Auburn Football 2011: A Few Questions Answered, Part One

The Auburn Tigers will start the 2011 season in the best shape they have been in years. For the first time since the arrival of Gene Chizik as head coach, the Tigers have ample talent at every position.

With preseason expectations being low due to the loss of a BCS Championship-winning senior class, there is reason for optimism on The Plains.

During the last few months, several questions have popped up on a consistent basis. In the following article, an attempt will be made to answer some of these questions with the best information available.

How does Auburn expect to replace a player like Cameron Newton?

Auburn does not replace players like Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson or Cameron Newton. These three are simply the beginning of a legacy at Auburn that will continue into the future.

Some have said that Onterio McCalebb increased his game simply by having a talk with Bo Jackson last season. Pat Sullivan currently has a Gus Malzahn-trained offensive coordinator. Cameron Newton will likely maintain a similar relationship with Auburn in the future as well.

There are at least three players on the current Auburn roster that have the potential to develop into Heisman candidates and possibly become the fourth name in this legacy. While potential does not equal results, these players will likely have the aid and support of those that have been there and done that all before.

If one is simply asking how Auburn replaces the offensive production of a Cameron Newton, that is a much simpler question to answer. Trovon Reed, Ladarious Phillips and Mike Dyer have all benefited from a year of SEC strength and conditioning. Splitting Newton’s production three ways makes this a simple task.

Cameron Newton accounted for 4327 yards and 51 touchdowns in 2010. Chris Todd accounted for 2612 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2009.

That leaves 1715 yards and 29 touchdowns to split between the playmakers. Producing around 600 yards and 10 touchdowns seems a very achievable goal for such high-caliber talent.

How big of a problem is replacing the offensive line?

Replacing the offensive line is quite simple; replacing the experience is more difficult. Let us take a look at the physical task at hand.

Position	2010 Player	Projected 2011 Player	Possible 2011 backup
Left Tackle	Lee Ziemba 6’7” 318 pounds	AJ Greene 6’5” 298 pounds senior	Brandon Mosley 6’6” 306 pounds senior Chad Slade 6’5” 329 pounds RS freshman
Right Tackle	Brandon Mosley 6’6” 306 pounds	Brandon Mosley 6’6” 306 pounds senior	Aubrey Phillips 6’5” 344 pounds RS freshman
Left Guard	Mike Berry 6’3” 316 pounds	Jared Cooper 6’4” 298 pounds senior	Eric Mack 6’3” 330 pounds RS freshman
Right Guard	Byron Isom 6’3” 291 pounds	John Sullen 6’6” 330 pounds junior	Tunde Fariyike 6’2” 302 pounds RS freshman
Center	Ryan Pugh 6’4” 297 pounds	Blake Burgess 6’2” 273 pounds sophomore	Reese Dismukes 6’3” 290 pounds freshman

Reserves

Ed Christian guard 6’4” 277 pounds RS freshman

Thomas O’Reilly guard 6’3” 326 pounds freshman

Greg Robinson guard or tackle 6’5” 305 pounds freshman

Christian Westerman guard or tackle 6’5” 285 pounds freshman

Shon Coleman tackle 6’6” 275 pounds freshman (will redshirt this year)

It is easy to see that Auburn will have little problem producing an SEC-caliber offensive line with another SEC-caliber offensive line to back them up for 2011.

Who will play defensive tackle this year?

Kenneth Carter 6’5” 290 pounds sophomore

Jeffrey Whitaker 6’3” 313 pounds sophomore

Gabe Wright 6’4” 310 pounds freshman

Devaunte Sigler 6’3” 295 pounds freshman

Jabrian Niles 6’3” 278 pounds freshman

Angelo Blackson 6’5 290 pounds freshman

Jamar Travis 6’0” 295 pounds junior

Derrick Lykes 6’2” 290 pound junior

Hopefully, this answers a few questions about the 2011 Auburn Tigers. This is the first installment of a series of articles designed to answer some prevalent questions before fall practice begins.