Auburn Preview

Wow. It's amazing what a year can do. Last year, we had no chance at beating Auburn. This year, we're the favorite, and I don't think that's just people being foolish. Auburn's season has been just plain awful. Until doing a little bit of research for this post, I had kind of assumed they were a good team who hadn't performed all that well in some clutch situations. Turns out I was very wrong.

Auburn started the season by beating the hell out of Louisiana-Monroe like any good SEC program should (save a Nick Saban coached Alabama team). In that game, the offense wasn't as explosive as the score might indicate. Auburn's heralded spread eagle offense amassed eighty-five passing yards. Eighty-five. That's right. Against the mighty ULM Eagles (I think that's their mascot), Auburn threw the ball twenty-seven times. On those twenty-seven attempts, Chris Todd and Kodi Burns racked up eighty-five yards combined. That game was really all about special teams and defense.

Auburn's next game was against Southern Miss. I actually got to see that game on television. It appeared to be a game in which Auburn just beat USM on athleticism. USM appeared to be a strong team, and it worried me. Now, we see how USM's season has turned out so far this season. I bet Damion Fletcher is pissed.

The game between Auburn and Mississippi State was the first time all season that we really realized just how bad Auburn's offense is. It was the lowest possible score for a non-shutout. 3-2. Auburn's offense scored all five points. Remember, this is Mississippi State. The same Mississippi State that lost to Louisiana Tech two weeks earlier.

Then there was the game that tricked people into thinking that maybe Auburn wasn't as bad as they had thought. The truth is that Auburn just showed up for the LSU game (against an extremely overrated LSU team) ready to play up to their competition. Much like the Ed Orgeron led rebels of years past, ther was that one game this season when Auburn decided to keep it really close against a "good" team. Still, the tigers of Auburn lost.

Next, Auburn took on a Tennessee team that hadn't exactly been discovered to have been so bad. Auburn won 14-13 mostly because Crompton handed the ball to his own end zone, allowing Auburn to score a defensive touchdown. UT sucks.

Next, Auburn lost to Vanderbilt by one point. Remember how the rebels lost to Vanderbilt? After giving up seven turnovers, we lost by four. Well, Auburn only turned the ball over once and still managed to lose.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, who needed an onside kick to beat Southeast Louisiana and lose to Ole Miss, beat Auburn, holding the razorbacks to 193 yards. Yikes Auburn. Find an offense.

Last week, we got to see Auburn take West Virginia into the locker room with a lead only to lose the game by 17. That game has been described by many as a "breaking point" for the defense. The defense has just given up now. Hopefully that will caryy over into our game against them.

I expect Jevan to have a great day and lead the rebels to a solid victory over a bad team. Even our defensive backs may be able to stop Auburn's wide receivers. Hell. Louisiana-Monroe could do it.

Prediction: Rebels by 13