auburn to a measly 3 points and ending their run of scoring in every quarter of the season.

Auburn tried to make the game interesting in the 3rd quarter, scoring 20 points and coming to within 11 of Arkansas. However, the 4th quarter played much like the first half, and Auburn allowed two more scores. Ryan Mallett looked like the hyped QB he was billed as, and Auburn's corners couldn't bat any pass away. Also, Arkansas was able to pick Auburn's weak zone defense apart, hitting receivers that were so open that they were probably actually surprised to turn around and have running room left for more yardage.

Auburn fell out of the new polls today to just outside the top 25 as was expected. They may make it back in if they show they can actually play a non-Mississippi State SEC team well next week against Kentucky. Don't hold your breath just yet, though. At this point I'd just like Auburn to play some defense...is that too much to ask?

Auburn rocks Rocky Top

Auburn improved its image slightly with a hard-fought win over an impressive Tennessee defensive unit Saturday, 26-22. There were positives and negatives on both sides of the ball for both teams, and I'd like to do a rundown of those. But first, a couple of highlights:

Make sure you watch the gif from the Auburner of Ben Tate running over Eric Berry. Ah, I could just watch it over and over.

If anyone has video or a picture of Jonathan Crompton hitting Quentin Hancock in the side of the head with a pass, please post or send it to me so I can add it to the writeup. That's another instant classic.