Review AU 21 CLEM 17

My wife and I got to attend this one and for a while it looked as if we had wasted our money on the trip. I do have to commend the Georgia Dome on being a First-class facility. Every seat has a back, there are plenty or restrooms and concession stands and the place is kept very clean. I do advise taking MARTA to the game. We got on at the Highlander stop (W5) and in less than 10 minutes we were at stop (W2) and in sight of the Dome. Parking before and after was a smooth process. As for the game...Auburn's defense could have stpooed just about anyone, as well as they played. They get an A-plus. Spikes, Neal and the rest of the troops let Clemson do nothing - only 4 first downs. This is exceptional since 2 starters were sent home for breaking a team rule - probably a curfew. The offense was decent in rushing the ball. In fact I've rarely seen Rusty Williams have more success. D Craig was really erratic and off in his passing until the 4th quarter. It looked as if he was passing to 9 ft tall receivers becasue he was overthrowing them so badly. Then when DC found a target the receivers all had butter fingers and dropped them. He was only 15 for 45 but 6 of 8 in the 4th quarter. (Do the math... 9 for 37 in the first 3 quarters!!) The real troble spot was the punting unit! They allowed 3 blocks and allowed a long return that together allowed Clemson to score all their punts. It seems that Auburn tried to change their punt defense in the 2 weeks off and it failed. In addition, they tried to go back to the old way and they could not execute. It almost cost us the game. Jaret Holmes did fine and only missed FG attempts over 50 yards. Another not-so-pretty win but it does make the Tigers #11 in the Nation with a 10-3 record. Both Terry Bowden's second best effort out of five.

Preview

Bowl games are hard to predict. Teams have had some time off and teh game is a national showcase. Coaches have different philosophies about how to approach Bowl games. Some treat the time as a mini-boot camp and these teams often lose. Others stay loose and fresh and this has been the preferred method in recent years. Terry Bowden took the Tigers to Atlanta for a week to prepare and to have some fun time as well. The reports out of practice are good and there have been no incidents I've heard of that are newsworthy. Clemson is taking a similar approach and they should not be taken lightly. On paper, Auburn is a 6 point favorite and they are probably a better team overall. Clemson can run the better than Auburn (who doesn't?) but they did not beat a ranked opponent all season. I expect a close game and Auburn on top.

Prediction: Auburn 31 Clemson 21

TV: ESPN 3:00PM ET