Auburn Football 2010: Will the Tigers Have a September To Remember?

There has been a discussion amongst Auburn fans that has raged on all Spring. This conversation seems to come to the same conclusion the majority of the time. It seems that Auburn fans feel that the Arkansas game will be the pivotal game of the year.

While this could be true, the game with South Carolina is a chance for the Auburn team to prove themselves. A loss in this game would bring any hope of competing for the SEC Western Division Title in real jeopardy.

In this article , the Clemson game was contemplated. Mississippi State was looked at in an earlier article.   Arkansas State  starts off the season here. South Carolina finishes up a challenging first month of the season.

South Carolina is one of those teams that pundits have predicted to have a break out season for a few years now. Many of them are predicting a break out season for South Carolina this year.

Here is the 2010 South Carolina spring depth chart. While South Carolina can match Auburn in some positions in size and talent, they do not exceed Auburn in any area. The Auburn offensive line has a decisive advantage over the South Carolina defensive line.

I believe the battle between the Auburn offensive line and the South Carolina defensive line will decide the game. South Carolina was very vulnerable to the power running attack in 2009.

This is a game Auburn should win. It is a game that Auburn must win if 2010 is going to be considered a successful season. If one takes a look at the 2009 statistics side by side, it is obvious that one team has the edge.

Here are the 2009 statistics for both teams.

Statistic	South Carolina	Auburn
National Rank Offense	82nd	16th
Average Yards Offense	347.38 yds. per game	431.77 yds. per game
National Rank Scoring	107th	17th
Average Points Scored	20.62 points per game	33.31 points per game
National Rank Passing	47th	56th
Average Yards Passing	226.15 yds. Per game	219.77 yds. per game
National Rank Rushing	91st	13th
Average Rushing Per Game	121.23 yds.	212.00 yds. per game
National Rank Punt Returns	74th	113th
Average Punt Returns	7.87 yds per return	4.46 yds. per return
National Rank Defense	15th	68th
Average Yds. Allowed	300.69 yds. per game	374.08 yds per game
National Rank Rushing Def.	52nd	78th
Avg. Rushing Yds. Allowed	137.69 yds. per game	156.08 yds. per game
National Rank Passing Def.	8th	57th
Avg. Passing Yds. Allowed	163 yds. per game	218.00 yds. per game
Rank Tackles for a   Loss	45th	50th
National Rank Sacks	46th Tied	46th Tied
Rank Turnover Margin	81st	57th

September should be good to Auburn. The season should start out with a win at home against Arkansas State. Auburn goes to Starkville to play Mississippi State the next Thursday in a game that should resemble last year's match up. 

The Clemson and South Carolina games wrap up what should be a great month. While September will be challenging it will also be revealing. If Auburn gets through September without a blemish, it could well be the beginning of a special season.