Auburn Tigers (NCAA '12)

[theaub]

Usually I write a lot here, but lets try something else this time.



Time to repeat. War Eagle.

System: PS3
Rosters: buckeye/gatorbait
Sliders: SECElite

[MarylandMan]

Aub I was just trying to find out about the biggest thread., I saw your NY VIPERS

YOU ARE A LEGEND

[theaub]

2011 Auburn Tigers Preview

Overview: Cam Newton arrived on Auburn campus as a junior college transfer with minimal fanfare and a small blurb in the school's football media guide. He left with the best single season for a quarterback in college football history, a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship ring en route to being picked first overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Auburn's national championship run in 2010 was nothing short of magical, considering they were ranked outside of the top 20 in both major pre-season polls. The Tigers ran past ten teams that qualified for the postseason, including a mindboggling 65-43 win over Arkansas, rushing for over 400 yards against a top LSU defense, and of course the mammoth comeback against bitter rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Throw in some last second wins against Clemson, Kentucky and then Oregon in the BCS Title Game, the drama of the Cam Newton pay-for-play saga, and the title drought at Auburn that had lasted for over 50 years, and you have the ingredients for a season that will likely never be repeated again on the Eastern plains of Alabama.

Unfortunately for Tiger fans, its probably going to get a lot worse in 2011. Not only does Auburn need to replace Newton, but star defensive tackle Nick Fairley, top wideout Darvin Adams and pretty much the entire offensive line have left town, so Auburn is going to need to depend on some young players to fill those gaps immediately if they want to have any chance of competing for a SEC Title this year.

Offense: After losing out on the Russell Wilson sweepstakes, Barrett Trotter is the unlucky soul who gets to follow in Cam's rather large footsteps. The junior has decent mobility and a strong arm, but offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will need to go to his bag of tricks to keep Auburn's offense at its 2010 level.

The strength of the Tigers this year will be in the running game, as Mike Dyer and Onterrio McCalebb form one of the best duos in the country. Dyer broke Bo Jackson's freshman rushing record in 2010, and has All-American potential. Backing them up will be Anthony Morgan, as well as a bunch of talented freshmen.

Philip Lutzenkirchen was one of the best tight ends in the country in 2010, and he'll likely be Trotter's go-to target this year. Auburn surprisingly lost Darvin Adams to the NFL draft, so upperclassmen Emory Blake and Quindarius Carr will need to have a bigger impact this year. One player to look out for is Trovon Reed, who has blazing speed and will be able to use it from the slot receiver position.

Auburn lost four starters on the offensive line, including star left tackle Lee Ziemba, so the ability for the new starters to hit their stride will be a key to the season. A.J. Greene and Brandon Mosley both have starting experience on the offensive line, and as such will provide stability at the tackle position, but for the Tigers to have a strong inside rushing game like they did last season, they'll need to hope that some of their freshmen can contribute.

Defense/Special Teams: Auburn's line was easily the strongest part of the defense last year, but with Fairley gone the Tigers hope that Jeffrey Whitaker and Kenneth Carter can do an admirable job at the tackle position. Nosa Equae is an impact player on the end, and will be the top pass rusher on the team.

Eltoro Freeman and Darren Bates return to anchor a linebacking core that improved with each game in 2010. The biggest question is who will replace Josh Bynes in the middle. The pre-season favourite is sophomore Jake Holland, but Harris Gaston should also get a bunch of reps as the middle linebacker.

The Tigers pass defensive was embarrassing in 2010, so a revamp of that unit might not be such a bad thing. Neiko Thorpe started at corner, but will now move to free safety, which means that after T'Sharvan Bell, there's no proven talent at the second corner spot. Chris Davis or Jonathon Mincy will likely start, but they will need to develop quickly if Auburn doesn't want a repeat of 2010, where they were burned by top receivers on the weekly basis.

Auburn loses star placekicker Wes Byrum, but Cody Parkey should be an adequate fill-in. Steven Clark will be the full-time punter, and the Tigers will once again have a very dangerous return game headed by McCalebb and Reed.

Schedule: As usual, the odd numbered years mean a difficult schedule for the Tigers, who always have to travel to Arkansas, LSU and Georgia. However, its an even bigger challenge this year, since the rotational conference road game puts them at South Carolina, and they also have to travel to Clemson in a key out of conference battle. Winning three of those five games would be a great achievement, but going 0-5 isn't out of the question. The home schedule is considerably lighter, but Mississippi State will provide a stern test in week two, and the home field in the Iron Bowl has been non-existent this millennium.

Outlook: Expecting the Tigers to repeat as National, or even SEC Champions in 2011 is absurd, but Auburn can build on a strong recruiting class and set themselves back up for another title run in 2012. Auburn has four gimme games on their schedule, and how they perform against Mississippi State, Clemson, Florida and Georgia will likely define their season. The potential is there for a nine or ten win season, and a trip to a New Year's Day bowl would be a success.

Schedule Prediction:
Utah State - Easy Win
Mississippi State - Toss Up (lean win)
@ Clemson - Toss Up
Florida Atlantic - Easy Win
@ South Carolina - Toss Up (lean loss)
@ Arkansas - Toss Up
Florida - Toss Up
@ LSU - Likely Loss
Mississippi - Likely Win
@ Georgia - Toss Up (likely win)
FCS Southeast - Easy Win
Alabama - Likely Loss

Best Case: 10-2, 2nd SEC West
Worst Case: 6-6, 5th SEC West
Projected: 8-4, 3rd SEC West

[theaub]

2011 Auburn Tigers Depth Chart

Auburn Tigers Depth Chart - 2011
Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Emory Blake (Jr)	DeAngelo Benton (Jr)
TE	Philip Lutzenkirchen (Jr)	Brandon Fulse (Fr)
LT	A.J. Greene (Sr)	Christian Westerman (Fr)
LG	John Sullen (Jr)	Ed Christian (RFr)	Tunde Fairyike (RFr)
C	Blake Burgess (RSo)	Reese Dismukes (Fr)
RG	Eric Mack (RFr)	Jared Cooper (RSr)
RT	Brandon Mosley (Sr)	Greg Robinson (Fr)	Aubrey Phillips (RSr)
WR	Trovon Reed (RFr)	Xavier Brown (So)
QB	Barrett Trotter (RJr)	Clint Moseley (RSo)	Kiehl Frazier (Fr)
WR	Quindarius Carr (RSr)	Travante Stallworth (Jr)
HB	Michael Dyer (So)	Onterio McCalebb (Jr)	Anthony Morgan (So)
Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Corey Lemonier (So)	Dee Ford (Jr)
LDT	Jeffrey Whitaker (So)	Jamar Travis (Jr)
RDT	Kenneth Carter (So)	Derrick Lykes (RJr)
RDE	Nosa Equae (RSo)	Craig Sanders (So)	Joel Bonomolo (RJr)
WLB	Eltoro Freeman (RSr)	Jonathan Evans (Jr)
MLB	Jake Holland (So)	Harris Gaston (RSo)	Ladarius Owens (RFr)
SLB	Darren Bates (Jr)	Jawara White (RFr)
CB	T'Sharvan Bell (RJr)	Jonathan Rose (Fr)	Jermaine Whitehead (Fr)
SS	Demetruce McNeal (So)	Ikeem Means (Jr)
FS	Neiko Thorpe (Sr)	Erique Florence (Fr)
CB	Chris Davis (So)	Jonathan Mincy (So)
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Cody Parkey (So)
P	Steven Clark (So)
PR	Quindarius Carr (RSr)
KR	Onterio McCalebb (Jr)	Trovon Reed (RFr)

[theaub]

Week 1 NCAA Overview

Headlines
- Any team travelling to Boise has their work cut out for them
- Will #4 LSU be #5 Oregon's first victim in 2011?
- Posey and the Buckeyes have their sights set on the 2011 national title
- Oregon looks to run over the competition in 2011
- Can the Crimson Tide defense lead them to a championship in 2011?
- The Sooners have racked up 36 straight wins at home
- Armstrong and Miami prepare for their ACC opener against Maryland
- Oregon is pushing for James to become the next Heisman winner

Top 25

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L
1	NR	Oklahoma	0	0
2	NR	Alabama	0	0
3	NR	Stanford	0	0
4	NR	LSU	0	0
5	NR	Oregon	0	0
6	NR	Ohio State	0	0
7	NR	Oklahoma State	0	0
8	NR	Boise State	0	0
9	NR	Texas A&M	0	0
10	NR	Florida State	0	0
11	NR	Wisconsin	0	0
12	NR	Auburn	0	0
13	NR	South Carolina	0	0
14	NR	TCU	0	0
15	NR	Michigan State	0	0
16	NR	Nebraska	0	0
17	NR	Virginia Tech	0	0
18	NR	Arkansas	0	0
19	NR	Mississippi State	0	0
20	NR	Florida	0	0
21	NR	Notre Dame	0	0
22	NR	Texas	0	0
23	NR	Missouri	0	0
24	NR	North Carolina State	0	0
25	NR	Arizona State	0	0

All-Americans
QB: Andrew Luck, Stanford
HB: Trent Richardson, Alabama
HB: LaMichael James, Oregon
FB: Lonnie Pryor, Florida State
WR: Alshon Jeffrey, South Carolina
WR: Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
WR: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
TE: Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn
LT: Andrew Datko, Florida State
LG: Kyle Dooley, TCU
C: David Molk, Michigan
RG: Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
RT: JB Shugarts, Ohio State
LE: Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy
DT: Kheeston Randall, Texas
DT: Jared Crick, Nebraska
RE: Brandon Jenkins, Florida State
LOLB: Chase Thomas, Stanford
MLB: Luke Kuechly, Boston College
ROLB: Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
CB: Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
FS: Robert Lester, Florida State
SS: Ray Ray Armstrong, Miami
CB: Cody Riggs, Florida
K: Kevin Goesling, Fresno State
P: Drew Butler, Georgia
RET: Greg Reid, Florida State

Predicted Conference Winners
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Oklahoma
Big East: West Virginia
Big Ten: Ohio State
C-USA: UCF
MAC: Northern Illinois
MWC: Boise State
Pac-12: Stanford
SEC: Alabama
Sun Belt: Troy
WAC: Hawai'i

Heisman Watch

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 1, 2011
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Andrew Luck	QB	Stanford		N/A
Kellen Moore	QB	Boise State		N/A
LaMichael James	HB	Oregon		N/A
Denard Robinson	QB	Michigan		N/A
Justin Blackmon	WR	Oklahoma State		N/A

Key Top 25 Games
#14 TCU @ Baylor (Fri 8:00, ESPN)
USF @ Notre Dame (3:30, NBC)
#5 Oregon @ #4 LSU (GOTW, 8:00 ABC)
#8 Boise State @ Georgia (8:00, ESPN)

[theaub]

Week 1 Auburn Overview

Matchup Preview *|* September 3, 2011
	@
Utah State Aggies (0-0, 0-0 Away)		#12 Auburn Tigers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 0 Points Per Game 0 0 Total Offensive Yards 0 0 Rushing Yards 0 0 Passing Yards 0 Defensive Stats Comparison 0 Total Yards Allowed 0 0 Rushing Yards Allowed 0 0 Passing Yards Allowed 0 Injury Report None None Game Notes Auburn has won their last five home openers and last five opening day games.....Utah State lost to Oklahoma 31-24 in their opener last year, and have not won an opening game since 2001.....Utah State went 4-8 last year, while Auburn went 13-0

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Recruiting Overview
Main Targets

Gilbert Williams, HB, New Hope, NC
Caliber: *****
Nat Rank: #11
Pos Rank: #2
Top 3: AUB/OU/TEX
Status: Top 10

Jason Dickerson, QB, Rockville, MD
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #48
Pos Rank: #3
Top 3: AUB/OU/ORE
Status: Top 8

Mike Wallace, DT, Lexington, TN
Caliber: *****
Nat Rank: #25
Pos Rank: #1
Top 3: AUB/PSU/OSU
Status: Top 10

Matt Adams, G, Macon, GA
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #131
Pos Rank: #8
Top 3: AUB/FLA/GT
Status: Top 8

Wendell Keyes, MLB, Meadowbrook, AL
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #72
Pos Rank: #6
Top 3: AUB/ALA/FLA
Status: Top 8

Pat Wise, DE, Tarrant, AL
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #120
Pos Rank: #8
Top 3: AUB/FSU/ALA
Status: Top 8

Daryl Bradley, C, Oxford, AL
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #49
Pos Rank: #2
Top 3: ALA/AUB/FLA
Status: Top 8

Bruce Anthony, ATH, Miami, FL
Caliber: *****
Nat Rank: #2
Pos Rank: #1
Top 3: FLA/AUB/ALA
Status: Top 8

Ryan Hutchinson, OLB, Key West, FL
Caliber: *****
Nat Rank: #33
Pos Rank: #1
Top 3: FLA/AUB/ALA
Status: Top 10

Adam Brady, FS, Winter Haven, FL
Caliber: ****
Nat Rank: #51
Pos Rank: #1
Top 3: FLA/AUB/OSU
Status: Top 8

Commits:
N/A

[theaub]

Tigers off on right foot

AUBURN (AP) - Michael Dyer rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns to lead the 12th ranked Auburn Tigers to a 34-10 season opening win over Utah State.

Auburn (1-0) had over 350 yards on the ground, as the defending national champs slowly wore away at the Aggie defense. Even without last year's Heisman winner in Cam Newton, the Tigers were able to control the game with their quick strike offense.

However, the Tigers may have some questions at the quarterback position, after Barrett Trotter was underwhelming in his debut. The junior only completed 41% of his passes and threw three interceptions, including two in the red zone in the first half. A long touchdown pass to Quindarius Carr that gave Auburn a 24-10 lead in the third quarter was the only salvaging point of the day.

The first half was a struggle for Auburn, as Utah State (0-1) marched 85 yards down the field in a nine play opening drive to take the lead. The Aggies didn't trail until very late in the first half, as Neiko Thorpe intercepted Jeremy Higgins deep in Utah State territory. Dyer ran it in from seven yards out to give the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish.

The Tiger defense stepped it up in the second half, only allowing 76 yards of total offense, almost half of which was on a long pass to Dontel Watkins late in the 4th quarter. Auburn's defensive line showed they will be a strength this season as they got to Higgins six times, all of them recorded by different players. Utah State was 0-9 on 3rd downs in the 2nd half, mainly due to the Tiger blitz.

Auburn had two rushers pass the century mark, as Onterio McCalebb's 113 yards on only 13 carries joined Dyer's 189 yards. They will both need to be in top form as the Tigers kick off conference play against ranked Mississippi State next week. Utah State will have their home opener against FCS college Weber State.

Utah State (USU) at Auburn (AUB)
Sep 3, 2011 1 2 3 4 F Utah State 7 3 0 0 10 #12 Auburn 7 7 10 10 34 Top Performers Utah State Turbin: 13 Car, 83 Yds Bowden: 9 Tkl, 2 Int Auburn Dyer: 25 Car, 189 Yds, 3 TD McCalebb: 13 Car, 113 Yds	Team Stats Comparison USU AUB First Downs 11 18 3rd Down Efficiency 5-17 5-14 4th Down Efficiency 0-2 3-3 Total Yards 222 499 Passing Yards 150 146 Rushing Yards 72 353 Penalties-Penalty Yards 2-25 2-20 Turnovers 1 3 Time of Possession 15:51 18:58
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING USU AUB 5:18 (USU) Morgan, 7 yard pass from Higgins (Loveless kick) 7 0 4:44 (AUB) Dyer, 69 yard run (Parkey kick) 7 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING USU AUB 1:45 (USU) Loveless, 42 yard FG 10 7 0:36 (AUB) Dyer, 7 yard run (Parkey kick) 10 14 THIRD QUARTER SCORING USU AUB 6:18 (AUB) Parkey, 44 yard FG 10 17 2:57 (AUB) Carr, 52 yard pass from Trotter (Parkey kick) 10 24 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING USU AUB 5:06 (AUB) Parkey, 21 yard FG 10 27 1:56 (AUB) Dyer, 33 yard run (Parkey kick) 10 34
Utah State PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT Jeremy Higgins 15/36 150 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Robert Turbin 13 83 6.3 0 Jeremy Higgins 11 -21 -1.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Xavier Martin 6 41 10.2 0 Dontel Watkins 4 66 16.5 0 Robert Turbin 3 19 6.3 0 Mikhail Morgan 1 7 7.0 1 DEFENSIVE TACK SACK INT TD Walter McClenton 10 0 1 0 Alfred Bowden 9 0 2 0 Kyle Gallagher 8 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Braeden Loveless 1/1 1/1 4 43 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Braeden Loveless 9 347 38.5 0 KICK RETURNING RET YDS AVG TD Robert Turbin 6 137 22.8 0 PUNT RETURNING RET YDS AVG TD Robert Turbin 1 0 0.0 0 Auburn PASSING C/ATT YDS TD INT Barrett Trotter 10/24 146 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Michael Dyer 25 189 7.5 3 Onterio McCalebb 13 113 8.6 0 Barrett Trotter 8 45 5.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Quindarius Carr 2 64 32.0 1 Trovon Reed 2 25 12.5 0 Emory Blake 1 20 20.0 0 DEFENSIVE TACK SACK INT TD Neiko Thorpe 6 0 1 0 Nosa Equae 6 1 0 0 Jeffrey Whitaker 4 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Cody Parkey 2/3 4/4 10 44 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Steven Clark 3 132 44.4 1 KICK RETURNING RET YDS AVG TD Trovon Reed 3 72 24.0 0 PUNT RETURNING RET YDS AVG TD Quindarius Carr 6 47 7.8 0

[nredfoot]

War Eagle! I'll definitely be following this one! No one is giving us much respect this year so will be interesting to see how your season goes