Three Wins Give AU Milestone

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AUBURN - Auburn's football team is on the brink of making school history.

The No. 4 Tigers (1-0) are three wins away from equaling the school record for most wins over Southeastern Conference opponents in a three-year span. Auburn's seniors, with an SEC record of 20-4, need three wins to equal the most by any class in school history. They'll try to take another step in that direction Saturday when they play Mississippi State (0-1) at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m.

Auburn was 16-1 against SEC opponents in 2004 and 2005 and is 17-1 since leaving Georgia with a 26-7 loss on Nov. 15, 2003, the only loss a 20-17 heartbreaker in overtime at LSU last season. Terry Bowden's first three Auburn teams, in 1993-95, were 19-4-1 in SEC games. In winning three straight SEC championships, Pat Dye was 17-2-1 in 1987-89.

In his eighth Auburn season, Tommy Tuberville has gone from a coach under fire to a coach on a streak that has made Auburn the SEC's winningest team in conference games over the past five years.

There's no secret formula, Tuberville says, no fancy schemes or groundbreaking innovations.

"It's players," Tuberville said. "We have good players and have had good players that played hard."

He'll get no argument from Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom, who has been outscored 71-14 by Auburn in two games.

"They don't seem to ever change," Croom said. "They look the same to me every year, and this year is no different. They have one of the best defenses we'll see, one of the best offenses, and they're one of the best in the kicking game. It's a great challenge for us to play this football team."

Senior offensive guard Tim Duckworth, who will return Saturday to his home state, says it's all about a mind set that comes from believing the price for success has been paid in grueling work far from the glare of game day. Pressure and fatigue, he says, is for others to worry about.

"When I first got here, I practiced so hard I could taste blood," Duckworth said.

"That's the tiredest I've ever been. If you are playing in a game and you can't taste blood, you're not tired. You just keep going."

Whether it's a game against a three-touchdown underdog like Mississippi State or a showdown like next Saturday's home game against LSU, Auburn players say they go into every SEC game with the belief they have what it takes to win.

"We have kind of established that swagger that a team needs," senior linebacker Will Herring said. "We go into every game feeling like, if we play Auburn football and take care of our end, we can win. We're as talented as any team we'll face. It's all about execution."

Only three times in 2004 and 2005 did Auburn win by fewer than 10 points against SEC opponents. The Tigers averaged 29.9 points per game and gave up an average of 12.8

Herring and Duckworth have seen it from both sides. There was no sign as they left Athens as freshmen on that disappointing November day that such glorious times were ahead.

"It's kind of crazy," Herring said. "We've come so far. I'm just proud and privileged to be part of a program like Auburn."