Sept. 27 (Univ. of Central Florida)

Review - AU 41 UCF 14

This game is the first one I did not get to watch. I will make comments based on highlights and statistics. There was a lot of hype about this game, but Auburn was up to the challenge. They treated this one like a real game and they did not over look the Golden Knights. Both sides of the ball played a well-balanced game and there were few errors. D Craig just missed a consecutive no-INT record. Auburn intimidated D Culpepper with a hard and fast defense. This team is hungry for a chance to play for a SEC Championship and it shows. The passing game really shined...again. The running game was a little improved and it may be time to concede that the running game is not going to be a big part of Auburn's offense this year. I hope it does get to the point where we can run when we need to like in the 4th quarter when we're holding a lead and trying to run the clock. I like this team a lot and there are sparks I have not seen since 1994.

Preview
This game really boils down to a few simple things. One...Auburn cannot afford a let-down and rest on their recent success. Two...Auburn's excellent pass defense must continue to do it's job and stop the heavily touted Daunte Culpepper who has been pass happy against some good teams. Three...Auburn must force UCF to run the ball which they do not do very well and Auburn does not defend very well, but should be able to this time. Four...Auburn must put this game away early and not give UCF any false confidence like Nebraska, USC and Ole Miss provided. Otherwise Auburn should win this one and keep their perfect record.

Prediction: Auburn 34 UCF 24

TV: Pay-per view only 7:00ET

Sept. 20 (Louisiana State Univ.) at Baton Rouge

Review - AU 31 LSU 28

WOW!!! A game for the ages. Definitely the biggest win for Auburn in 3 years, particularly being a road win against a ranked team. We continue to learn more about the character and content of the 1997 AU Tigers. The game was pretty even in terms of overall team strength but there some interesting things to point out. D Craig had a great game and led the team like a field general in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. He also attempted to put the game early with a solid TD drive off the opening kickoff. He played a much better game than H Tyler and that provided the difference enough to win. One key was answering LSU's first TD with a quick answer to take a 21-7 lead. AU had to overcome a much better LSU rushing game to win. Auburn still is averaging around 2 yards a carry and this must improve. Cecil the Diesel put up gigantic numbers and revealed Auburn's defense is suspect against the run. LSU lost the game in the fourth quarter by letting Tyler pass the ball. LSU was averaging 9 yards a carry on the ground, but some incomplete passes stalled LSU drives. Turnovers favored Auburn, but this merely negated the home field advantage in terms of points gained. The kicking games were about equal as were special teams play. In summary, Auburn played their strength better that LSU and executed better when it counted. Should Auburn learn to stop the run and run a little better, we could easily go 10-1 or better.

Preview
I have to take off my biased hat for a true evaluation of this one. Upfront, the homefield advantage pushes LSU over the top in this one - unfortunately. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised and will miss my prediction. Auburn has to prove it can beat a quality SEC or Top 20 team on the road. The last time that happened - 1994 in the Swamp! I had hoped to use this weekend's game as a gage for deciding this one. Both played weak SEC teams form Mississippi. Increduously, both were tied 3-3 at halftime and both won by similar margins. Both also had 19 first downs and ran 72 plays in the game. The main difference I see is that LSU averaged 5.4 yards a carry and controled the ball at will. However, Auburn only allowed Ole Miss 94 yards on the ground and some of that was on the fake punt. This is one of the two keys to the game. The other is if D Craig can play like he did against VA and dominate the game. That plus a good run attack and rush defense is Auburn's chance to win. LSU's chance to win is to continue to be effective running the ball and good enough passing to get by. Recent series History: 1994 - AU 30 LSU 26 - the 3 INT for TD game 1995 - LSU 12 AU 6 - Auburn led most of the game 1996 - LSU 19 AU 15 - The "Barn" burned and AU missed 10 pts on kicks During those games, the starting QB has not scored a touchdown. This must change for AU to have a chance. Hint of coming attractions: Central Florida is no joke!
Prediction: LSU 21 AU 20

TV: ESPN: 7:30PM ET

Sept. 13 (Univ. of Mississippi) at Auburn

Review - AU 19 MS 09
This game was a hard one to figure out. It was a win...the team did show a lot of poise at times...the running game was a little better...but....the team is still not up with the big boys...yet. And as a co-worker pointed out - the offense was very predictable at times, especially on those QB sneaks. Auburn seems to have a knack for making poor teams play well and Ole Miss always seems to look good against Auburn. We let them escape with a fake punt that led to their only score in the first half. {Auburn is two punting play gaffes away from having no points scored against them in the first half!} The running game averaged 3 yards a carry which is better than against VA but not enough to control the ball on a regular basis. The running game output was up to 120 yards, but another 30-50 yards would have been better. Craig was passing the ball well, but he had a lot of drops from his receivers. Tyrone Goodson looked good in the game and outshined K Bailey. Fred Beasley was a nice surprise. Look for him to be the wild card player that will help win some games if he touches the ball more. The defense played very well overall and has really carried the team at times. They did not give up the big pass like they did against VA. Overall a good performance, but not great. As one newspaper article from the weekend noted - last year's team would have probably lost it.

Preview
On paper this seems like a good game for Auburn. Ole Miss is weakened from its probation years, they don't play AU well on the road and they looked poor against Central Florida and in fact could have easily lost to them. Their biggest plus is sheer determination and a great coach in Tommy Tubberville. D Craig could probably throw all night on the Rebels, however I hope that they take the time to work in their running game a bit. You don't like to use a SEC game as a tune-up or practice game, but this is probably one of those times you try. I don't expect the Tigers to look ahead to LSU - Terry B doesn't allow it. Look for a fast start and hopefully a running game. A test will be if the defense can keep Ole Miss out of the end zone in the 4th quarter. We have not done that to a team in quite a while.
Prediction: Auburn 38 Ole Miss 14.

TV: ESPN2 12:30 ET

Sept. 4 (Univ. of Virginia) at Charlottesville, VA

Review - AU 28 VA 17
It was a win..a good win...but not a great win. Auburn got off to a poor start by allowing a punt gaffe to result in a safety. Then VA started 3 drives consecutively in AU territory. The AU defense was up to the challenge and "pitched a shutout" in the first half. After a near touchdown which resulted in a fumble by VA, Auburn drove 98 yards for a score - their best drive all night. The AU secondary is showing their opportunistic side again with a INT returned for a TD. D Craig looked very good out there and appeared to have done some weight training in the summer. His second TD pass to K Bailey covered over 60 yds in the air - on a throw off his back foot rollling left. He also showed that he has become a leader - a field general. All was not perfect though. The AU secondary allowed a couple of long passes on missed assignments or other errors. One of these was a TD by VA. The AU running game was suspect which is usually partially contributed to a weakness in the OL. There are a couple of great pro prospects on the line, but there is some youth there also. By the LSU game, we must be able to run the ball at least 120 yards if not 150. Auburn showed they could not run out the clock in the 4th Quarter with their running game. A look at the stats show that VA had more first downs, more yards offense and more total plays. Auburn only ran 58 plays all night and a coaches ideal is to run about 75. Craig only threw 19 passes and there were 32 rushes. The play selection ratio was about 60/40 which is good if you are averaging 4 yards a carry. Auburn averaged only 2.3. In summary - it is the first game and these things can be improved. But our schedule gets tough and stays tough very soon.

Preview
Auburn goes to the home of Thomas Jefferson to take on a Virginia team who will not take this game with a cavalier atitude. This is Auburn's toughest first game since 1987 vs. Texas. (Although Ole Miss pulled off a stunning upset in 1992.) Virginia lost some talent, but George Welch is a great coach who makes few errors. Auburn's DL looks like trouble again, but not as bad as last year. No more injuries can be tolerated on the DL. Look for Auburn to play this a little on the conservative side because mistakes may determine this one. I predict a hard-fought Auburn win by a field goal.
Prediction: Auburn 24 Virginia 21.

TV: ESPN 8:00 ET

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