Auburn Throttles Furman 63-31, Tough Road Lies Ahead

Saturday brought exactly what the Tigers needed.

First and foremost, it was a victory. Secondly, it was a large victory, over a significantly overmatched opponent. No one expected Furman to have a chance, but by leading 42-3 at the half, the Tigers made sure there was no chance at this one ever being close.

Chris Todd came out firing on all cylinders, hooking up with Darvin Adams for over 100 yards and three of his four touchdowns en route to a 256 yard day through the air, and this was only in the first half.

Ben Tate ran hard as usual, and the first team defense limited the Paladins to a mere field goal in the first half.

While the starters came out in the first half and Furman mounted four second half touchdowns, that was hardly a concern of Coach Gene Chizik.

Not only did this week allow the Tigers to rest the players they'll need at 100 percent these next three weeks, it allowed players that the Tigers could need to step up get some much need playing time.

Heralded freshman receiving sensations Emory Blake and DeAngelo Benton both had breakout games, and could become significant pieces of the puzzle down the road.

Neil Caudle showed that he can be an efficient and smart quarterback as Chris Todd's backup, and the backfield showed that even without McCalebb, Tate doesn't have to be a one man show.

Anthony Gulley looked impressive with a long 50-yard touchdown run, and Eric Smith rumbled for his first collegiate touchdown.

You obviously cannot make a comparison to Furman and an SEC team, but either way, Auburn operated like a team should on offense against a team of this caliber.

The second half defense was a little disappointing, but Furman still only totaled 266 yards compared to Auburn's 655 yards.

While some of the second half defenders will play a moderately significant role in the remaining weeks, there isn't much cause for concern. Barring a bizarre situation, this unit won't be on the field as a whole for the rest of the year.

Coming off the Ole Miss win, the defense was hyped, and carried that straight into the first half this week.

Auburn knows a victory over Furman means nothing. It was round 10, and now they move to Round 11.

A victory over an underachieving Georgia squad, on the road nonetheless would make for huge momentum heading into the much needed bye week before the Iron Bowl.

Many would think that Auburn could look past UGA and onto undefeated Alabama, but the UGA game always makes for fireworks.

Athens is a great venue, and AU vs UGA is the south's oldest rivalry. While Auburn and Georgia are both used to being traditional SEC powers, that is not the case this season.

It doesn't make the game any less important, and for Auburn, this game could define the latter part of the season.

Work, hard work. That's what Auburn will be striving for when they hit the practice field again tomorrow. 7-3 is not enough, and this Auburn team is not done. Coach Chizik knows that, and his Tigers will have a chance to execute on the national stage once again next Saturday.