circledrill

I am not trying to trash talk here... I find it very interesting that all the media outlets seem to be favoring Nebraska in this one. Some by 10 points or more. It just seems like the teams match up almost dead even, so I would think the predictions would be about 50/50. But, right now it's more like 90/10. Not sure what's going on there. I can tell you that I have not run into an Auburn fan yet that thinks we are gonna hand this one over to you guys, though. Expect a fight to the finish regardless of what the media says.

Thanks for sharing this Rand. I had not ever seen this before. Brandon Cox is a real class act. In his first start as the Auburn QB against GA Tech in 2005, he had (I believe) 5 interceptions. But he battled back. He has been injured for a lot of the 2006 season. But he battled back. He never quits. He always battles back from adversity and gives his absolute best. A lot of heart in this young man. Here is a pic of his injured leg one of you guys was asking about.

I would have to agree with this post. Probably....the team that scores the most points stands the best chance of winning.

Our DL is a bit on the small side. Maybe that's what you are talking about? If you guys want to call your coach and tell him to game plan around running up the middle all day, please go ahead. We are OK at stopping the run. Not great, but OK. You are right about running outside. We are not the best at tackling sometimes, either. If this goes back to the guy that saw us against Arkansas, and you are thinking "Darren McFadden ran up the middle on them all day".... just remember that kid was injured part of the season, and he came OUT OF NOWHERE and finished 2nd in the Heisman race above the ESPN glory-boy Brady Quinn after he was pimped all year by them. That guy could run up the middle on anyone. He is a beast.

Nice avatar, Redman. Playing in a bowl game is a lot different than playing a team at home. I would be very surprised if you encountered this at Auburn nowadays. But I would be quite shocked if you ran into this at the fans that would be at the bowl game.

Obviously, the quotes you are referring to did not originate from ESPN, where the Michigan love-fest makes me cringe. If you want to know how to beat us, watch the Capital One Bowl last year, where Wisconsin basically rendered us impotent in all aspects of the game for 60 minutes. We did get some nice punts in though!

Also, if the backs that we DO have playing are all at 100%, how do you guys think that will compare to you? Aren't all 4 of your backs injured?

I would like to know this as well. And what is the link with Husker football???

I still don't know how we didn't get a penalty with Tre Smith diving in the end zone after that blocked punt, but heck, I will take it! That game may have been one of the most intense games and atmospheres in Auburn history. The student section was packed 3 hours before kickoff. Absolutely insane.

I just want to clarify something about our offense when it comes to running backs. We only have a "starter" in the technical sense that somebody has to be first on the roster. Just about all of the backs we have play in a rotation. Normally, for instance, you would expect to see a three-back rotation from Auburn of: Kenny Irons, Brad Lester, Carl Stewart, etc. Then every once in a while Tre Smith is in to mix it up. Sometimes we run multiple backs on the field at the same time. For instance, it's common for KI or TS to line up at more of a WR position. KI is more of a finesse back. If there is a 1-inch hole where he is supposed to go, he will get through it and pick up yards. Brad Lester is the back that beats down the OL and if there is no hole, he makes one. Carl Stewart is kind of a combination. And Tre Smith is...anything can happen with him. He is pesky! My point is...losing Brad Lester does hurt, but it does in NO WAY "take away our running game" or anything like that. Blackmon and Sears are heavy-hitter, pressure bringing linebackers. They will be missed, but as someone else said, Blackmon and Sears were suspended from the first 6 games this year. So, Nebraska fans, don't take this as "Auburn won't be at full strength." Because anything BUT that will be true. We will just be missing a few ingredients that we have been using for the past few games.

Found a video that shows a short clip of it. It's the 2004 CBS intro to the broadcast of the game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwRv3OsmPYo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_South%27s_Oldest_Rivalry No video, but here is an article about the rivalry and the pic.

Consider that probably NONE of the players that will meet up this January 1 were even BORN before Oct 2, 1982, and that will tell you how intense this game is going to be. I think they will be fired up on both sides trying to bring home the "W."

Group hug anyone?

Yeah UGA still uses that video clip in their pre-game video when we play them in Athens, and every time, it brings the whole stadium roaring to their feet. And I think that was about 15 years ago!

Yes, there are not many gameday traditions in the country that can top the pre-game eagle flight. Just so you guys know, you will rarely hear Auburn fans say "Go Tigers." Mostly it will be "War Eagle." It is something that is uniquely Auburn and something that we take great pride in.

I don't doubt that this happened. However, let me just say that our gameday experience has come a LONG way since the 80s. I have not seen much throwing of objects in many years. And stuff like this does not usually happen at bowl games anyway.

I really don't know the answer, but here's what some people have said: 12-straight-games, injuries, turmoil among coaches, etc. Injuries seems to be the most popular theory, with the 12 games in a row theory a close second. I don't really believe the turmoil among coaches thing. My 2 cents would be that we don't have that veteran player that has stepped up and became a leader this year. I don't know why that is. I think we have a bunch of great guys, but there doesn't seem to be that "one guy" that EVERYBODY looks up to and listens to. I'm not saying we don't have unity on the team because we do. I just think that veteran leadership is the difference between a good team and a great team. We have not had the fire that a championship caliber team plays with in the last few games. I say that, and then we went to Tuscaloosa and had it on Nov. 18. I have not really answered your question because I don't know how to. But maybe this will help.

Hmmmm. I might disagree just a tad on this one. The few times I've seen Auburn this year, I felt that they were vulnerable to the run up the middle, due to, as you say, sacrificing size for speed. Auburn is similar to Oklahoma on defense in one respect. Sheer speed. Very scary. Generally, the only way to counter it is to constantly pound up the middle, then play-action. Misdirection just won't work against Auburn - too much athletic ability to recover. I didn't see the Georgia game, but in the Arkansas game, I thought that was one of those cases in which the opposing team could do one thing well - and it just happened to attack the one area of vulnerability on your defense. In other words, while far less talented, the Arkansas offense actually matched up very well against your defense - pound away at an undersized defense and attack up the middle. Arkansas was fortunate that they really didn't have to come from behind; they aren't built for that, and Auburn would have killed them if Auburn could have gotten a little cushion. Just didn't happen. Reason I bring this up is your coach. Tommy Tuberville, to my mind, is an outstanding coach. I just have trouble saying that an Auburn team "doesn't show up to play". That's an excellently run program. I think you are right on all points. However (and this is no excuse...Arky beat us handily) don't forget that Arkansas also has a phenom running back in McFadden. He is a monster. Watching McFadden run up the middle on us is not quite the same as watching most backs try to run up the middle on us. That being said, I don't think our O-line is as stout as in years past, so you are right about running up the middle as a potential weakness.

A post he wrote on aunation.net. If you like "numbers" you will like this one. http://www.aunation.net/forums/index.php?s...c=32447&hl=

A great article written by a guy on aunation.net. http://auburn.scout.com/2/593906.html

I posted some stuff in the "Auburn Info" thread. No numbers, though.

I was having a discussion on aunation.net with a Husker fan. I have seen many similar things mentioned in other threads, so I thought I would post all of my comments here for you guys. I am by no means an Auburn expert, so this is just one guy's thoughts. There are many others that know much more than me. Hope you find this info useful! I would say we are OK on both run and pass defense. Probably stronger on stopping the run. When our defense blitz can put pressure on the opponent QB, it can make for a long day for opponents. On offense, I would say we are "primarily" a run offense, but Al Borges runs a west coast-type offense that utilizes just about everything. QB Brandon Cox is a threat if our offense is working. He is not a scrambler by any means, but he can put it to you if the passing game is working. We are deep at RB with a rotation of solid backs, which should be no surprise from "Running back U." Our backs include (but are not limited to): Kenny Irons, Brad Lester, Carl Stewart. Our receivers are decent, and seem to be able to come through when we really need them to step up. Our special teams is among the best in the country. We are rock solid in all aspects of special teams. Forcing us to punt won't give you much advantage, as you will still be forced to drive 80-90 yards most of the time. The 35-Goaline range is pretty much a solid field goal range for us. Look up any post on here by a guy called "StatTiger." That guy is out of control on his statistics he keeps for AU football. That will give you a better idea if you want "numbers." We have a new DC this year, Will Muschamp. He follows a DC that was here for one year, and Gene Chizik before him. Our defense has been unpredictable at times...maybe due to so much coaching turnover. The philosophy at Auburn has been to sacrifice size for speed on defense, especially with linebackers. Our defense WILL get to the ball, make no mistake about that. We have had some trouble tackling this year. Because of our speed on defense, it is difficult for opponents to run around the end (most of the time). If what you are saying is true about your blitz, then that could work in Auburn's favor, because when Cox has time, he can deliver massive damage with the ball. When he is pressured he will either take a sack or make a good pass. He does not turn the ball over very much. As far as Cox's health. He has a disease/condition that I do not know much about. Maybe others on the board can elaborate about it. I know that it bothers him and he takes some kind of medicine for it. As for his injuries, his right knee was in pretty bad shape toward the end of the season. At the Georgia game (Nov. 11), his knee was taped up more than any kid's I have ever seen playing on the field. And then the first play from scrimmage, he took a hit right on that knee. We had a 12-straight-game schedule this year, and in the SEC, that is quite brutal. We were quite banged up all around by the end of the season. Needless to say, the month off before the Cotton Bowl will be a welcome recovery time. I am confident all of our players will be as near 100% as possible by that game.

Thanks. I totally agree. I like to hear from the other fans, especially for bowl games when we often play teams that we rarely get to play. I am not even sure when the last time Auburn and Nebraska met was? But I know it has been a while!

Hello Nebraska Husker fans. I am looking forward to a great matchup between my Tigers and your Huskers. It should be a great game. How many of you guys will be making the trip to Dallas?