Dan Mullen Must Be Licking His Chops: Auburn Tigers Review

There were questions going into the Arkansas State game for the Tigers. Could Cam Newton lead the offense? How would the running game look without Ben Tate? What would the defense that was prone to giving up big plays look like?

The first thing Auburn fans noticed was that Cam Newton was as good as advertised. He made all the throws, as well as making big runs when the offense needed them most. I had a level of expectation for what I expected to see from Newton.

What I ended up seeing surpassed all expectation I had for him. He was more elusive than I thought, and when the defense gave him something downfield, he took it. After one game against Arkansas State, he looked great. His real test will be against Mississippi State on Thursday night. For his first performance I give him an A+.

We had the chance to see true freshman Micheal Dyer in action, and there was no disappointment. When he was handed the ball he moved against the Arkansas State defense like it was a high school team. When his hands were tested with a short pass in the flats, he made it look effortless.

I truly see why you wouldn't redshirt a player like that. I don't know if he's ready to replace Ben Tate right now, but rest assured this guy had the potential to be one of the best running backs in Auburn history. No, I'm not giving it to the guy after one game against an inferior opponent, but It wasn't hard to see why he was the top running back recruit in the country.

I wondered how much pressure the defensive line could get with the loss of Antonio Coleman. Again, I was satisfied with what I saw. Although the Red Wolves hit several big passing plays, it wasn't for lack of pressure from the defensive line. When Auburn wanted to blitz with linebackers, they got through easily. That was because the defensive line demanded to be picked up, even double teamed at times.

I thought Auburn may be just as good on the defensive line this season as they were a year ago. After one game it looked to be tough.

The middle of the defense looked pretty bad. Wide receivers don't typically like running across the middle. In last night's game, Auburn let them live in the middle of the field.

Before the game it was announced that Craig Stevens wouldn't be playing. They said it wasn't because of any of the recent agent troubles that have been happening; however, I never heard why he was absent from the game. If anyone has that news please pass it along.

I was not satisfied with the pass defense giving up 323 in total passing yards. Last season, Auburn fell victim to the big pass play, which was still a problem in last night's game.

I know we lost Walter McFadden, who could take the other teams best receiver out of the game. We were giving up these big plays last season when he was there, too. I don't really think it's directly connected to the cornerbacks. They're not getting the fly pattern, or the go route, they're getting the quick slants.

The longest pass given up by the defense was 61 yards. I honestly don't feel like that secondary, combined with bad special teams, will be good enough on Thursday against the Bulldogs. That must be corrected despite the short week and, I have a good feeling it will be the priority for Chizik.