Gearing Up For Fall Practice

We're just a few weeks away from the start of fall practice, folks. Who's getting excited? I know I am. While the 2009 season probably won't be one of Auburn's best, there's definitely a lot to look forward to. Change will be evident across the board. A new(er) offense, a new defense, all new coaches, lots of new players, and new expectations. Auburn won't be competing for the SEC title this season, but they will begin the building process for 2010 and beyond. This team has the opportunity to compete for a bowl invitation, and those extra weeks of practice in December could be important down the road.

This season will be a lot like 1999. If you remember, Auburn fans were glad the drama of the Terry Bowden soap opera was behind them. Tommy Tuberville was an up and coming coach, and fans were excited about seeing the Auburn program return to a championship caliber based on power running and strong defense. Auburn struggled in 1999, but that team laid the foundation for the surprise division title in 2000 and the success of the new decade. Auburn fans need to approach this season, and all the changes around it, with that same goal in mind.

Here's a projected starting lineup for 2009:

OFFENSE QB Kodi Burns (6-1, 209, Jr.) RB Ben Tate (5-11, 217, Sr.) WR Darvin Adams (6-3, 184, Soph.) WR Tim Hawthorne (6-3, 214, Jr.) WR Terrell Zachery (6-1, 209, Jr.) TE Tommy Trott (6-5, 237, Sr.) T Andrew McCain (6-6, 295, Sr.) T Lee Ziemba (6-8, 304, Jr.) G Mike Berry (6-3, 313, Jr.) G Byron Isom (6-3, 293, Jr.) C Ryan Pugh (6-4, 287, Jr.)

DEFENSE E Antonio Coleman (6-3, 257, Sr.) T Mike Blanc (6-4, 288, Jr.) T Jake Ricks (6-4, 296, Sr.) E Michael Goggans (6-3, 257, Jr,) LB Josh Bynes (6-2, 233, Jr.) LB Eltoro Freeman (5-11, 222, Soph.) LB Craig Stevens (6-3, 227, Jr.) CB Walt McFadden (6-0, 176, Sr.) CB Aairon Savage (5-11, 173, Sr.) FS Zac Etheridge (6-0, 204, Jr.) SS Mike McNeil (6-2, 205, Jr.) SPECIAL TEAMS K Wes Byrum (6-2, 214, Jr.) P Clinton Durst (6-1, 192, Sr.) KR Mario Fannin (5-11, 226, Jr.) PR Mario Fannin (5-11, 226, Jr.)

Granted, this lineup is definitely subject to change based on fall practice. In particular, the quarterback race should provide daily storylines. Neil Caudle and Chris Todd will push Burns for the job. I wouldn't count out true freshman Tyrik Rollison, either. He's the future of the Malzahn offense, and if the upperclassmen aren't executing, the coaches may decide to get Rollison on the field quickly with an eye toward 2010. Auburn opens with 4 straight winnable home games, so the schedule provides an opportunity to ease Rollison into college game.

I think the running back rotation is also going to be interesting. Ben Tate is the starter, but there are some solid options behind him. Mario Fannin could be all over the field this year, but if he can fix his fumbling issues, I expect him to touch the ball a lot. Look out for Eric Smith and Onterrio McCalebb, too. Smith is big and powerful, while McCalebb is small and quick.

I'm also looking forward to seeing more from Auburn's receivers. The Tony Franklin spread offense was a dud last year in part to the underperformance from the Tiger wideouts. That will need to change this year. I think Quindarius Carr, Derek Winter, and Philip Pierre-Louis will step up to provide multiple options for the Auburn quarterback, in addition to starters Tim Hawthorne, Terrell Zachary and Darvin Adams.

The offensive line depth will certainly be a problem. Auburn's hopes for a winning season rest on their health. Any serious injuries would result in a lot of shuffling and inexeperience on the field. That was a major problem during 2008.

Anyway, I'm excited, and I hope you're excited. Football season is just around the corner.

Auburn Opens 2009 SEC Hoops Season vs. South Carolina

10-4 Auburn starts their SEC schedule in Columbia this Saturday vs. 11-2 South Carolina. Auburn might have their best chance under Jeff Lebo to contend for a bid into the NCAA tournament. The SEC lacks a truly dominant team, and the Western division appears to have no clear front-runner. 12-1 Arkansas has a pair of impressive wins against top-10 teams (Oklahoma, Texas), but I still have my doubts about the strength of the Big XII. After seeing Arkansas firsthand vs. South Alabama, I did not come away impressed. The Jags dominated play most of the game. Arkansas relies heavily on their guards. Any team with decent perimeter defenders should be able to squelch the Hogs' offense. That's why I like Auburn to compete in the West. They are playing the best defense of any Jeff Lebo-coached Auburn team. I was in Charlottesville for the game against Virginia, and I came away very impressed by their ball-hawking and presence on the defensive glass.

As for South Carolina: play somebody! The Gamecocks have padded their record through a November and December schedule that would have made Cliff Ellis very proud. They played just two major-conference opponents, losing to #20 Clemson, but beating #19 Baylor in Waco (again, I think the Big XII is being overvalued by the pollsters). Throw in a loss to College of Charleston, and you have a team that could easily be pushing near .500 by late February.

The player to watch for the Gamecocks is guard Devan Downey. Downey scored 23 against Baylor, and went for 37 against a good Clemson team. South Carolina uses a 3-guard, 2-forward starting five. Their biggest inside presence, Dominique Archie, is prone to foul trouble. Archie has already fouled out of 3 games this year. Archie fouled out in both the Clemson and Baylor games. Carolina lacks depth on the interior, and if Archie has to spend significant minutes on the bench, it could allow Auburn's Korvotney Barber to dominate the paint. Look for Auburn to get the ball in Barber's hands early and often in order to try and draw Archie into foul trouble.

Auburn is riding a 7-game winning streak as they enter SEC play. This opening game is a chance to keep the momentum going before two huge homes games against Florida and Alabama. Forward Korvotney Barber is having a stellar season, averaging a double-double (12.0 points / 11.4 rebounds). DeWayne Reed has been playing extremely well of late, scoring 20+ points in his last two games (Southeast Louisiana, Tulane). As I mentioned earlier, the defense has been driving Auburn's success this season. The Tigers are holding opponents to just 37.7% from the field (and 33.8% vs. their last 3 opponents).

Auburn matches up well with South Carolina b/c both teams rely heavily on their guards. Auburn has the perimeter defenders necessary to keep Devan Downey and Zam Frederick in check. Barber should be unchallenged on the interior, allowing Auburn to control the glass. I like Auburn in a close game, 66-62.