Are Phil Fulmer and Fred Thompson twins?

By Acid Reign
Paraswarm@aol.com

Hard on the heels of a collision with LSU, Auburn will play host to the Tennessee Vols, on September 27. The Vols will have been already tested, having played at revamped UCLA, a tuneup against UAB at home, then they host the Florida Gators, before traveling to the Plains. Tennessee could be flying high at 3-0, or they could be as low as 1-2, depending on the development of a new offense, and a rebuilt front seven. This game should command a prime TV slot, regardless. The only other major game that day, is Alabama at Georgia. Expect either a CBS or ESPN prime time appearance.

It's a dangerous game for the Tigers, who will be coming off a physical, emotional game with LSU. In the past four seasons, Auburn has struggled the week after the LSU game. In 2004, we piddled around with the Citadel, fumbling the ball away twice in the first half. The 2005 hangover was a lackluster 27-3 win over Ole Miss. In 2006, we struggled in the first half with Buffalo, scoring only 10 on the Bulls. Ole Miss took us to the wire in 2007, and the game was only over when Rod Smith broke away with a slant in the final moments.

As with Auburn's previous opponents, there are new coaches on the staff. Long-time Vol David Cutcliffe took the Duke head-coaching job at the end of last season, and took two Tennessee assistants with him. UT head coach Phillip Fulmer looked to the NCAA Championship Subdivision (I-AA) semi-finals for his replacements. New offensive coordinator Dave Clawson comes in from a head-coaching stint at Richmond, where he compiled an 11-3 record, and a loss to Appalachian State in the semi-finals. It was the best year in Richmond Spider history. Clawson is loosely categorized as a West Coast Offense guy, but much like Bobby Petrino, one really can't pin a single style on him. Auburn will face a diverse attack.

Unlike the past few years, Tennessee has mobile quarterbacks to work with, which certainly pleases Dave Clawson. While he's apparently installed such radical features as a "G-Gun" spread offensive package, it's likely that Tennessee will still feature a lot of "two-back and a tight end" formations. Given the fact that there are new quarterbacks, and that tailback Arian Foster is one of the best in the league, the Vols will rely heavily on the run again, this year.

Clawson and Fulmer brought Richmond wide receivers coach Latrell Scott in to coach the UT receivers. And in a bit of a coup, Fulmer snared former Florida running backs coach, Stan Drayton. At the end of last season, Drayton resigned from the Florida staff, believing that running backs had largely been eliminated from the Florida offense. Drayton has previously coached such backs as Jerious Norwood, and Brian Westbrook.

On defense, coordinator John Chavis brings a strong, fast group to the table, this fall. At the beginning of last season, UT suffered mightily in the defensive backfield, as young players developed. This group was shredded early by teams like California and Florida, but finished the season shutting down LSU and Wisconsin. For the first time in years, UT has depth in the secondary. The line features two return starters at tackle, who should be good ones (junior Dan Williams, and senior Demonte' Bolden), but has two new defensive end starters. The ends are quick, but can they stop the run? The loss of Jerod Mayo leaves a huge hole in the linebacker corps, but junior Rico McCoy looks like he could be a star.

On special teams, UT suffered a serious loss when senior Britton Colquitt was suspended for the first five games on a DUI incident. Sophomore replacement Chad Cunningham kicked well in UT's spring game. The Vols return a solid kicker, Daniel Lincoln, and they have speed to burn on their return teams.

Matchups

Auburn defensive line vs. UT offensive line: Auburn fields a dangerous, mostly experienced line with a lot of speed. Most of the Vol offensive line is back, this year, after allowing only 4 sacks all last year, the best in the NCAA. This is a dynamite pass-protection unit, but there are questions about their run-blocking ability. The Vols have had to move some folks around due to injury, most notably to junior center Josh McNeil. Some say that the moves have affected consistency. One key matchup will be between junior left tackle Chris Scott, and Auburn's speedy ends Antonio Coleman and Antoine Carter. If Auburn is to get a pass-rush on the Vols without blitzing, it will start here. Also, SenDerrick Marks must hold his own against mammoth junior guard Jacques McClendon. Advantage: Even.

Auburn linebackers vs. UT backs: Auburn is deep, talented and fast at linebacker, and will play a lot of them. Vol stalwart senior Arian Foster returns, and he looks a step faster, this spring. Behind Foster, sophomore Lennon Creer looks solid, and freshman Tauren Poole looks like a future star. The Vols were looking for big things out of junior Montario Hardesty, but he's again in the shop with a leg injury. UT features a massive, 250-pound, senior fullback in David Holbert, but Cutcliffe's offense a year ago was more wide-receiver/tight-end oriented. Given Auburn's success in shutting down running backs a year ago, advantage: Auburn.

Auburn corners vs. UT receivers: Tennessee is very talented and fast at this position. Despite the loss of Lucas Taylor, the Vols will be deep. Sophomore Gerald Jones is an electric player who will be tough to stay with. Jones also plays QB in the "G-Gun" package. Junior Quentin Hancock is a tall, fluid player who's played well this spring. Auburn counters with junior Jerraud Powers, and either Aaron Savage or Walter McFadden. Advantage: Tennessee.

Auburn safeties vs. UT secondary receivers and quarterback: Although the vols replace 4-year starter Erik Ainge this season, junior Jonathan Crompton is no green rookie. He has been a part-time starter for the past two seasons, when Ainge was hurt. Crompton has reportedly adapted well to the new Clawson system, and has had a better work ethic than in the past. If there's a knock on Crompton at this point, it's a tendency to gamble. Crompton brings mobility to the Tennessee pocket, something that's been missing for quite a while. Sophomore Nick Stevens and redshirt freshman B. J. Coleman got a lot of work, and are reportedly picking up the new offense well, but neither has thrown a pass in a college game. Tight ends Jeff Cottam and Luke Stocker are experienced, but they have largely been used as blockers in the past, as have the Vol fullbacks. Redshift freshman slot receiver Ahmad Paige is a burner, at 6'1" and 180 pounds. Auburn's safeties are a pair of talented sophomores, Mike McNeil and Zack Etheridge. Advantage: Even.

Punting: The loss of Britton Colquitt could be huge for the Vols, if Auburn is able to rattle sophomore Chad Cunningham. Cunningham punted well in the Vol spring game, though. Auburn should be able to punt well, with 3 capable guys. Tennessee fields punts with sophomore Dennis Rogan, a 5'10" speedster who averaged 9.7 yards per return a year ago, after taking over the job late in the season. Auburn gave up only 6.5 yards per return. Auburn will field punts with veteran senior Robert Dunn, who averaged 9.4 yards per return. UT gave up 10.3 yards per return, with two touchdowns. Advantage: Auburn.

Kickoffs: Last season, Tennessee used its punters on kickoffs, splitting duty between Britton Colquit and Chad Cunningham. Auburn answers with Wes Byrum. The UT pair managed 4 touchbacks vs. 7 for Byrum, who was only the kickoff man part-time. Dennis Rogan will return kicks, this year, for the Vols, sporting a gaudy 29.5 yard per game average from a year ago. Auburn counters with Tristan Davis. Tennessee allowed 20.6 yards per return, Auburn allowed 21.2, on a unit that rapidly improved. Advantage: Even.

Placekicking: Auburn's Wes Byrum hit 17 of 23 attempts, with a couple of game-winners. For UT, sophomore Daniel Lincoln hit 21 of 29 attempts. Advantage: Even.

Auburn defensive line vs. UT offensive line: Auburn returns a young, but veteran bunch with players on the Remmington watch list (Jason Bosley), and a potential All-American (Tyrone Green). UT will face Auburn's interior stars with two stout tackles in senior Demonte' Bolden and junior Dan Williams. While those two are capable, there appears to be little depth behind them, although senior Walter Fisher did improve towards the end of spring. Phillip Fulmer was noted for repeatedly citing backup tackles as underachievers, this spring. At end, UT should be faster, with some new starters, but there are questions about run-stopping ability. Sophomore Ben Martin was getting rave reviews last fall, before blowing out a knee. If he returns healthy in next fall, the Vol line could be dangerous. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. UT linebackers: Tennessee loses the SEC's leading tackler in Jerod Mayo. Rico McCoy should be able to lock down the back side, but there are questions otherwise. UT is going with lighter, 215-225 pound guys that are largely untested. Particularly concerning is the strong side, where injuries have thinned depth. Against Auburn, the strong side backer will be asked to cover guys like Tommy Trott or backs out of the backfield, and thus far, it appears to be a glaring weakness. Auburn brings a variety of experienced, speedy, capable backs, although there is no lead blocker with experience. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn receivers vs. UT corners: Auburn made strides this spring in this area, but they face a battle-seasoned, talented set of UT defenders. Senior DeAngelo Willingham is a prototypical NFL corner, with size and speed. On the other side, 2007 starter Brent Vinson missed spring with shoulder surgery, but converted safety Dennis Rogan moved over and proved he could add quality depth. Advantage: UT

Auburn secondary receivers and QB vs. UT safeties: Auburn will start a pair of young quarterbacks in Kodi Burns and Chris Todd, but Auburn has some dangerous slot receivers, tight ends, and backs. UT has arguably the best safety tandem in the SEC, with sophomore Eric Berry and junior Demetrice Morley. Both Berry and Morley are versatile players, good at both coverage and hard-hitting tackles. And there is depth behind them. Advantage: UT

Auburn appears to be the slightly stronger, deeper team, and Auburn is at home, while UT has superior playmakers in their receiver corps. A key for Auburn will be keeping drives alive and wearing the Tennessee front seven down. A strong running/screen game will be a must. When Tennessee has the ball, Auburn must shut down Arian Foster, and pressure the QB. Auburn's secondary will suffer if Crompton is allowed time to sit in the pocket and wait on his receivers to come open.

Prediction: Auburn successfully plays ball-control, while Tennessee survives on a few big plays. In the end, Auburn runs the clock out on a 24-21 win.

LSU's defense will be a tough early test for Auburn.

By Acid Reign
Paraswarm@aol.com

On September 20th, at 7:00 PM, a major war will take place in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn and LSU will fight it out, and the winner will have the inside track towards the Western Division title. The game has been picked up by ESPN HD, and will be on national television. The late kickoff should allow plenty of time for fans to get revved up, and the house should be rocking!

LSU returns to the Plains as the defending national champion, but it will be a team minus 10 senior starters from a year ago, seven of which were selected in the recent NFL draft. Previously, LSU will have played Appalachian State, Troy, and North Texas. Barring a year-ago-Michigan-level upset, LSU should be undefeated, and ranked in the top 5. Auburn likely also will be undefeated. This tilt will be LSU's first road game of the year, and their SEC opener.

As with Auburn's first three opponents, LSU had to replace a coordinator, this season. Bo Pellini departed to Nebraska, so a new defensive boss had to be found. Head coach Les Miles promoted from within, naming Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto as co-coordinators. Mallory came over with Miles from Oklahoma State, coaching the defensive backs. Mallory's secondaries have led the SEC in pass efficiency defense all three years he has been at LSU. Last season, led by safety Craig Steltz, LSU picked off 21 passes. Peveto is also in his third season with LSU, coaching linebackers, and serving as special teams coordinator. Peveto previously served as defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State. Last season, Peveto coached an All-American linebacker, Ali Highsmith, an All-SEC linebacker, Darry Beckwith, and two All-SEC kickers, punter Patrick Fisher, and kicker Colt David.

No question looms larger for LSU than the quarterback position. With the dismissal of the talented, mercurial Ryan Perrilloux, the candidates to replace him are redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee, and Harvard transfer, junior Andrew Hatch. Hatch appears to be slightly ahead in the race. LSU replaces 3 offensive line starters, but they are LOADED at the skill positions, including veteran pass-catchers Brandon LaFell, and Demetrious Byrd. LSU has a stable of dangerous running backs by committee, including Richard Murphy, Keiland Williams, Trindan Holiday, and Charles Scott.

The defense must replace six starters. The line should be very strong, even without Glenn Dorsey. Darry Beckwith returns at middle linebacker, to anchor a fast, athletic group. LSU has four solid safeties to step into the void left by Craig Steltz, but thus far, the new corners have been disappointing. If there is a weak spot on the LSU defense, it is at corner. Colt David, the All-SEC kicker returns, but LSU must find a punter, and a reliable punt returner. Kickoffs against LSU are always an adventure, with the ever-dangerous Trindon Holliday returning kicks.

Matchups

Auburn defensive line vs. LSU offensive line: Auburn fields a talented, dangerous front. LSU will be bringing 3 linemen getting their first road start, but they'll be led by talented veteran senior center, Brett Helms, who'll be in his third year as a starter. 5th year senior left guard Herman Johnson returns, as well, and he is a LOAD, at 351 pounds. We'll have a lot of trouble matching up with him. Look for LSU to try lots of weakside runs, with Johnson paving the way. Auburn counters with speedy defensive ends, against young LSU tackles. Advantage: Even.

Auburn linebackers vs. LSU runners: Last year, LSU bashed out 169 yards against the Tigers. Auburn will be deeper and stronger, this year, and LSU loses Jacob Hester to graduation. The second-leading rusher was Matt Flynn, who is also gone. LSU backs frequently gashed through arm tackles in the game, and who can forget Keiland Williams setting sail on a 46-yard screen-pass touchdown late in the 1st quarter. LSU likely will run a lot, this year. Auburn's ability to fly to the ball, and get runners on the ground, will be key to getting young LSU Qbs in some bad situations. Advantage: Even, in a strength against strength matchup.

Auburn corners vs. LSU receivers: LSU returns a couple of dangerous veterans in Demetrious Byrd and Brandon LaFell. The question will be whether a young QB can get the ball to them reliably. Jerraud Powers should be fine against one of them, but I worry about the other side. Gary Crowton may deviate from his usual screen-happy attack, in favor of testing new Auburn corners Aaron Savage and Walt McFadden over the top. Luckily, Auburn's closing speed at safety is as good as it has been in years, and new defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes tends to favor more cover-two packages, than the previous two coordinators did. Auburn cannot afford to give up big plays on the perimeter. Advantage: LSU

Auburn safeties vs. LSU secondary receivers and quarterback: Both teams will be young, in this matchup. Zach Etheridge and Michael McNeil have the talent, and both got their feet wet last season. Etheridge was an All-SEC freshman team selection. LSU fullbacks are primarily blockers, but LSU's tight ends are a threat. Richard Dickson get the starting nod at tight end. He was all-SEC as a freshman, in 2006, and was on some freshman All-American teams. At quarterback LSU will have no game experience returning. Junior transfer, from Harvard, Andrew Hatch is listed as the starter, but Les Miles plans to use a two-quarterback system, this fall. The other quarterback is redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. Hatch is more of a pocket-passer, while Lee has good speed on the edge. Advantage: even.

Punting: Auburn will be solid with any of three different punters, and good coverage. LSU counters with sophomore returner Chad Jones. Jones dropped several punts last season, and made some bad fielding decisions. He averaged 6.6 yards per return, with a long return of 16 yards. LSU is hoping that Jones matures greatly, this season. LSU loses All-SEC punter Patrick Fisher. Neither of the possible replacement candidates punted well in LSU's spring game. LSU opponents averaged 9.5 yards per return, whereas Auburn gave up only 6.5. Advantage: Auburn

Kickoffs: Auburn will be looking to improve on a poor season, in this area. The health of Wes Byrum will be key. LSU did not fare terribly well in the kickoff department last season, either. LSU tried five different kickers, and none could average more than 60 yards. Auburn averaged 57yards. LSU gave up 20.2 yards per return to Auburn's 21.2. Trindan Holiday gives LSU a dangerous return man, Auburn counters with Tristan Davis. Advantage: Even.

Placekicking: Wes Byrum was consistent for Auburn, hitting 17 of 23 attempts, and made all of his pressure kicks. Colt David was the All-SEC kicker selection, hitting 26 of 33 attempts. David had no misses inside 30 yards, and hit all of his extra points. Advantage: Even.

Auburn offensive line vs. LSU defensive line: Auburn returns every starter from the LSU contest a year ago, when the line showed that it could match up with LSU. They created running creases, and provided protection for Brandon Cox. As inconsistent as Auburn's offense was in 2007, it put up 24 points on the national champions, and it started on the line. LSU returns an abundance of talent, though, and should put up a heck of a fight. Senior end Tyson Jackson is a monster pass-rusher that is awfully tough to block. He has Stanley-McGlover-level speed, but weights almost 300 pounds. Slight advantage: LSU.

Auburn backs vs. LSU linebackers: For Auburn last year, the Lester-Tate-led rushing attack only managed 97 yards on the ground. LSU loses All-American linebacker Ali Highsmith, while Auburn's rushers are a year stronger. Still, it is hard to imagine a spread-offense having huge success running at LSU. Auburn's backs won't be measured by gobs of rushing yardage, but by how well they pick up blitzes, and how they run with screen passes. LSU returns All-SEC middle linebacker Darry Beckwith, while no Auburn back last year even got a sniff of post-season honors. Advantage: LSU.

Auburn receivers vs. LSU corners: After two years of questionable play out of this unit, Auburn's outside guys should be back to typical speed and talent. In addition to stalwarts Rod Smith and Montez Billings, a pair of big-play guys stepped up this spring, in James Swinton and Chris Slaughter. LSU had problems covering their starting receivers, in their spring game, with two new starting corners. Chris Hawkins and Jai Eugene have speed, but both are under six feet, and are not considered physical. A key will be how well Auburn can block these guys on the slip-screen. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. LSU safeties: Curtis Taylor returns at strong safety for LSU, and he's a bruising, ball-hawking specimen in the mold of Ronnie Lott. LSU breaks in a new free safety to replace departed All-American Chris Steltz. Harry Coleman starts there, and he's still adjusting a bit. He was a special-teams stalwart in the past, and is a good tackler. Auburn's secondary receivers, Robert Dunn and Tommy Trott should be able to get some mismatches in this area. Auburn will play a pair of young quarterbacks in their first big game, Kodi Burns and Chris Todd. It's worth noting that in both of LSU's overtime losses last season, they gave up a lot of points, facing spread-out offenses that got the ball out to slot receivers, tight ends, and backs. Advantage: Even.

Tallying up the matchups, it appears that LSU has a slight advantage, on paper. Fortunately, this game will be played on an actual football field with 87,000 raucous fans. LSU will be at a decided disadvantage with young players on the road. In addition, Auburn's offensive scheme is one that should be able to take advantage of some of LSU's few defensive weaknesses, IF Auburn's quarterbacks get time to throw and/or run. LSU faced a version of the spread last season, against Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas (Darren McFadden played a LOT of Wildcat/shotgun quarterback in that game). In those four games, LSU gave up 161 points. And this year, they're minus 3 All Americans from that defense. In addition, one can expect mistakes from new quarterbacks, on the road, against a fast front seven like Auburn has.

Prediction: LSU makes too many mistakes to win their first road game, and Auburn romps to a shocking 34-13 victory!

Miss State could be a struggle again this year.

By Acid Reign
Paraswarm@aol.com

The pre-season ends for the Auburn Tigers, on September 13th, when they travel to Starkville Mississippi, for their first SEC game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Auburn is still smarting from last season's disastrous home loss to the Bulldogs, and will be out for revenge. A win won't come easily for either team, though. Both squads, at times, featured hard-nosed defenses last season. Both had porous games, as well, such as Auburn's 17 point fourth quarter meltdown against LSU, and Auburn allowing 4 straight touchdown drives against Georgia in the second half. MSU failed on defense in more games, giving up 45 against LSU, 38 against South Carolina, 33 against Tennessee, 38 against West Virginia, and 45 against Arkansas.

The Bulldogs will have to overcome the loss of Defensive Coordinator Ellis Johnson, who was hired away by Steve Spurrier during the off-season. Charlie Harbison was promoted to replace Johnson. Harbison has an interesting pedigree, having coached defensive backs at Alabama during the Dubose era, then coaching wide receivers under Mike Shula. Harbison developed such players as D. J. Hall, and Keith Brown. The MSU defense returns 8 starters, but two starting linemen depart including defensive end Titus Brown, who was the unit leader. All of the back seven return, including star senior safety Derek Pegues, but there are depth issues in the secondary. MSU did sign Charles Mitchell, a high-school cornerback who was named the Mississippi player of the year. Mitchell is being counted on to help out immediately.

Mississippi State has struggled to move the football on offense, for most of the Sylvester Croom era, and that trend likely will continue, if MSU's spring game is any indication. The game ended regulation play in a scoreless deadlock, and had to be resolved in overtime. On the other hand, starting QB Wesley Carroll and monster tailback Anthony Dixon only played a few snaps. The MSU offense took a blow when starting offensive tackle Michael Brown was arrested on a firearms charge, and kicked out of school. Brown, a transfer from Florida, had started 18 games. Reserve defensive tackle Quinton Wesley was also involved in the gun incident, and likewise was expelled. The Bulldogs are counting on signee Templeton Hardy, the 8th best incoming defensive tackle in the nation, to add depth to the defensive line.

The Bulldogs struggled with a rash of injuries and youth on offense, last season. Veteran Michael Henig has given up football, after a hip injury. That leaves sophomore Wesley Carroll as the starter. Carroll was largely a caretaker as a true freshman starter last fall, and more will be expected of him this year. Tailback Anthony Dixon has the size and tools to be a top SEC back, but needs to be more consistent. Dixon also had a bit of the fumble-bug last year, and needs to hold onto the ball better. MSU turnovers played a big part in the number of points they gave up, last year. Taking care of the ball and developing a downfield passing game will be key to returning to a bowl game this year, for Mississippi State.

Matchups

Auburn defensive line vs. MSU offensive line: MSU fields a bit of an undersized line, losing three starters from last season. Due to the loss of Michael Brown, they will be very young at tackle, starting two sophomores. Auburn counters with talented ends Antonio Coleman, Antoine Carter, and Michael Goggins. Inside, SenDerrick Marks will require a double-team block, and that will leave MSU senior Anthony Strauder to block the Auburn nose guard one-on-one. Auburn will rotate as many as three talented youngsters, there. Advantage: Auburn, possibly by a big margin.

Auburn linebackers vs. MSU backs: MSU starts two behemoths in the backfield, senior fullback Brandon Hart, and junior tailback Anthony Dixon. Both are 240 pounds. Spelling Dixon is another junior, the shifty slasher Christian Ducre. MSU is also hoping that redshirt freshman Robert Elliot will be productive. Elliot is a 190-pound speedster who got a lot of work this spring, while Dixon recovered from minor knee surgery. MSU will try to pound Auburn's undersized linebacker corps. Auburn does have great depth at linebacker, but they need to get some stops for losses, and keep MSU from grinding out first downs. Advantage: Even.

Auburn corners vs. MSU receivers: MSU returns most of their receivers, but it was hardly a prolific unit. Senior Jamayel Smith is the most dangerous of the MSU receivers, last year catching 33 balls for a 15.5 yard average, and 3 touchdowns. Overall, the top 4 receivers on the MSU depth chart only caught 57 balls for 814 yards, last season. That's a healthy 14.2 yards per catch, but only 62 yards per game. One reason for the lack of production was a freshman quarterback, and a heavy emphasis on the running game, but these guys weren't running around wide-open all game, either. Auburn counters with speedy, dangerous corners in Jerraud Powers, Aaron Savage, and Walter McFadden. If MSU has to throw to move the ball consistently, they're in trouble. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn safeties vs. MSU secondary receivers and quarterback: Auburn is young at safety, starting two sophomores. MSU is even greener at tight end, and quarterback. Wesley Carroll is only a true sophomore, and for the most part, he was only asked to hand off and run bootlegs. Chris Relf and Tyson Lee have no experience, except for taking most of the snaps in MSU's spring game. The MSU staff was hoping for big things out of Relf, especially, but the pair of QB's produced zero points in regulation. MSU replaces all of their playing rotation at tight end. Sophomore Brandon Henderson has the starting job after spring, and two freshmen are behind him. Advantage: Auburn.

Punting: Auburn has a trio of capable punters, and good coverage, giving up 6.5 yards per return. By contrast, MSU gave up 9.8 per return. Senior Blake McAdams returns for the Bulldogs, averaging only 39.3 yards per punt. MSU averaged 9.9 yards a return, with dangerous veteran Derek Pegues taking one 75 yards to the house. Auburn counters with veteran Robert Dunn, who averaged 9.4. Advantage: Auburn.

Kickoffs: Senior Adam Carlson returns for the Bulldogs, and he averaged 60.4 yards per kickoff, vs. Auburn's 57. MSU averaged giving up 20.8 yards per return, to Auburn's 21.2. MSU will be kicking to (possibly) Tristan Davis, Mario Fannin, or Brad Lester. All have potential. Derek Pegues returned kicks last season for MSU, but this spring's depth chart lists a pair of redshirt freshmen: Wade Bonner, and Robert Elliot. I think MSU is trying to put more speed on the field here, but inexperienced returners are a huge liability in SEC play. Advantage: Even.

Place kicking: Adam Carlson was excellent for the Bulldogs last season, hitting 10 of 13 field goals, including only one miss from inside 40 yards. Wes Byrum was 17-23, with several clutch kicks for Auburn. Both kickers missed one extra point. Advantage: Even.

Auburn offensive line vs. MSU defensive line: Auburn fields a veteran, nasty bunch, with depth. All five starters return. MSU loses top end Titus Brown, as well as one other starter. However, MSU is huge in the middle. Starters Kyle Love and Jessie Bowman combine to weigh 625 pounds. The backups are both over 290 each. All 4 tackles are experienced and tough. It will be an absolute war, inside, and very fun to watch! At end, the Bulldogs will go with light, 240-pound speed-rushers, senior Tim Bailey and sophomore Brandon Cooper. Lee Ziemba should be able to neutralize the left side, but Auburn is still a bit unsettled at right tackle. Coach Nall is still looking for an alternative to the undersized Ryan Pugh. Running a spread offense, Auburn can't afford any mismatches against them. Slight Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. MSU linebackers: Ben Tate and Mario Fannin got a taste of MSU's hard hitting linebackers last fall, and did not fare so well. The addition of Brad Lester will definitely help Auburn, this year. MSU linebackers have been excellent at stopping the run, as well as dropping into a stifling zone. However, the Bulldogs had problems containing well-designed screen passes. It's a deep and talented MSU corps, led by seniors Dominic Douglas and Jamar Chaney. Given Auburn's lack of an experienced lead blocker, it's Advantage: MSU.

Auburn Receivers vs. MSU corners: At this time, a pair of 5-10, not terribly fast corners are listed as starters; Jasper O'Quinn and Marcus Washington. The Bulldogs are hoping that potential All-SEC star Anthony Johnson is full-speed by fall. Johnson is still recovering from a broken ankle suffered during last year's Egg Bowl. Johnson returned two picks for touchdowns, before he was hurt. If Johnson can return, and recruit Charles Mitchell is ready to start, MSU could be lock-down. If not, there is definite room for Auburn's veterans Rod Smith, Montez Billings, James Swinton, and co. to operate. Advantage: Even, on uncertainty.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. MSU safeties: The Bulldogs return a pair of veteran, talented safeties; Keith Fitzhugh and Derek Pegues. Pegues had a pick-six that was the difference in the game, against Auburn, last season. These two safeties are good ones, very strong in run support. If there is a weakness, it is against speedy slot receivers running corner or out-routes. Either safety can make a QB pay for a bad throw. Auburn counters with veteran Robert Dunn (who has struggled with his hands throughout his career), Tommy Trott (likewise) and an inexperienced QB, either Kodi Burns or Chris Todd. Advantage: MSU.

This game will be a low-scoring war in the trenches. On paper, Auburn appears to be stronger on both lines of scrimmage, and possibly markedly so, on defense. MSU has advantages in the back seven (if they are healthy) over Auburn's skill folks. Auburn should be able to contain the MSU offense, but might wear down against the bigger Bulldogs, if the defense is on the field too much. Kicking games are nearly even. This game will likely be decided by a key turnover or two. Whoever takes care of the ball, and knocks out first downs, will win this contest.

Prediction: A tiring Auburn team holds off a late Bulldog drive, and hangs on to win: 17-13.

By Acid Reign
Paraswarm@aol.com

Fedora takes over.

On September 6th, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles visit Jordan Hare Stadium. This is a matchup that has a good chance of being on television, as the only other major SEC matchups are Miami at Florida, Ole Miss at Wake Forest, and Troy at LSU. The competition should ratchet up in difficulty, after the previous week's tune up against Louisiana Monroe. Southern Mississippi is trying to rebound from a bit of a disappointing season. They were picked to win their division in Conference USA, but instead finished 7-6, with a double-digit loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats, at Legion Field, in the Papa John's Pizza Bowl.

Southern Mississippi made a controversial move at the end of last season, firing long-time head coach Jeff Bower, after 17 seasons in Hattiesburg. Bower took USM to 10 bowls in the past 11 years, but the administration decided to go in a different direction.

Larry Fedora takes over as the Golden Eagle Head Coach. Fedora was previously the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, developing high-powered offenses for the Cowboys, and before that, at Middle Tennessee State. Fedora brings a new staff to Hattiesburg, including one of Tommy Tuberville's former assistants, Art Kaufman. Kaufman was Tuberville's defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. Now, he coaches the defensive line for USM.

Any time a new coach comes in, there's a learning curve. Fedora's offense is complicated, and players have thus far struggled with the complex hand signals used to send in plays. Southern Mississippi has plenty of talent returning, but how well the talent adapts will be key.

Todd Bradford takes over as defensive coordinator, after previously serving as linebackers coach at Oklahoma State. Bradford has a tough job ahead, trying to maintain the ferocious defensive reputation of the Golden Eagles.

Spearheading the revamped offense will be returning running back, junior Damion Fletcher. Fletcher rushed for an eye-popping 1586 yards, last season, and 15 touchdowns; averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Behind Fletcher is another junior, a lightning-quick scat-back named Tory Harrison.

Quarterback has been a battle this spring, and at this time, it would seem that redshirt freshman Austin Davis has won the starting job. Davis hit 17 out of 23 passes for 207 yards in the USM spring game, and rushed 7 times for 52 yards. 5th year senior Jeremy Young has both experience and athleticism, should Austin falter. As a part-time starter last season, Young hit 120 of 224, for 1464 yards with 11 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. More impressively, Young rushed for 349 yards, as well. Sophomore Torris Magee is the most dangerous of the returning receivers. Magee caught 44 balls last fall, for a 14.4 yard average.

On defense, the Eagles are anchored by junior Gerald McRath, at middle linebacker. McRath is the reigning Conference USA defensive player of the year. He's a 212 pound speedster that loves to hit, and reminds me a lot of Tray Blackmon. Junior Eddie Hicks is a dangerous, veteran safety for USM. 311-pound behemoth Anthony Gray, a sophomore, anchors the middle.

Matchups

Auburn defensive line vs. USM offensive line: USM returns a veteran unit that paved the way for a rushing attack that produced over 200 yards per game. With a new scheme, and Fedora's tendency to use wider splits, the USM front may have trouble with Auburn's speed up front. Advantage: Auburn, and they need to dominate, for Auburn to keep USM under wraps, offensively.

Auburn linebackers vs. USM backs: USM has a great starter, and Auburn is deep in talented linebackers. Advantage: Even.

Auburn corners vs. USM receivers: USM has experience returning, from a run-first attack. They put up respectable numbers in the spring game, but Auburn has the speed to match up well. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn safeties vs. USM secondary receivers and quarterback: Auburn is green at safety, but very talented. They'll be going against unproven receivers, and possibly a freshman quarterback. Advantage: Even.

Punting: Auburn returns a solid trio of punters, and had good coverage. Senior Britt Barefoot (I did not make this name up!)returns for the Eagles, averaging 42.5 yards per punt, with 14 kicks downed inside the 20 vs. only 4 touchbacks. USM's coverage averaged 7.1 yards a return, to Auburn's 6.5. Advantage: Even.

Kickoffs: Auburn averaged only 57 yards per kickoff (caught at an average of the 13-yard line), and had poor coverage at times, allowing 21.2 yards per return overall. USM held opponents to 19.9. Advantage: USM.

Kick Returns: With Tristan Davis our numbers here should go up, although USM has traditionally covered kicks well. Last season, Auburn averaged a paltry 19.2 yards per return; USM averaged 21.8. Tory Harrison returns on one side for USM, but Antwain Easterling was recently dismissed from the team. Advantage: Even.

Place Kicking: Wes Byrum was 17 of 23 on field goals, including 9-10 from 30-39 yards, and was money in the bank, on clutch kicks, for Auburn. USM's Justin Estes was 15-22, and only 6-10 in that key 30-39 yard range. Advantage: Auburn

Auburn offensive line vs. USM defensive line: USM loses quite a bit of beef, aside from Anthony Gray, in the middle. Auburn has a deep, talented line. Big advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. USM linebackers: Auburn has several good choices at running back, but they'll be running at a very good linebacker corps. Given that Auburn's scheme now does not include a lot of lead blockers, the backs should struggle, unless the Tiger attack is diversified. This won't be a defense we can pound inside. Advantage: USM.

Auburn receivers vs. USM corners: USM is fairly green here, and Auburn has a number of talented wide receivers. Assuming that we can throw accurately downfield, USM will have a lot of trouble staying with Auburn's guys. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. USM safeties: USM has a good one in Eddie Hicks, but unless the USM line can get pressure without blitzing, Kodi Burns and Chris Todd will have too many options, with players like Robert Dunn, Tommy Trott, and Terrell Zachary. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn has more positives than USM, especially on the lines of scrimmage. It's likely that USM will hang tough on defense, and keep the game closer than we would like, but Auburn should prevail at home, particularly if USM brings a freshman quarterback into Jordan Hare for his first road start. The real key for Auburn is to shut down Dameon Fletcher, and keep the USM offense from getting any consistency.

Prediction: Auburn pulls away in the second half: 23-10.

Alabama will never forget last year's ULM game - Neither will we.

By Acid Reign
paraswarm@aol.com

This is the first installment, in a series of previews of Auburn opponents in 2008. Today we look at Louisiana-Monroe...

The fun begins at last, on August 30th, against Louisiana Monroe, at Jordan Hare Stadium. As any Alabama fan could tell us, this is a team that definitely should not be overlooked.

When we last played Monroe, coach Charlie Weatherbie had just taken over the moribund squad, and we hung 73 points on them in a homecoming laugher. Louisiana Monroe would give up 467 points that year, an average of almost 39 points per game. That 1-11 squad is no more. The Warhawks have improved quite a bit under Coach Weatherbie.

.....Charlie Weatherbie is now in his 6th season with Louisiana Monroe, and the Warhawks have risen to the upper echelon of the Sun Belt Conference. Weatherbie is a veteran, hard-nosed coach, with previous head coaching stints at Utah State, and Navy.

Coach Weatherbie has emphasized defense, and the running game. The Warhawks finished second in points allowed, 332 for the season, in the Sun Belt Conference, last year. That trailed only Troy. ULM had a penchant for creating turnovers, as witnessed against Alabama last season.

On offense, ULM ran the ball 46 times per game, and threw it 28 per game. They had the leading rushing attack in the Sun Belt, averaging 209 yards per game, and 4.5 yards per carry. Overall, the Warhawks averaged 384 yards per game.

.....Charlie Weatherbie faces personnel challenges this year, having had to replace 4 departed assistant coaches, as well as a number of key players. Steve Farmer will take over coordinating the offense, moving up from the offensive line.

The line that paved the way for the best rushing attack in the Sun Belt, loses three starters, as well as the team's top rusher, to graduation. Sophomore Frank Goodin should be a capable replacement in the backfield. He rushed for 596 yards as a freshman, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

The starting defensive front seven will be solid, if unspectacular. There is almost no depth behind them.

.....All of ULM's starting receivers return, and they'll be bolstered by the return of speedster J. J. McCoy, who was out last season with an achilles injury. ULM also has a veteran senior quarterback, Kinsmon Lancaster.

Lancaster will be going into his third season as a starter. Last season, he completed 59% of his passes, for a respectable 6.3 yards per attempt. He threw 13 touchdown passes, against 10 interceptions. Lancaster was only sacked 14 times all season.

Match Ups...

Auburn defensive line vs. ULM offensive line: This should be a clear win for the Tigers. I don't envy the rookie ULM linemen getting their first action against SenDerrick Marks, Antonio Coleman, and Antoine Carter!

Auburn linebackers vs. ULM backs: Again, this will be advantage, Auburn. We are quite deep, and fast. This linebacker corps is very experienced in shutting down good backs. See Dmac, Tebow, Green-Ellis, etc., from last season.

If the D-line is causing havoc, as I think they will, the linebacker should feast on backs in the backfield.

Auburn corners vs. ULM receivers: Jerraud Powers should be able to take one guy away from the ULM arsenal, but the other matchups concern me. Aaron Savage and Walt McFadden have very little experience against major college receivers, and they'll be facing a fairly deep, veteran group. Advantage: ULM.

Auburn safeties vs. ULM quarterback and secondary receivers: We are starting two second-year players here, and they face a veteran QB and receiving corps. I liked the cover-two deep work our guys did during A-Day, but I was not impressed with their ability to stay with speedy receivers man-to-man. Our zone was very vulnerable underneath. Advantage: ULM.

Punting: Auburn's Ryan Shoemaker enjoyed an excellent rookie season, and punt coverage was generally very good. ULM returns a consistent punter, Scott Love, who averaged 42 yards per punt, and most impressively, had 23 punts downed inside the 20, against only 6 touchbacks.

ULM opponents averaged only 6.1 yards per return, and don't forget that they were the team that sent Javier Arenas to the shop... Slight advantage: ULM

Kickoffs: Auburn was abysmal early last year, with short kicks and poor coverage. This improved dramatically towards the end of the season.

ULM averaged kicking the ball to the 8, and gave up 23 yards per return. That's pretty good for ULM, but they have to find a new kicker this year. Advantage: Auburn, on experience.

Kick Returns: Frank Goodin averaged 22 yards per game last year as ULM's primary kick returner. Auburn wasn't terribly special here, last year, either. But, with the return of Tristan Davis, as well as Mario Fannin and Brad Lester, Auburn has a chance to be really good, if we can block! Advantage: Auburn.

Place Kicking: Wes Byrum proved that he can make the clutch kicks, last season, and he has a great leg. ULM has only one kicker (with no experience) on their website roster, redshirt freshman Radi Jabour. Huge advantage, Auburn.

Auburn offensive line vs. ULM defensive line: Auburn has a veteran, nasty bunch, as well as great depth. ULM's starting guys are capable, but not noted for speed.

They posted 20 sacks last season. There is no depth for ULM. The no-huddle offense should take a serious toll, in the August heat. Big advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs against ULM linebackers: ULM gave up 153 yards per game on the ground, last year, and they have depth issues. Auburn sports a plethora of talented backs that bring different styles to the table. Auburn should romp.

Auburn receivers vs. ULM corners: Auburn's receivers improved dramatically this spring. ULM replaces both starting corners. Big Advantage, Auburn.

Auburn Quarterback/secondary receivers vs. ULM Safeties: Auburn still has a bit of a quarterback controversy, it seems. ULM returns a speedy, veteran safety, Greg James.

James had 5 picks last season, and a lot of passes defended. We won't be able to abuse him like we did against our own safeties during A-Day. Jerred Berry is solid, at the other safety, as well. Advantage: ULM.

.....On paper, the Tigers should win big. ULM will hang tough for a while, and they'll have some success on offense, if they manage to throw it around early. ULM may look better than expected, on defense, too.

I doubt Tony Franklin will show too much of the new offense. We'll likely just pound the ball, and try to wear the thin ULM front seven out. The only way this game will be close is if ULM totally stones our running game, creates turnovers, and gets a quick-passing game going on.

Likely, Auburn will be way too much, even with most of our best schemes kept under wraps. Under Coach Weatherbie, ULM has usually been a slow-starting team, not playing its best football till November.

.....Prediction: Auburn prevails, in a ho-hum, 38-13 victory.

By Acid Reign
paraswarm@aol.com

Editors Note: We'd like to welcome Acid Reign and War Eagle Atlanta to our stable of new writers. War Eagle Atlanta's first piece appeared on Thursday and today Acid Reign looks at A-Day and ahead to next season...

It's been a LONG three+ months since the coups that caused changes in coordinators. Now, finally, we have some film on the new schemes. There was a lot to like, in this controlled scrimmage, and of course, some things to worry about.

If nothing else, I think I'm finally ready to name Kodi Burns as the front-runner for the starting quarterback job. There were some problems exposed, particularly at safety. I liked the schemes. I think we do have a chance to be great against the SEC, this year!

Scheme-wise, on offense, we ran largely a 3-wide receiver shotgun, with a running back and a tight end (often split out 5 yards or so). There was a double-bunch set, and a sort of Ace-shotgun look a little. I'd say less than a half-dozen snaps were run with the QB under center.

On defense early, we had the traditional 4-3 look, with the strong-side backer flared out a bit to deal with the split-out tight end. Corners were up tight in press coverage against the outside receivers, but the safeties were lined up on the hashes 11 yards off the ball. I think it made all of the short coverages very difficult on them.

On the other hand, we only gave up two deep balls, all day. The coverage largely seemed like a blend between traditional cover-two; and man-to-man outside; two-deep linebacker/safety on the slot receivers.

Our run support was pretty darned good early, with a few exceptions. Where we had real defensive problems were the curls and crossing routes to the inside guys. The linebackers had 'em short, and the safeties beyond 7-8 yards.

There was a large seam inside, in the 5 to 10 yard range, and this got exploited on the curl route, repeatedly. We had GOOD cover-two technique on the deep go and corner routes, and I don't think either worked, all day. We should have had a few picks. I LOVE our starting defensive speed, if not our depth in certain areas.

We look deeper on offense. With a few exceptions, we dominated on the offensive line, all the way through the depth chart. A number of previous non-factor-guys in the receiving corps stepped up and made plays.

There were still too many drops, but the receiving performance was LIGHT-YEARS ahead of where we've been the past two seasons! We got only brief looks at the scholarship runners. For the most part, they were stonewalled.

The 4-3, is of course, the ultimate run-defensive alignment. No big surprise, here, with our defensive speed. We have options, at quarterback, too, for the first time since, well, ever. I think the staff in the past, would have put Brandon Cox out there in a wheelchair, rather than risk a single snap with a backup. Next, we'll break the performances down by position.

Defensive Line: SenDerrick Marks was near-unblockable. Tyrone Green was able to stalemate him about half the time, but Byron Issom had real problems. SEC lines will have to double Marks, or they'll be sorry.

Antoine Carter was a terror, too. He got stopped by Lee Ziemba, but none of the other tackles dealt with Carter very well. Mike Goggins had his moments, but lost contain on the draw play twice. Mike Blanc looks solid in the middle, as a complement to Marks, but beyond that, the talent level in the middle dropped off sharply. At end, A. J. Green had a solid first half, as well.

Linebacker: I'd say the best of the linebackers play on the weak side. Evans looks great on run downs, stuffing runners like no one's business. Merrill Johnson excelled in racing out and stuffing screens.

In the middle, Blackmon and Bynes were pretty solid against the run, but Blackmon was conspicuously absent on short completions over the middle to tight ends and slot receivers.

On the strong side, both Stevens and Harden look larger than we're used to. We haven't had linebackers this size since Karlos Dansby. Both strong side guys played the run well, but had problems with receivers. I think that'll be less of a worry, next fall. We'll probably see a 5th defensive back in there a lot, against passing teams.

Secondary: Corner play has definitely improved. The offense largely did not test Jerraud Powers. Was that by design, or was Powers THAT good? Not sure. They ran one screen Powers' direction, and he snuffed it for no gain.

Aaron Savage got tested repeatedly. He was close every time, and made a few plays, but he also got turned around a lot, and really wasn't playing the ball. Savage benefited greatly from safety play on outside deep throws. He'd have been cooked a few times, without it.

Savage had great difficulty with Rod Smith. Smith won just about every battle for the ball in that matchup. I think it's great that Savage got all that experience... He's going to be good with time, I think.

Walt McFadden played lock-down on the reserves, too. Safety play was another story, though. They were exploited, no one more so than Mike McNeil, who looked tentative. Balls were caught in front of him repeatedly, and he lost Chris Slaughter on a deep flag route.

Slaughter would have scored, had the ball not been floated. I liked the work of Mike Slade, against the backups.

Zach Etheridge was more aggressive, but he did not have the speed to stay with guys like Chris Slaughter, Terell Zachary, and Robert Dunn. Dunn roasted Etheridge for a post-pattern TD, and a flag route job in the second quarter.

Special Teams: Punt returns weren't live, and I didn't see much attempt to rush kicks, so there's not much to say, here. Punting was inconsistent, with the exception of Clinton Durst, who reminds me a lot of All-American Terry Daniel.

Shoemaker and Tatum DO have some competition, heading towards two-a-days! Wes Byrum was accurate, but Morgan Hull barely missed a long field goal.

Offensive Line: This group largely had its way with the defensive line. They had trouble dealing with SenDerrick Marks, and Antoine Carter got around Pugh on the speed-rush a few times. The line also had problems keeping Mike Goggans from sliding off blocks and stuffing inside runs.

Once the defensive line stars were out, the o-line dominated. It got so bad in the 4th quarter that o-line guys were having to hold d-line walk-ons up, so that they wouldn't fall down before the play was over. I'm not sure we're really that good. I think the defensive line has become alarmingly thin...

Tight End: Tommy Trott and Brent Slusher look like great weapons. What little blocking the tight ends did was good, too. Trott had NO drops, but Gabe McKensie made up for it, with two or three.

Wide Receiver: Nowhere have we improved more. Rod Smith and Montez Billings continued their excellent play, and Robert Dunn was REALLY impressive. He had big touchdowns on the post, and the flag route, and turned a stuffed inside screen into a big gainer to the outside, with a great reverse-field run.

Chris Slaughter looks really good, too, with deceptive speed and great hands. Quindarious Carr made some nice catches, and even the young folk made some plays.

James Swinton has made huge strides. He made probably the best catches of the day on poorly thrown balls, and Swinton displayed good running skills on a couple of catches, too. We have at least a half-dozen real weapons at wide receiver, this year, it seems.

Backs: We got only limited looks at three scholarship backs. I saw Brad Lester catch a dump-off screen and get stopped quickly. Ben Tate had two touchdown runs, and he showed good outside speed on those.

On the other hand, both Td's were a result of defensive breakdowns... Tristan Davis impressed me most, on his limited time. He has good pad level, and ran tough. He looked very solid, and we know he can fly. There was success by the walk on backs, too, but that's not terribly surprising, considering how dominant out o-line was.

Quarterback: I think Kodi Burns was clearly the winner in this scrimmage. Chris Todd piled up a lot of completions in the second half, against soft coverage, and guys running after the catch.

Against the defensive starters, I thought Todd was tentative. He held the ball. He took sacks. His first few drives went nowhere. Todd under-threw most of his medium-length/long throws. Kodi Burns made plays, both with his feet, and with his arm, against the first unit.

Burns did take a few sacks, but even on those, he was trying to run, and probably wouldn't have gone down against the first man.

Neil Caudle has a decent arm, and better wheels. I was really impressed with his scrambling skills. I was less enthused with Caudle's decision-making.

He totally telegraphed the pick-6, watching the tight end all the way across, dancing his feet into position over about a half-dozen steps, before letting it go.

Josh Bynes was off to the races with that thing. I like Deron Furr's shiftiness. He's tough, too, and laid out a couple of monster blocks after runners reversed field. Furr looked totally lost in the passing game, though.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable A-Day. I'm enjoying the Andy Burcham/Cole Cubelic broadcast team more and more. They've really grown over the past few years! I also have to hand it to the boom-mike operators on the CSS crew.

The stadium got quiet later in the second half, and you could really hear the coaches giving it to the players! And it wasn't "Boom! MF" stuff, it was teaching. I'm excited, going into next fall.

We have a few problems to correct, and some guys need to get well quickly. But if we can stay healthy, this team could well end up in Atlanta next December!