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10.04.2009

Sunday Morning Chatter

Hey everyone. I'm sure you're in a fine mood this morning. And why not? Auburn is 5-0 and just beat Tennessee for the fifth consecutive time.

All in all, I thought Auburn was pretty strong last night. Josh Moon, our fine columnist, is not very high on Ted Roof's defense. I don't think that's necessarily legit criticism. The Tigers are thin. The Tigers don't have a lot of flash on that side of the ball. I still think this offense will do enough work to overcome in many situations.

Is this set-up enough to beat Alabama or LSU? We'll see.

Next up for the team: Arkansas.

Next up for me: Driving back to Auburn. I'll be BLOGGIN' FOR YOUR NOGGIN around 4:30 p.m. with full commentary from Chizik. See you then.

150 Comments:

Blogger dan dan the AU fan said...

Substance

8:38 AM  
Blogger coosa said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

8:39 AM  
Blogger dan dan the AU fan said...

My 1st, 1st.

8:40 AM  
Blogger coosa said...

Congrats Dan!

With Furman on the schedule, Bowl eligibility is all but assured. And the chances of winning at least 8 are up higher again, and the 10-2 scenario is still out there. Got to win this week to keep the 10-2 hopes alive.

Chris Todd got good news this week - the Sr. Bowl is staying in Mobile. If he does just reasonably well from here out, he'll got invited to play and have a real chance to impress the pro scouts. I think some others are joining me in recognizing that he has a chance to play on Sundays.

A good day to all.

8:44 AM  
Blogger eaglesteeler said...

Roof's defense was not very aggressive last night. Why very little blitzing? I think Moon is a little right. Our LBs are solid but not fast. I saw where Coleman never made a tackle. What's with that?

8:46 AM  
Blogger eaglesteeler said...

Coosa, I don't think Todd will impress much at NFL potential. Arm is good, not great, not real quick in the pocket, He will fall in line with a lot of the other spread qbs...good backups.

8:49 AM  
Blogger dan dan the AU fan said...

Thanks Coosa. I think Todd has the ability to be a good backup somewhere in the NFL, probably not a starter.
What was with all the clock stoppages by the officiating crew last night? It seemed as if they were trying to give the TN defense a rest at times and kill our momentum. Also not sure if I agree with running the clock and kicking the field goal. War Eagle and lets gut the pigs!

8:49 AM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

Morning Hot Ones! Great performance by our Tigers last night. I do believe that the D plays soft because of lack of depth behind the first 11. I cant say I'm opposed to that strategy. If it helps keep our ones fresh and injury free (as much as possible) then go for it. The offense is high powered enough to win games for us so we dont need to risk the ones by playing uber-aggressive. I was concerned that we didnt get more pressure from the front 4 but they had AC pretty much accounted for throughout the game.

9:26 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Interesting tidbits: With 459 yards against Tennessee, the Tigers continued of breaking the 400-yard barrier in every game. … Auburn scored more points against Tennessee than any team, including No. 1 Florida, has this season. … Auburn has scored in every quarter this season.

9:30 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

5-0 WARRRR EAGLE!!!

I'm going to have to re-invent my idea of Auburn football so that high-scoring shootouts are acceptable. I've always loved a dominating defense (a la Rocker) over a bells & whistles offense.

9:31 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Imagine what this team will be like once they have a couple of years to recruit and we can establish some depth!

9:34 AM  
Blogger ehyou said...

Auburn is good. I like that.

9:34 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

I would imagine there are a lot of football players in the Auburn training room today getting some treatments.

9:37 AM  
Blogger Dear Leader said...

Todd will get looked at by the pros for his quick release... it is insane how fast he can pump and throw....

We could have had a lot more turnovers last night but we did not break.

I fear Arky will pick our DB apart..

PPL can catch...

LSU has more luck than the irish

we are 5-0

9:43 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Auburn at Arkansas ESPN 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT)

9:48 AM  
Blogger ehyou said...

Thanks Kathy. I love early road games.

9:50 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Me too. Early games definitely better for the visiting team.

9:51 AM  
Blogger ehyou said...

I saw improvement in special teams, which is nice.

9:52 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Another plus on the road, we were never behind in this game.

9:56 AM  
Blogger FSJ said...

My revised outlook on Auburn's schedule (which is interesting because I am not looking at Auburn's schedule and don't know it by heart.)

Clear Wins:
-Auburn should outscore Arkansas on the road
-Auburn should beat UK at home...
-Auburn will smoke Furman

Tossups:
-UGA in Athens (who knows what shape UGA's D will be in by then)
-Mississippi (I still think Auburn wins this one, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it)

Underdogs by my estimation:
-LSU in Baton Rouge (I'm not sold on LSU so I'm tempted to put them in the Tossup category)

-Alabama (probably the best combo of defense/offense that Auburn will play this year)

Now that doesn't mean that AU will lose to both LSU and UA. I think at worst right now AU will be 9-3. I think they top out at 11-1 as far as possibilities go.

Comments?

10:07 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Good assessment FSJ. I concur barring significant injuries of course. I believe Alabama will be undefeated when they come to Auburn in November.

10:11 AM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

You peeps who think Arkansas will destroy us because of our D: did you watch the UGA/Arky game? UGA's defense in that game was terrible. Worse than Auburn's has been at any point this season. Everyone has said that AU's Offense is better than UGA's.

Texas A&M outgained the Hogs, but couldn't put it in the end zone (fumbles, penalties, loserness that has taken over a once decent program). Now, we saw last night that there is an opportunity for Auburn to act like A&M fall short and kill some drives, but I don't think this will happen vs Arkansas. The reason being, Arkansas's D sucks. Big Time. TN's D does not. Arky's D will be so worn out, Auburn should be able to score at will and overcome the scoreboard.

Auburn 57 Arkansas 39 (Auburn D gets more criticsm).

10:12 AM  
Blogger ehyou said...

FSJ, I don't see anything there I can argue about.

You make too much sense, are you sure you're a Bama fan?

10:12 AM  
Blogger Dear Leader said...

FSJ

With this o we should be able to win every game... the question mark is the D.... Depth and Def.

DL

10:13 AM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

Jay G'll be in Tulsa to have a late dinner with the folks!

10:13 AM  
Blogger Earl said...

Morning hotties... The Zookeeper says hey, but she's not really able to function yet (Thanks to JZ & Mrs. JZ)! Warrrrr Eagle!!!

10:13 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

I'm glad the outlook this morning looks better than it did last night.

I was amazed at the number of people who were down on us on here last night.

We just won a big SEC road game against a really good D and a team that had to have that win to save their season.

It wasn't going to be easy.

10:18 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

It's amazing how effective our offense is when we are snapping the ball quickly.

In the first quarter when we were taking our time and looking to the sidelines it wasn't as effective, but as the game got going and we started snapping quickly their D was tired.

10:22 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Thanks Earl. I was wondering if Kristina, Scottie B, and all the other Hotties enjoyed Knoxville yesterday. At least we know Kristina did, as well as J-Z!

10:25 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Should be a good week for Scottie B in Knoxville!

How many seats are in the Arkansas stadium? I don't think it will be as loud as Neyland, but I've never been there. I think Auburn travels well. I know there are a lot of fans making that one-day plane trip out of Atlanta.

10:28 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

I'm not a big fan of Knoxville, but at least they had the interstate fixed around campus. Last time I was up there over the summer the road just died right before you got to the campus at UT.

10:28 AM  
Blogger AUfan said...

How fast did Neiko Thorpe look when he ran down Richardson on the first UT play? Has he been the most impressive DB for Auburn at this point in the season?

I can't see too much of the Tate smackdown on Berry. Did anyone else have flashbacks of Ronnie Brown running over Jason Allen?

10:30 AM  
Blogger auforme said...

I think the AU story of the year is the receivers. The improvement of that group is unbelievable. Tayler is doing an outstanding job. I saw several throws last night that never would have been caught in the previous years. Complete turnaround.

10:30 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Tate juked Berry and then just ran over him on the same drive.

However Berry is an incredible player, him and Rico McCoy were in on every play. I think they combined for 30 tackles.

10:32 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Two negatives in the game...4th quarter D and we gave up almost 200 yards in kickoff returns setting them up with a short field almost every time we had just scored.

10:33 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Apparently TN has a Eric Berry video they show at Neyland: In case you were not there they have this Eric Berry song/video/ cheerleader dance (while they all wear his number) that went on for 3-4 minutes. Then later in the game, maybe halftime they had another video of him in the locker room with some skit about them putting the helment decals on.

10:33 AM  
Blogger FSJ said...

One other thing..barring a complete collapse Chizik should win coach of the year in the SEC...and maybe nationally too.

Along with most other folks I had Auburn in the 6-6/7-5 range this year.

He and his staff, particularly on the offensive side, have done an outstanding job.

10:36 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

I see Gus getting a few accolades. What a turnaround on offense!

10:38 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Glad our game vs Arkansas is at noon, that means I can watch the whole game then drive down to Birmingham and watch the Allman Brothers that night.

10:39 AM  
Blogger Fearless Freep said...

After about 6 hours of sleep and a couple of cups of java, some observations:

-As painful as the last 13 minutes were to watch, it may have served a useful purpose to the team. We aren't good enough to sit on a lead, even against one of the worst offenses we will play the rest of the year. Plenty of room for improvement on defense, plenty of incentive for the offense to keep the pressure on the opponents.

-Reports of Jay Boulware's incompetence were premature. Disregarding the stellar play of the TEs thus far, I think we can agree that there was significant improvement on special teams last night, in all areas save KOR coverage - and UT had some pretty speedy return men back there. Kudos to walkon Jason King, who I saw around the ballcarrier many times in coverage.

-Finally, a heartfelt apology to one Chris Todd. When he won the starting job this fall I resigned myself to another 5-7 season. I just couldn't imagine that he was ever going to regain the promise that Mike Leach saw in him way back when. Sure, he made a few mistakes last night, but his performance under serious pressure - on the road in front of the largest crowd he'll ever face, no less - was remarkable. I'm a little skeptical of his NFL potential, but to even imagine that suggestion six weeks ago was, well, unimaginable.

Still VERY worried that we get our first "L" in the Ozarks next Saturday, and we're still a major injury (or ill-timed suspension) away from disaster on both sides of the ball, but otherwise this team has exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.

10:40 AM  
Blogger Fearless Freep said...

And don't listen to Faker. He's trying to raise our expectations beyond credibility, so he can revel in our collective dismay when we ineveitably fall short of them.

I should know, I've been doing that to Bama fans since July.

10:42 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

There were a couple of times I thought Todd was hurt during the game, because he took some big time hits that he's avoided all year, but he's a tough kid, he jumped right back up.

10:42 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

It still disgusts me that 2 AU coaches have accepted a certain coach of the year trophy. I keep telling myself that Shug would never have accepted it. Hate runs deep in my veins. Besides, isn't Kiffin a shoe-in for Coach of the Year?

And a cheery good moring to you, FSJ! Your analysis makes sense to me. But we (AU) have zero margin for error to make it to 9-3 or better.

10:42 AM  
Blogger Fearless Freep said...

No doubt Shug would have accepted it. He an Bryant were pretty close.

10:43 AM  
Blogger AUfan said...

RK, yeah, I wasn't slamming on Berry. He is one of the best DB's I have seen, I don't see him returning to Tennessee next season. Tate really had some nice plays last night.

10:43 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Shug would have accepted the Bryant Award...he was too classy.

10:45 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

I just assume that Jonathan Crompton doesn't throw a catchable ball.

His receivers had a ton of drops and we had a ton of dropped interceptions.

10:47 AM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

UT's D forced us into 3 FG's under 30 yards (19, 22 & 29), we have to make those into TD's if we get in a shootout this week at Arkansas.

Take away the 41 yard run out of the wildcat to start the game by UT and our run D did really well, it was just the hurry up offense that UT ran in the 4th quarter that gave us fits.

11:01 AM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

Berry looked scared of Tate on one drive late. He took step back let someone else try and tackle him, then turned and tackled him at the ankles. I guess that's what happens when someone runs into you and sends you flying five yards and landing on your butt.

11:03 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

WERK, you are right. And I didn't say he wouldn't.

11:03 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

now just leave me and my hate inspired delusions alone.


btw, is the noon game vs Arky on ESPN's primo channel Saturday?

11:04 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Yes THT, ESPN. They can't show a night game since this is the weekend CBS has a double header.

11:12 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Raining in Madison. What happened to that "rain-free" weekend. This is interfering with my outdoor plans I had for today.

11:14 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Trooper can jump!

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2009/10/post_19.html

11:19 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

#1 in Total Yards

http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/team/_/stat/total/sort/netTotalYards

11:21 AM  
Blogger missinit said...

Morning Hotties!

Being the wife of a coach, the mother of a quarterback, and the mother of a linebacker I feel like I have been through all the phases of football.

This is my reflection on the season thus far. I have to stop and remember how young and inexperienced we are, especially our defense. We are watching these coaches really dig deep and use what they have in front of them.

I LOVE hard nose dominating defenses. I think Chizik got out that map of his and is using what we have very strategically. I personally hate bend but don't break soft defenses but we are young and thin and Roof is doing what he can to preserve what little depth we have. I will learn to live with it because it's what we have to do to survive until experience and depth works its way into the equation.

It is so refreshing to actually see action and resulting points from the offense. Todd is smart and while he may not be a superman he is managing this team superbly. We have receivers that can CATCH the ball and a couple of hard nose rushers and even one who is FAH that can RUN the ball. Our line is giving it their all. I love the fast lane we are in. In fact I've gotten so used to the fast lane, that last night I wished we would go faster.

We are all so hungry for this team to excel but we have to remember where we were a year ago. We didn't get where we were in one year...it was happening before our eyes over the past few years, and we won't be world beaters in one year either. We will have to crawl, then walk, then run. It doesn't happen overnight. There is a treasure chest on that map of Chizik's somewhere down the road.

We have come so far just this year and our expectations get the best of us sometimes, and while this winning streak is getting some to set expectations higher than they should, I say take it all in and just enjoy where we are and where we are going because where we were was not a place I want to return to. My goodness, just sit back and have some fun and enjoy what we are doing!

Through thick and thin, IT'S GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER!!!!

My long Sunday morning sermon is over...

AMEN!!!!

11:21 AM  
Blogger wtc said...

The offense played extremely well last night. It looked as though AU was purposedly running the clock down from the start. Sounds odd but think about how many times the play clock was under 5 before we snapped it.
Even with that AU ran 83 plays from scrimmage. There were times the D didn't exceute, especially in the 4th quarter. But for those that wanted a lot of 3 and outs, you them last night.

11:29 AM  
Blogger wtc said...

Liek manyy, I would like a sufficating defense, but AU does not have one this year. We just need to slow the other team down for now and let the O carry us.

BTW-I never felt UT challenged AU for this game. There were a couple of tense moments, but AU had this game under control from an early point and the coaches showed it. Crompton was not going to beat us, and they knew it.

11:32 AM  
Blogger Dear Leader said...

I am glad we give tenn up for the next 4 years and rotate.. they are going to be REALLY good in 1-2 years... the stable of back they have is crazy and they have the linemen to block..

11:38 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

PREACH ON, missinit!!!

Gosh, I love the Hotties who can explain what I'm feeling so much more tactfully, appreciatively, and elegantly than I can.

It is always great to be an Auburn Tiger!!!

WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR EAGLE!!!

11:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice post Missinit.

Crompton was much more comfortable out of the shotgun. UT needs him to be able to run playaction to dovetail with their running game.

2 things worked against us in the 4th Qtr. UT went to the shotgun and we went moved into more of a nickel package. Our D got tired and didn't execute the nickel well(blown assignments, etc.

11:45 AM  
Blogger Tar Heel Tiger said...

HOTTIES - I'm fixin' to leave for Raleigh for an afternoon event. I hope someone will do me a big favor and honor The Human Deer and greatest AU receiver at the proper time. Thanks!

WAR EAGLE!!!

11:48 AM  
Blogger JD said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:48 AM  
Blogger JD said...

Guten Morgan,

My thoughts on the game last night is that three things kept us in the game. Special Teams, our defense, and UT's offense. We had very good punt coverage for the most part last night. Our defense did a good job of putting pressure on Crompton making him inaccurate with passes and secondary coverage was good to. UT's defense looked inept a big portion of the night and that helped us.

I am very happy with the offense output, however we were shut down in the redzone. Field Goals not Touchdowns kept UT in the game. I have full faith that this staff will make adjustments that are needed, because letting teams hang around is what gets you beat against better opposition.

11:55 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

This might explain why AC didn't have a lot of tackles: Senior defensive end Antonio Coleman wore a cast on his right hand Saturday night. He sported a brace during interviews last week, but declined to comment on the injury. He said at the time that he preferred not to play with a hard cast or "club."

Defensive tackle Mike Blanc, who also has a hand injury, has said he prefers the security of the club as his hand heals.

11:55 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I guess Josh isn't generating enough controversy with his movie trivia based radio show. Josh Moon's opinion on football is similar to my opinion on the latest Paris fashion show. Nobody gives a rip about what either of us think about subjects we know nothing about. The only good thing about reading his awful column is that I don't have to hear the words come off of his preteen vocal chords.

11:56 AM  
Blogger Kathy said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:58 AM  
Blogger Dear Leader said...

just watched the game again and I have to agree with the earlier post about the refs slowing the game down.. in fact we had NUMEROUS times they called time to get the "clock" adjusted.

Now I may be wrong but, on a kickoff, I thought the clock should start when the kicker’s foot hits the ball? On the last kickoff it seems the cock did not start until a second after the Tenn return person picked it up?? Remember this was a squib kick that go behind the returner... AT least 3-4 seconds should have been off that clock.. which would have prevented the last Tenn touchdown due to time...

Just an opinion...

11:58 AM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Red Zone offense is a bit of a concern, but that was a good defense. And two, if McCalleb makes an easy catch from a great play from Kodi on one of the field goal drives, there's 6. And with the last field goal, we weren't concerned with scoring a TD. We just wanted to milk the clock and then kick an easy field goal.

11:58 AM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

How about the SEC West? Went on the road for 4 games against SEC East opponents and won all four. Granted, two of them (UK-UA, and UM-VU) were mismatches, but still. Domination asserted.

12:00 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Surely CBS has this wrong. I think they just changed the records. This looks like last week:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/polls/ap

12:00 PM  
Blogger Dear Leader said...

WHY IS A 2-2 Okl. Team even RANKED AT ALL???? let alone in the top 10???

12:02 PM  
Blogger Miller said...

Kathy...
They are readying for the release... They usually change the records prior to updating the actual poll.

That is last week's poll with the current records.

12:03 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

My sister was not impressed with Neyland Stadium at all. She said it was old and no butt room at all, that's all they stuff 103,000.

12:03 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Thanks Miller, that's what I thought.

12:04 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I agree with what FSJ said earlier this morning. This team can hang in with everyone left on the schedule. Alabama with their strong defense and consistent offense will be the most difficult.

There's a lot of tough games first, bit it's possible the Iron Bowl will determine who goes to Atlanta.

12:06 PM  
Blogger wtc said...

AU did not blitz much at all last night. Maybe that was the plan. coaches thought it wasn't needed. No need t ogive the next team a fresh film to review.
Think of each game, at least for this season as a building block. If you don't need to show it now, don't, save for later. As Jet said yesterday, we are not a BSC team. Chizik is trying to build confidence and swagger in his process, and if you read the players commnets, that is what is happening.

12:16 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4530818

12:17 PM  
Blogger JD said...

Kathy,

That is what I thought in 04. Neyland Stadium is big but that is about it. I was talking to a UT alum up there and he told me that they added like 10K seats by simply shrinking the size of each seat on the bench.

12:18 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

The undefeated Tigers, who improved to 5-0 with a 26-22 victory at Tennessee, jumped into the Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 17.

12:18 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

17th. Wow.

12:20 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Thanks Kathy.

12:20 PM  
Blogger JD said...

I disagree with this weeks poll even more than I disagreed with last weeks.

12:22 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

Kathy,

Neyland is a 95,000 seat stadium that they chose to cram 102,000 into....

A lot of folks made a good point above regarding predictions. My predictions for Auburn are entirely based on them staying healthy. Depth at this point is a concern.

NoVaTiger: It would be fun but I don't think my heart could take the Iron Bowl deciding the West champion. Particularly if Alabama were undefeated. I'd be puking all day.

1994 was bad enough.

12:22 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Didn't Neyland use to be 107-110,000? Packed like sardines.

12:24 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

How so JD? I haven't looked at it so if there is anything obvious don't shoot me.

12:25 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

#19 in Coaches Poll

12:27 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

12:27 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

E-Bro:

Neyland used to be officially in the 102-103,000 range but they counted ticket takers, press, etc to get to those 106,000 games they would report in the past.

They've done some remodeling recently (It was much needed, IMO) that actually reduced the number of official seats to around 101,000. In fact when Alabama gets finished with their newest expansion Bryant-Denny will have a few more seats.

12:27 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

Congrats on the ranking..

10-2 would get y'all in the top 10 and a strong bowl.

12:29 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Thanks for the Neyland factoids FSJ. If B-D is going to have more seats than Neyland, I'm guessing the UT officials will try to do something about that and squeeze more bodies into seats to retake the size lead.

Tennessee and Michigan seemed to compete on a yearly basis to see who could fit the most people in for a game and claim the biggest stadium.

12:32 PM  
Blogger AUfan said...

One more thing- I loved the play where Stallworth hid behind the OL and took off with the football. People can call Malzahn's offense gimmicky if they want, if I was a player it looks like a hell of a lot of fun to play in.

12:32 PM  
Blogger JD said...

E-bro, I still do not understand how Wisconsin is still unranked. I think we are ranked a bit high especially when you figure we jumped teams like BYU and Ole Miss. I know both have a loss but I just don't agree with it. We should be around #22 IMHO. How is beating Tennessee that great of a win? This team has a record of 2-3 with wins over Western Kentucky and Ohio. I just dont get it.

12:34 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

As big as the UT game was this week, I think the Arkansas game is even bigger. They're probably as good as the Vols and a bit better. I know A&M is down, but I didn't expect 47-19 last night at all, especially with all the comments from Petrino questioning his team's fight. I guess they responded. Will have our work cut out for us.

12:34 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Goldbergs by the Numbers:
1
The number of points Auburn needs to match last season's total

5
The number of times Auburn has exceeded 400 yards

204
The number of all-purpose yards by Auburn freshman Onterio McCalebb

12:35 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

AU and Ark both coming off big wins. I think AU coaches are capable of getting our team ready to play. Early start will for the away game will help. How big is the Arkansas stadium?

12:37 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Sorry for all the my typing errors. I'm multitasking, but not very well!

12:37 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

Low 70,000 I think Kathy...

It is a nice facility.

12:38 PM  
Blogger Miller said...

How is Oklahoma ranked (in the top 20 no less) with a 2-2 record, while an undefeated Wisconsin team is still unranked??

Makes absolutely no sense to me.

12:39 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

JD, I think your response is meant for somebody else. I didn't really say anything about the ranking. That said, I agree with you. I was surprised we went from unranked to 17th.

But hey, polls are skewed. I wasn't worried that we weren't ranked last week and I'm not worried that we are this week, though it is nice to be ranked as I think Auburn is a program that should perpetually be in the top 20. We'll know a lot more after this Saturday.

As for Wisconsin, I think they play Ohio St on Saturday, so I think if they win, they'll do a similar jump up the polls that we did this week.

12:39 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

E-Bro....

I agree about the importance of this week.

I expect Auburn to be ready to play and no doubt the 1130 kickoff helps the away team.

12:39 PM  
Blogger Miller said...

Oklahoma's 2 wins are against Idaho State and Tulsa.
THAT is worthy of a top 20 ranking??

12:40 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

E-Bro..I think JD was responding to me. I asked him to expand on his earlier post.

12:40 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

FSJ, 11:00 CT kickoff.

12:41 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

I agree D Miller...

Pollsters obviously are giving OU the "Bradford will be back soon" vote.

12:41 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

Good grief Kathy..

I'll barely be out of bed by that time!

12:41 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

Hopefully the game will be over before AL kicks off at 2:30, or my husband and I will be fighting over the TV!

12:42 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Arkansas has a very nice stadium, which surprised me the first time I went out there in 2001. Even with the empty endzone side that only really has the massive wide screen jumbo-tron, it doesn't really lose its atmosphere.

I think it actually holds upwards of 75,000.

12:42 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

E-Bro, is it a loud stadium?

12:43 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

E-Bro...

I think they put in some temporary bleachers on the top of that one end that may very well make it over 75,000..

12:45 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Massive day of SEC ball next week. Auburn-Arkansas at 12:00. UT-UGA at 12:21. Mississippi St.-Houston around the same time. South Carolina-Kentucky at 12:30. Bama-Ole Miss at 3:30, capped off with LSU-Florida at 8:00. I will be entrenched on my couch next weekend, eating lots of good food.

12:45 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

Define loud Kathy..

If they are winning every stadium in the SEC is loud outside of maybe Vandy...

However, it is no LSU, Auburn, UF, UT, or Bama.

12:46 PM  
Blogger FSJ said...

E-Bro...what do you think about the LSU game?

If Tebow plays and is close to 100% then UF blows them out, IMO.

If Tebow doesn't play...it could be interesting.

12:47 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

Kathy, it's maybe not as loud as it could be with the empty endzone, though that said, the empty endzone is directly backed up by a steep hill (which makes more a nice setting) which helps to contain the noise.

All and all, when 70,000 Hogs fans (taking into account away fans) are calling the hogs, they can build a cacophony of sound.

12:48 PM  
Blogger AUBigCat said...

WOW 17th is a bit shocking! However, several people had us ranked high even before this game. Add that to what we actually do pretty consistently (Alot of balanced offense, power running, score in every quarter, takeaways on defense, etc) then it kinda makes sense. I just hope our players dont start believing the hype and forgetting how they got to 5-0.

12:48 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

FSJ said it best, it's loud, but not as loud as the loudest stadiums in the SEC. Not at all.

12:49 PM  
Blogger Aeronaut said...

I really loved how Auburn played yesterday. No two ways about it.

Proud of the coaches, and the work spirit of the team. Almost everyone has exceeded the expectations, by far. They are doing things I never thought I'd see them do.

12:50 PM  
Blogger Scott M. Brannan said...

just checking in here quickly.

great day tailgating on the river yesterday with the hotties. i was hoping to meet up with a few more but it's all good. if you have a chance in 5 years to tailgate on the river, JUST DO IT! one of the best non-AU tailgate areas ever.

off to lunch with my peeps before i send them back home.

WDE!

AU 26, UT 22

now, BEAT THE PIGGIES.

DWWD

12:51 PM  
Blogger Kathy said...

I really was afraid of the TN game. I felt like TN had a lot more to lose with this game. Now on to Arkansas. Each win gives AU more confidence.

12:52 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

I largely agree FSJ. That's the way I was looking at that game last night after LSU beat UGA. If Tebow plays, Florida wins, though it remains to be seen how Tebow comes back from his injury (mentally speaking) even if he is cleared . If not, it should be very interesting and I think the home night setting takes the Tigers to victory.

I do disagree that even if Tebow plays, I think it's still a decent ballgame. Florida's lack of playmakers at receiver still makes them a bit too predictable and I think LSU's defense gives them fits for that reason. Still, with Tebow in there, I would have to side with his iron will carrying them over the finish line. Should be a good game though.

12:53 PM  
Blogger E-Bro said...

I'm out for now Hotties. Later. WDE!!

12:54 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

"One more thing- I loved the play where Stallworth hid behind the OL and took off with the football."

Arkansas did that same play against us when Gus was there in 2006 to bust that game open. Reggie Fish took it for 60 yard down to the 2.

12:55 PM  
Blogger Emmett said...

#17...if I did not know better, I would think we gained some respect

12:55 PM  
Blogger JD said...

Guys, I have to go and play some flag football. Holla lato.

12:57 PM  
Blogger Miller said...

Tate v. Berry

1:00 PM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

Love the headline:

Auburn Vaults into Top 25 with 5-0 record

1:11 PM  
Blogger JgobravesHAG said...

17 sweeet

1:23 PM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

Doug Lesmerises replaces Ray Ratto as the biggest Auburn believer, though both have been showing much love all year. Still two guys that failed to rank the Tigers.

1:23 PM  
Blogger Emmett said...

Has anyone seen the Stallworth play online? I cant find it

1:29 PM  
Blogger Aeronaut said...

The highlight cut ups don't cover everything. However the entire game is on sec digital networks site.

The tate run (trucking berry) or Stallworth play aren't there in the highlights.

1:36 PM  
Blogger Emmett said...

Thanks Aero

1:41 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I must admit that I am surprised UGA dropped out of the top 25 after hanging tough with the number 4 team in the nation. Polls are strange. I thought UGA deserved some credit.

1:47 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

Good day Hotties. Finally back from a glorious victory in Knoxville.

First Thoughts on the game: I'm impressed. They played a good ball game. We are a good football team, not great, but good and that is all any reasonable Auburn fan's best expectations could hope for. I'll be really excited if we can duplicate the same thing in Fayetville. Arkansas will test us in ways that we haven't been tested so far this season and it's always tough to win in that place for some reason. Arkansas has worried me more than Tennessee and I still maintain that.

It is also obvious that this group of players plays together and has great chemistry. That is as important as anything to success. Also, kudos to Coach Chizik. He has done an outstanding job so far and the future looks extremely bright!

War Eagle!!!!

Beat the Hogs!

1:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Payton Manning is performing surgery on the Seattle defense.

1:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was more worried about the UT game than I am about Ark. We can score profusely on Ark and our D will get more stops that the Ark D.

This will look like a WAC score: AU-high 40's---Ark 30 something.

1:54 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Eddie,

It's always a great win to be the Vols.

1:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah Steve..UGA has 2 loses similar to Okla. UGA has beaten better teams than Okla and should be ranked higher.

1:57 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Arkansas worries me too. They surprised a lot of people with their performance against Texas A&M, which only increases my concern. The thing is, if you look at the stats, A&M should have won the game. Arkansas apparently just got the big plays.

Arkansas will be our biggest test to date. Part of it is because we are coming off our toughest game so far. We haven't seen a team with the passing game of Arkansas yet. It is going to be a good one.

2:02 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

Agreed RK. I wish I had your number. I literally found 2 tickets to the game on the sidewalk with no one around to claim them. I would have called and given them to you. Due to my Dad having to work, I didn't get to partake in any taligating by the River :( as I really wanted to do. The Tiger Walk was off the chain. That was not a smart thing UT did by making a big deal about it. I really enjoy watching this team play. They are so exciting to watch.

Since most everybody got their wish and we are now ranked, I hope we play up to it.

2:04 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Kudos to Jay G for having only 1 near extreme ranking in the AP this week. Yes, Iowa still doesn't get the love from Jay G, although I think he ranks them pretty fairly. Iowa should get their reality checked cashed when they play Michigan.

2:20 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Eddie,

I ended up paying $60 per ticket for mine, so I didn't feel too ripped off...however I wish I had found those tickets that you had for free.

2:23 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

I understand and applaud the NFL for the Breast Cancer Awareness promotion, but pink and football just don't mix.

2:26 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Folks, show Jay G. some love and give him some positive votes for his AP rankings.

2:26 PM  
Blogger Peter Frankenschmidt said...

I voted for Ray Ratto.

2:28 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

Steve- I don't think Jay G looks for or wants our endorsement on his poll rankings.

On the poll note, I wonder how many delusional Iowa fans have the guts to show up this week after their oh so impressive 3 point victory over......Arkansas State!

2:28 PM  
Blogger Eddie McCoy said...

I can't believe that ESPN dug up the Turner Gill story this week. What the heck is the purpose of that? Apparently Turner didn't get a fair shot and now he is 1-3 thie season and Chizik should not have been the coach still. Someone just try and explain why the heck that is even a story right now?

2:33 PM  
Blogger WarEagleRK said...

Well Eddie, someone has to take the blame for Gill not winning. It's Auburn's fault for not hiring him.

2:45 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

New thread UPZ.

2:49 PM  
Blogger Jay G. Tate said...

SteveFC, I have no problem with the negative votes. They mean nothing.

2:50 PM  
Blogger LynsAUTigers said...

Just wanted to correct where someone said we were playing badly in the red zone. Actually we have one of the best records in the SEC and nation for red zone production. Coming into the Tennesse game we had scored 14 out of 15 trips to the red zone. Now to the best of my recollection we scored every time we were in the red zone last night (Byrum's missed field goal was over 45 yards and thus not in the red zone)! And we haven't had to settle for a field goal very often! Sure we'd like a TD every time we're down there but that's not going to happen and while FGs are rarely going to put the game away for you, I think we could have done a lot worse! After all, Auburn's offense put up more yards and scored more points against Tennessee's defense than anyone else this year including the famed Tim Tebow! That's nothing to scoff at! After all, I believe we faced just about the best defense in the SEC last night!

Our depth on defense is a major problem for us (who didn't have their heart drop into their stomach when McFadden went down??) but I think they are handling themselves well. They have been improving every week and if it hadn't been for that last second BS touchdown they would have looked a lot better in the stats. I think they sat back on an insurmountable 10-point lead at the very end. Should they have done that? Absolutely not! But how many of us would have looked sharp in the final minute of a hard-fought, sure victory? They make mistakes and they give up yardage but they always find a way to get the job done at the end of the day...and you can't ask for much more than that.

The biggest positive for me has been the improvement I've seen from week-to-week, especially on defense and special teams. If you've noticed, they rarely make "big" mistakes twice! A punt was blocked, corrections were made and it hasn't happened again. Since WVU, we've rarely seen those ridiculous diving tackle attempts that allowed runners to avoid multiple tackles. Players who fumbled punts have been replaced! Securing the football is much more important to me than someone trying to make a big return and winds up losing the ball! Last week we had big kickoff returns negated by penalties and we saw none of that last night when McCalebb had 2 returns for 91 yards! So overall I think we should be pretty happy with the adjustments and improvements the coaching staff and players have made! I believe it will only get better as the season progresses.

Finally, I think our #17 ranking is well-deserved. If they're going to keep a 2-2 Oklahoma team in the Top 25 and several one loss teams in the Top 10 (USC?! Really?! Jeez!!) then we certainly deserve as much respect as they have been giving to much lesser teams!! Of course, I'll hold to my same opinion of several years...polls before at least early to mid-October are absolutely ridiculous!!

Okay so I'll step off my soapbox now! Just wanted to throw my two cents in along with everyone else! War Eagle!

3:17 PM  

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