Posts Tagged ‘preview’
Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a series previewing Auburn’s 2010 football opponents. This week: LSU (Oct. 23). The series will run weekly.
Les Miles has won more games (51) in the past five years than any other coach in LSU history over the same amount of time.
He has a national championship ring on his finger and LSU boasts one of the best records against ranked opponents (13-11) among SEC schools since he took over for Nick Saban in 2005.
Despite all the accolades, which include a 51-14 record and four bowl victories in his first five seasons at LSU, Miles sits on the hottest seat in the SEC.
That means every game in 2010 carries added importance for the embattled head coach, whose $3.751 million salary will come under the crosshairs of frustrated Tiger fans after every LSU mistake that can be traced back to Miles.
Auburn vs. Northwestern in the 2010 Outback Bowl
By now you already know that Auburn accepted a bid to play in Tampa on New Year’s Day in the 2010 Outback Bowl. Auburn will be going bowling again after missing last season’s festivities with its 5-7 record. Starting the season 5-0had most Auburn fans flying high. However, they were quickly brought back to earth finishing the season 2-5 and leading most fans to believe that there were definitely positives and negatives for Coach Gene Chizik’s first season. The combination of fan support and a strong showing in the Alabama game helped to convince Outback Bowl officials that Auburn was the 7-5 team they wanted.
Auburn’s opponent will be the 8-4 Northwestern Wildcats. The Wildcats come into the game riding a 3 game winning streak including wins over some pretty impressive opponents (Iowa and Wisconsin). In case you don’t know who or what Northwestern is, I present to you my cheat sheet to the Outback Bowl:
What does Coach Richt have planned for this week....dark helmets again?
By: Kevin Strickland
Mark Richt knows what’s wrong with the Georgia Bulldogs.
He knows why the ‘Dogs are 5-4 and in jeopardy of missing a bowl trip for the first time in eight years.
Richt has figured out why his team has fallen off the SEC East radar.
It’s not the schizophrenic offense that was able to torch Arkansas for 52 points but could only scrounge up 19 against Tennessee and 10 at Oklahoma State.
It’s not the erratic defense that allowed 37 to South Carolina, 41 to Arkansas, 41 to Florida and 45 to Tennessee.
Nope. It’s choreography and costuming that are the problem for his Bulldog team.
By: Kevin Strickland
The Furman Paladins couldn’t have chosen a better time to slip onto the Auburn Tigers’ football schedule.
Sandwiched between an emotional and cathartic win over Ole Miss and next week’s grudge match against traditional rival Georgia the Paladins lurk in easily overlooked ambush.
Furman sneaks in for Auburn’s Homecoming at 4-4 with wins over Presbyterian, Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Samford under their belts. Losses to Missouri, Appalachian State, Elon and The Citadel even out the slate.
The Paladins score a healthy 27.6 points and 151 yards rushing per game and could pose a threat to…
Think the paladins will wear this to midfield at the coin toss to intimidate?
Oh, who are we kidding?
There is no real need to preview this game.
Auburn, on Homecoming, will turn the Paladins into an assortment of tin cans. Missouri bombed Furman 52-12 and that’s about how Saturday afternoon will turn out.
Please Roof...Let my Coleman GO!
By: Kevin Strickland
A week after being punched in the face and abused like a nerd at a biker convention by the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Auburn Tigers have the opportunity to show the college football world how this team and its new coaching staff respond to adversity when the Kentucky Wildcats come calling Saturday night.
Will Auburn of 2009 self destruct and allow the misama of the Arkansas loss to pollute the remainder of the season? A loss to Vanderbilt in 2008 set in motion a chain of events that led to infighting, turmoil, mid-season firings and the first non-bowl season for the Tigers in a decade.
Or will the Tigers rebound, recover some of the offensive swagger that marked the first four games of the season and begin to find some defensive identity?
It could get ugly...
By: Kevin Strickland
Due to the potential for excessive violence and simulated sacrificial slaughter, network censors mandated a 6 p.m. kickoff for Saturday’s showdown between Auburn and Ball State. Despite the late start, the game will likely carry a parental warning. Cover your eyes, kids. What the Tigers do to the Cardinals won’t be for the squeamish.
Predicting the outcome of an upcoming game normally takes a bit of research, particularly early in the season. For that reason, predictions normally come on Thursday, giving a few days to digest the events of the week that just transpired.
No such research is required this week.
The Auburn Tigers (3-0) will annihilate the Ball State Cardinals (0-3).
Little known fact: Joyce DeWitt, who played Janet on the 70s sitcom Three’s
Company is a Ball State alumnus. Even if she and TV co-star Suzanne Sommers (in their prime) were prancing the sidelines Cardinal cheerleader outfits it wouldn’t help Ball State avoid a Saturday thrashing.
By: Kevin Strickland
Today’s West Virginia at Auburn college football preview is brought to you by the number three and the letter ‘C’.
Three was Auburn’s unlucky number in last season’s 34-17 meltdown at Morgantown where the Tigers took a 17-0 lead and then surrendered 34 unanswered points. Four times in the second half of that game, the Auburn offense went three and out, leaving its defense tired.
Three of West Virginia’s four second half scores came after the Tiger offense folded after three plays.
Since the last time the Mountaineers saw Auburn up close, the Tigers have added a handful of C’s that will make a critical difference in Saturday night’s showdown in Auburn.
C is for Confidence.
A year ago West Virginia caught Auburn at an opportune moment. The Tony Franklin offensive experiment imploded the week before and the beleagured offensive coordinator had been fired after six games.
By: Kevin Strickland
As the Auburn Tigers stand on the precipice of their first season under new head coach Gene Chizik, there is a palpable sense of unease among the Tiger faithful.
The sting of a 5-7 season and the turmoil of a coaching search has barely faded. Questions over Chizik’s suitability for the job linger, especially in light of his 5-19 debacle at Iowa State.
Nervousness over Gus Malzhan’s implementation of a new spread-based offense, after last season’s botched spread experiment with Tony Franklin failed so miserably, bubbles under the surface.
Concerns about depth dog the team, particularly on defense, where an injury to a linebacker or defensive back could potentially promote a green freshman or untested walkon to the front lines.
Worries about Chris Todd’s ability to lead the offense after his injury-addled self-destruction in 2008 persist.
By: Kevin Strickland
Since Gene Chizik’s controversial hiring in December, Tiger fans have intently watched his progress, looking for signs that the malaise that plagued the program in the second half of 2008 will evaporate under his leadership.
We’ve seen him assemble a staff, meet with the media, recruit, make personnel decisions, deal with staff issues, handle disciplinary matters, and manage practices.
What we haven’t seen is how that will all translate to the field.
In five short days, Chizik will finally get the chance to show what his Auburn team can do where it counts. Everything he’s done since arriving in Auburn in December built toward this moment.
In the end, Chizik will be judged on how well his team performs, in terms of intangibles like effort and intensity, yes, but primarily on wins and losses.
By: Brian Kleisley
In my SEC East preview, I said that the SEC Champion and Potential BCS Champion would come from the Eastern Division (if you didn’t read part 1 or have been in a coma for the last few weeks, it’s the Florida Gators). However, from top to bottom, the tougher division will likely be the Western Division, where all 3 of the top teams have a legitimate shot at facing Florida in the SEC championship game.
Ole Miss Rebels: (7-1 SEC; 11-1 Overall)
2009 Predicted Finish
