Review - AU 28 UCF 10
On radio, ist is hard to see how the Tigers played, ha! But they sounded good at first and in the end, but the middle was not as impressive. It was good for the Tigers to score onthe first drive. That usually sets the tone for the game, but in this case, it was the last sign of life until the 4th quarter.

Don't be foled by the score, this was a hard fought, equal game, until the last 4 minutes. Our defense basically made one mistake - letting Charles Lee loose for a long TD pass reception which came after pinning the Knights at their own 2 yd line - the result of an excellent punt. The offense moved the ball well at time, especially on the ground with Evans and with the short pass to Daniels. Auburn had some untimely turnovers and a couple of disappointing FG misses. The radio announcers said the second miss looked good, but it was so high that it was hard to tell if it was in between the posts.

Overall, the Tigers are moving in the right direction and they must continue to improve as they face "amen" corner. Ben LEard may be healthy by Saturday, but Klein has improved so much it may not matter very much.

Game Tidbits and Analysis:

• Heath Evans scored the first rushing TD since the LSU game - our last previous win
• Two years in a row, AU has avoided an upset against the Golden Knights with a late 4th Quarter TD.
• The 2 missed FGs are representative of the decline in the kicking game this year - however Duval's punting average is excellent
• Central Florida falls off of our rotation for now and will feast on the Crimson Tide, instead. We get Louisiana Tech, who is probably going off Bama's schedule, back for 2 years and an October homecoming game
• After losing 5 in a row for the first time since 1952, Auburn avoided a sixth which has not been done since the dismal 0-10 1950 season

Preview:
I will go ahead and predict an Auburn win on this one, but it is definitely not an automatic one. Just last year, the Tigers had to rally very late to pull off a 10-6 victory. This team is post-Daunte Culpepper - however his replacement, Victor Penn, is doign admirable work. Remember the Georgia game where they almost pulled off the upset. They are a team to be considered. I am interested to see how the running game goes with Heath Evans as the starter. I also wonder if all this on-the-job training for Klein will begin to sohow more improvement - that is assuming Leard is held out another week with the concussion. It will probably be a low-scoring game. I think the defense will rebound and have a good game.

Prediction: AU 13 UCF 9

TV: Pay-per-View(gametime 1:00 PM CT)

Nov. 13 (Univ. of Georgia) at Athens, GA

Review - AU 38 GA 21
I should have stayed with my feeling on this one. The Tigers played possibly their best first half in History against the Bulldogs. EVERYTHING clicked it seemed. It could have been even worse if Auburn had kicked field goals instead of going for fourth downs. However, that might have been the point - Tuberville showed so much confidence in the team they played better. Leard looked comfortable; the OL protected him most of the time; Evans had a reasonable running game; Ronney Daniels was phenomenal in breaking tackles after his catches. This team was unstoppable. You may want to criticize them for letting Georgia score 21 points in the second half. I'm not going to be too hard on them though. How many times have you seen Florida, Florida State and Penn State, even Nebraska allow the same thing. It is very hard to keep up the momentum when you are ahead 38-0. Also, remember that Georgia is not as bad as they looked in the first half and you knew that Quincy Carter would start to make some plays. I will admit that with this team, no lead seems safe - but the difference was that the offense was able to grind out some clock between TDs.

Game Tidbits and Analysis:

• Georgia had NEVER trailed by as much as 31 points at halftime in their entire history until this game
• Ben Leard tied the Auburn record for 4 TDs in a game and broke the all time one game passing yardage record; he also broke the record for consecutive attempts without an interception
• Don't laugh, but at this rate, the phrase, "Leard to Daniels" might compete with "Sullivan to Beasley" in future generations
• Over the last two seasons, Auburn has won 3 SEC games but none in Jordan-Hare stadium
• In this wacky series, the home team has not won since 1991 - a 37-27 Georgia win in Athens

Preview:
The last time I "had a feeling" that Auburn would win an SEC game on the road, Arkansas really proved me wrong. I will not go out on as long a limb this time, but don't be surprised if Auburn plays very well or if they indeed pull off the upset. Auburn has made an improvement to the running bame with Heath Evans and this should have the ripple effect of improving the passing game and the defense. The Tigers play well in Athens, and this year may be the same. Klein is improving each week and maybe this one will be interesting. Georgia looked very impressive in beating Kentucky but not as much so against Florida. Quincy Carter is a solid QB and Jasper Sanks is a reliable rusher. Look for the Dawgs to mix the run and the pass and play action to Sanks. They will probably put defensive pressure on Klein and force him to throw quickly. The early Weather forecast is for nice, clear, warm weather...Late word is that Ben Leard will be able to start afterall.

Prediction: GA 24 AU 17

TV: ESPN2 (gametime 5:00 PM CT)

Nov. 20 (Univ. of Alabama) at Auburn

Review - UA 28 AU 17
Well, this WAS to be my only home game to attend this year. My wife and I went down to Auburn hoping to shell out about $150 for a pair of tickets. With prices double that, we decided it was not worth it - we saw it on TV like most people did. The atmosphere around the stadium before the game was electric - we saw Tiger Walk for a distance and it was loud and large. I've never seen parking so bad either. The game itself was a well played one - few meaningful turnovers or penalties. Both teams sustained drives - there were only 5 punts combined. I thought that Leard and co. had a good game on offense overall and the defense held the Tide to 2 field goals (both set up by Auburn miscues - one a very ill-advised fake punt!) over 3 quarters. The Tigers really diminated things for almost 3 quarters. The defense stopped the run and the pass and knocked Zow out due to poor play. Tyler Watts did well in relief, but let's get real here. This game came down to one player - NUMBER 37! Auburn had the momentum and was ready to go ahead as much as 21-6 in the third quarter - then they were held to a 22 yd FG - ooops they missed it! This is what started to swing the moomentum pendulum. Alabama drove back up the field and were stopped on 4th down giving Auburn the ball on their 3 yd line. The ill advised pass and Safety were the final blow. Even though it was still 14-8, I knew that was going to be it. I think everyone else felt that was also. From here, Shaun Alexander took control - he single-handedly tool over the game and 15 minutes later he had scored 3 TDs and the Tide wins for the first time in Jordan Hare. Sure, losing is disappointing, but let's remember that this team started the season 3-5 and looked like another 3-8 season was possible. This Alabama team is #8 in the nation and well deserving of that. The Tigers really did a good job. I question several of the coaching calls during the game, but hind sight is 20/20 - had the fake punt worked, who would have complained? I think the Tigers are poised for an even better season in 2000.

PERSONAL NOTE: I will have my end of the season review by December 1st and will then try to update the recruiting page weekly until February's signing day. Then I will take a break until Spring Practice and I will do a summary report on that and do my season preview in late April. Then, I will take another break until my first game prediction in late August leading up to the game with Texas Tech. of course, as breaking news warrants between now and then, I will post to the HOT page. - WAR EAGLE!

Game Tidbits and Analysis:

• After a late start, Heath Evans finished the season as the leading rusher.
• Tuberville has demoted Damon Duval and has vowed to find another kicker before next year
• Alabama fans were thwarted from rolling Toomer's Corner with crimson toilet paper by 60 police and a hoarde of fans chanting "It's Great to be an Auburn Tiger!" in the intersection
• After having their winning streak broken at home against Alabama, the Tigers seek to maintain their winning streak in Tuscaloosa next year - the first game played there in 99 years
• The rumor mill is hinting that Daniels may jump to the NFL this year - I certainly hope not. Ronney is currently denying this rumor.
• When I left the stadium area right after kickoff, there was a single scalper selling a pair of tickets for $400 - gradually 20-30 fans holding up 2 fingers looking for tickets drifted away

Preview:
This is a very difficult game to call. A week ago, it looked like a sure Alabama win. Given Auburn's potential, this is realistically a probable Alabama win, by 3 points, maybe. However, the home field advantage in this one is so strong, I am going to go out on a limb and pick Auburn by a single point. The home team is often the underdog in this series, on paper. However, the home team usually has a bit more of the fire in the belly and takes advantage of the visitor's miscues. In 1993, 1995 and 1997, Alabama had a chance to win and did not. Last year, Auburn blew a 17-0 lead in Legion Field. If Auburn had played over for dead against Georgia, it would be nearly impossible to pick the Tigers, but they showed they havce the potential to play very well. They showed it against LSU as well. Alabama is a very good team and will win the SEC West and play Florida in Atlanta, however, I believe that our defense will hold them just enough to squeak one out here. We have a better running game than we've had all year - this helps with clock management, rests the defense and sets up the play action pass. Ben Leard is playing with confidence and the OL has not looked better in years than they did against the Dawgs. While holding our breath, I pick the homers in this one. Oh BTW, Auburn is playing for a winning record and bowl eligibility. However I don't know if we will get a bid even at 6-5. I am predicting that earlier in the day, Arkansas will have already eliminated Mississippi State form contention. (I think Ole Miss will knock them to third place on Thanksgiving.) If this does not happen, then it gives Alabama more incentive - as if you need more in the Iron Bowl.
Prediction: AU 17 UA 16

TV: ESPN (gametime 6:30 PM CT)