Washington State

[vatz22au 142]

I'll admit it, I am scared to death of this game. We all know Tuberville's record against OOC teams when played as the first game of the season.

So to ease my mind, I took a look at Washington St.:

1. This team went 4-7 last year. As I scour the internet, one thing comes to mind: Bama teams. This team was a couple of bounces from actually being 9-2. The horrible defense in place never fought back late in games and defending the pass has never been taught over there.

A. Against Oregon St., they were up 30-16 at the half. Oregon scored an amazing 21 points in the 4th quarter to win 44-33.

B. Stanford was a heartbreaker, as Washington St. scored with 4 min left in the 4th to make it 24-21 Stanford. Im guessing Stanford just held on and went on to run the clock.

C. Against #12 UCLA they were up 28-14 at the half. Due again to the horrible play of the 4th quarter defense... they gave up 17 points in the last quarter to lose 44-41.

D. Against #25 Cal, they were up in the beginning of the 4th quarter 38-28. Again, the 4th quarter defense (notice a pattern? ) played to the usual, and gave up 14 points in under 9 minutes.

E. Against Arizona St., things were a little different. They were down 24-10 and the defense actually held in the 2nd half. Final score: 27-24 Arizona St.

F. Against #11 Oregon, they were beaten by a last second fg for the defeat. Final score: 34-31 Oregon

Now to continue:

2. They lost a very good rb as he rushed for 1900 yards. Its always hard to replace a rb who can rush for that many yards.

3. They lost some starting cbs. This actually might be a good thing for Washington St. as they ranked 115th in pass defense.

4. The defense will be improved, as they return some crucial players that might improve the defense's longetivity.

5. The offense will again be able to score, and score big as they still have some skill players returning.

Conclusion? I'm still scared of this game. This is a team that will have improved from last year. A team that could've gone 9-2 had these players practiced another year. Not only that, but Washington States offense is very impressive. The defense? Not so impressive.

I look for Cox to have a big day against those newbie corners as Irons takes us into the 4th quarter with his legs. But then again, its opening day

[GoAU 1,600]

I would be amazed if we came out of the gates flat this year - hopefully memories of the Badgers will prevent that. I think we'll live up to the hype this year!

[WarTiger 3,901]

I'm worried about this game too. Its the first game. After it, win or lose, I'll be worried about the next game, then the next, and so on. We have a moto around here....O N E at a T I M E. Being the first game or the last one, doesn't matter much, I worry about them all, When the time comes... I do believe we'll come out ready to play and with something to prove. WE are highly ranked and will be anxious to get on the field and prove we are worthy of such a ranking...

[tgr4lfe 220]

I asked Tommy (CTT) about the hype in the offseason and he said the older players are aware of it, it's the younger players he worries about. I believe they will come out of the blocks ready to go.

On a side note...in reference to Tray Blackmon's arrest, Tommy said Tray caught more grief from his teammates than anyone!! Tommy basically said he will regret his actions this summer. I think it is great that his teammates are that concerned about off the field problems and how it makes ALL of them look. That may be worse punishment than anything.

[SouthLink02 8]

Due to several request from members on here, I am forced to give a prediction.

Washington State is going to kill Auburn

Thanks,

SL02

[johnwegl 11]

if they are dropping games late that might be a sign of bad conditioning. Auburn should beat them in that department.

[RadioWryn 0]

if they are dropping games late that might be a sign of bad conditioning. Auburn should beat them in that department.

239595[/snapback]

These are the kind of games you would much rather have in the mid afternoon than at night for TV. A bunch of kids from the northwest in the muggy south on a scorching hot early September afternoon? Ha!

[Tiger 8,827]

yeah but lets not forget that in 2003 we said that USC wouldn't be able to handle the heat down in Auburn...well it was our own Tiger players that were cramping up and stuff...not trying to be negative but this game scares me also...

[subterranean_jack 112]

I, for one, am thrilled Auburn is playing a decent team in the first game. Playing a solid opponent should indicate the meddle of the Auburn starters early so coaches can make adjustments where necessary. I think having played a good team early will definitely help against LSU a couple weeks later. And, believe me, the Cougars are no USC.

Washington State may put up a good fight, but Auburn should win by at least two TDs, if this team is capable of competing for an SEC and national title like most people think. It is a chance for Auburn to make a statement on national TV, and a little BCS buzz won't hurt.

The coaches and players most likely see this game as a chance to redeem themselves for last year's opening game and the bowl game. CTT will have the team ready.