Contenders separate from Pretenders: AU

[WFE12 9,191]

CFB Overtime: Contenders separate from pretenders in Week 1

• by Chris Hummer

It’s probably time to change the label consistently slapped on Auburn. 

Following a 21-16 win over No. 6 Washington to open the season, Auburn is no longer a sneaky contender or a College Football Playoff dark horse. Shoot, most consider the Tigers a mere challenger to Alabama in the SEC West despite the fact Auburn is the division’s defending champion.

With no qualifiers, Auburn is a national title threat.

There’s no other way around it following the team’s gritty victory over the Huskies, a team many pegged as CFB Playoff team. This is Auburn’s third victory over a top 6 opponent in its last six games. No other team in the country can claim that. The Tigers, a team that’s too often fell under the radar, are talented, deep and feature a quarterback in Jarrett Stidham in good enough to win a national championship.

If all of this sounds hyperbolic or reactionary, it’s not.

This is acknowledgement of a program that’s seemed to elevate its status in college football since last November. Yeah, a battered and bruised Tiger team fell to Georgia in the SEC title game. And yeah, the Tigers lost to UCF in the Peach Bowl. But there’s no question that when Auburn plays well, it’s capable of beating anyone.

Alabama knows it. Georgia knows it. Washington knows it.

This is not to say Auburn is the new national title favorite. Nor is it to say Auburn fans should expect an undefeated run against what is one of the nation’s most brutal schedules. But it’s time for Auburn to get a bit more respect. The Tigers feature a championship-level front, holding one of the better rushing attacks in the country to 3.1 yards per carry. They also have a secondary that limited Jake Browning, one of the nation’s most accurate QBs, to just 56 percent passing. With nine straight seasons of 1,000-yard rushers, Auburn’s run game is never in doubt. And with Stidham, the Tigers have their best QB since Cam Newton.

That’s a formula for a contender, and Auburn is proving to be just that.

 

 

[Swamp Eagle 5,133]

"...that's too often fell under the radar..."

Guy needs to hone his skills.

Nice article, even though it reads like an Auburn homer blog.

 

 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

Nice article. After a good season last year with some Marquee wins, despite the two losses to end season, we have been on the up n up. This win over Washington has proved that Auburn has arrived ( beat the Benz curse and the 0/9 steak for HC GM against ranked opponents away from JHS. Our recruiting is on par and I really like where the classes is going and starting to really take shape. This may be the best defense Auburn has had since 2004... Especially front 7... If not better. It is a great time to be an Auburn tiger. I think we are on the brink of having a nice run. WDE!!!!  

[Sully to Beasley 643]

I thought the article was 100% on target. Auburn football can compete with and beat anyone in the country. Just ask little nicky and his ex-sidekick smartie.

[doug3020 842]

Much more interested to see how we play this week than worrying about being a national title contender. Week two has been a solid stinker for us in recent years. I’m not interested in seeing our starters out there in the 4th qtr. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

48 minutes ago, doug3020 said:

Much more interested to see how we play this week than worrying about being a national title contender. Week two has been a solid stinker for us in recent years. I’m not interested in seeing our starters out there in the 4th qtr. 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Semi-rational Loof: "Respect! Nice!"

Petty ass Barner Loof: "Best QB since Cam Newton? Don't reckon this jackleg ever heard of a dude named Nick ****in' Marshall?"

You have to find the motivation, sometimes. 

[wareagle7298 126]

This week SHOULD consist of being up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and letting the second and third teamers play after that.  Last few years though he we have squandered around in these games and not given the backups enough reps. Just quit messing around Auburn and come out and do what needs to be don.e

[nurbis 572]

1 hour ago, wareagle7298 said:

This week SHOULD consist of being up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and letting the second and third teamers play after that.  Last few years though he we have squandered around in these games and not given the backups enough reps. Just quit messing around Auburn and come out and do what needs to be don.e

I would expect the starters are going to play a good bit regardless of the score. It is only the second game so we don't really need the rest at this point and we still have some kinks to work out. I would prefer we let the starters play and figure out the issues we still have this week instead of saving them for LSU.

[tigeraddikt 1,600]

This is going to be a glorified scrimmage. If AU doesn't sleepwalk through it, which they shouldn't being an evening kick, then it should be 40-something to 0 at the half with about Fo Hunderr yards offense to about maybe 40 yards offense. This is a SWAC team, which, to me, is closer to D2. But, the SWACs of the world are super appreciative of the payoff for a butt whoopin', so they have realistic expectations, and Gus will be classy enough to get tons of backups in the 2nd half and ease off the gas.

FWIW Alabama State had to go to overtime to beat D2 Tuskegee last Saturday.

[Barnacle 9,064]

2 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Semi-rational Loof: "Respect! Nice!"

Petty ass Barner Loof: "Best QB since Cam Newton? Don't reckon this jackleg ever heard of a dude named Nick ****in' Marshall?"

You have to find the motivation, sometimes. 

"Jackleg" has been tragically missing from my vernacular - I'll have to remedy that. 

[BJCrawford 1,568]

I just thought the same about a couple of games last year and being frustrated bc we did things like fumble 5 times. 

[doc4aday 1,887]

This article is dead on 110% accurate IMHO. It is about time this team gets the full level of respect that it earned Saturday.

[WarTiger 3,901]

On 9/3/2018 at 10:47 AM, doug3020 said:

Much more interested to see how we play this week than worrying about being a national title contender. Week two has been a solid stinker for us in recent years. I’m not interested in seeing our starters out there in the 4th qtr. 

Really?  Who is us?   Auburn is 4-1 in week 2 games over the last 5 years with an average score of 35-14. 

[AUsince72 11,084]

1 hour ago, Barnacle said:

3 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Semi-rational Loof: "Respect! Nice!"

Petty ass Barner Loof: "Best QB since Cam Newton? Don't reckon this jackleg ever heard of a dude named Nick ****in' Marshall?"

You have to find the motivation, sometimes. 

"Jackleg" has been tragically missing from my vernacular - I'll have to remedy that. 

My wife's favorite term of "endearment" for her hubby is Jackwagon.

[doug3020 842]

2 hours ago, WarTiger said:

Really?  Who is us?   Auburn is 4-1 in week 2 games over the last 5 years with an average score of 35-14. 

By recent history I was referencing 2015 to current date. 

9/12/15- Auburn: 27- Jacksonville St: 20 (OT)

9/10/16- Auburn 51- Ark St: 14 ( hoping for something like this for this wkend)

9/9/17- Auburn 6- Clemson 14 and just for fun Wk3 9/16/17: Auburn 24- Mercer 10

I realize we have a winning record, but we certainly have not looked like "contenders" recently as of week two. That's the point I was trying to make. Each team is different and has a different identity. I hope this team goes out and takes care of business.  

[augolf1716 21,104]

3 hours ago, AUsince72 said:

My wife's favorite term of "endearment" for her hubby is Jackwagon.

I can't post what my wife calls me

[AidiAU 1,270]

3 hours ago, BJCrawford said:

I just thought the same about a couple of games last year and being frustrated bc we did things like fumble 5 times. 

Omg I forgot there were that many fumbles. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

glad the lord put it on me to skip out on that game...grabbed a funnel cake, saw it was about to rain (and demoralized by the past two games) and flipped back out of there

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

IMHO we should be a dark horse in the elite discussion so long as our bread & butter (the running game) is average against good defenses.