Auburn Football: Five Reasons an SEC Championship Is Possible For 2010
Ah! Football season has arrived. The aroma from many tailgate chefs, as well as the aroma of green stadium grass is in the air. Thousands of people all across the United States walk with an increased step in their pace from the excitement of football season.
Auburn Tiger fans are feeling that excitement on a somewhat larger scale due to the hype surrounding the team as it enters into the 2010 season. ESPN College Game Day Analyst, Kirk Herbstreit certainly added to the hype when he predicted Auburn to win the SEC West. Can that be done?
Let's take a look at five reasons an SEC Championship is possible for the Auburn Tigers in 2010.
Depth
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Depth was a key component that was missing from the Auburn football team in 2009. It is missing no more. For 2010, the Tigers even have depth on special teams and that has Coach Jay Boulware fired up like a Fourth of July fireworks show. Although special teams consists of mostly freshman, there are more players to choose from if and when a starter goes out with an injury.
Most importantly, Auburn now has depth on the defensive side of the ball and if utilized correctly, the points allowed per game statistic should drop in 2010. When Auburn traveled to Arkansas in 2009, the team carried only four scholarship athletes at linebacker. For 2010, Auburn lists three scholarship players for each of the three linebacker positions on the field.
The offensive and defensive lines have also picked up some quality depth for 2010. With more quality players on the depth chart, the coaches will be able to substitute players more frequently in order to keep the starters fresh. Fresh starters, especially on the defensive side of the ball should keep opposing teams from scoring those dreaded fourth quarter points.
Talented Newcomers
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Coming off a top five recruiting class for 2010, Coach Gene Chizik now has a plethora of talent at his disposal to make big plays on both sides of the ball. On the current depth chart, the Tigers list 15 true freshman in various roles, including a punter and a place kicker.
Most of the young talent will line up on the defensive side of the ball in 2010. Look for defensive end Corey Lemonier and defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker to contribute in all games, including the big SEC contests throughout the season. Other players who have a chance to contribute on the defensive side of the ball are Jessel Curry, Kenneth Carter and Chris Davis.
On the offensive side of the ball, newcomers Cameron Newton and Mike Dyer will have the greatest impact. Although quarterback Cameron Newton is not a freshman, he is a newcomer with plenty of talent. Auburn fans can look for Cameron Newton to break several of the offensive records at Auburn as well as one or two in the SEC. With help from Mike Dyer, Trovon Reed and at times, Shaun Kitchens, the offensive explosion is well on its way on the plains of Auburn.
Senior Leadership
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Fortunately for Gene Chizik, he begins his second season at Auburn with a large contingent of seniors on the football roster. The 2010 Auburn Depth Chart lists a total of 22 seniors with nine senior starters on offense and eight senior starters on defense. In the event linebacker Craig Stevens remains suspended from play, the total will drop by one.
Also, the special teams units are all loaded with a senior presence including the kicker, the punter and the holder for extra points and field goals. Seniors will also line up at their own end zone to receive kick offs when the talented newcomers are not giving them a rest.
When mistakes are made, when needless penalties occur and when the opposing team is driving late in the fourth quarter to win the game, Auburn's senior leaders must rise, right the ship and weather each storm until victory is complete.
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Coaching
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Defense wins football games, some will argue. Others will say offense is key component to victory. Both are true but in my mind, a solid coaching staff is what a regular team needs to become a championship team. Urban Meyer and his staff did it at Florida and Nick Saban and his staff did the same at Alabama. What did they do? They turned mediocre teams into championship teams. The players were never mediocre but the previous coaching staffs proved to be.
In many ways, Gene Chizik's greatest accomplishment so far at Auburn is his coaching staff. Can he bring out the champion in his coaches? If so, champion germs will ooze out of each coach and infect each player. As more and more players become infected with the champion germ, Auburn will take the field each week believing that they can win against anyone.
Winning begins and ends with coaching. In 2009, there were times when Gus Malzahn's play-calling had fans scratching their heads with doubt. To win the close games in 2010, the offensive play-calling must be precise in the red zone and Auburn must score against its big rivals when it has the ball first and goal.
On defense, Coach Ted Roof knows there is work to be done. He has a talented group of players but tackles are being missed and mistakes that will get you beat continue to be made. Some fans have called for "the Roof to be fired." This is nonsense. These same fans were pleased with the outcome of the 2009 season and they need to remember what Ted Roof did with so few players.
Expectations are now higher. In order to achieve those expectations, each and every coach will need to be near perfect. Most importantly, if they teach the players to believe they can be champions, they can be!
Offense
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The second season of the Gene Chizik era at Auburn will feature one of the most exciting offenses in college football. The offense will be led by quarterback Cam Newton, a junior college transfer who spent two years at Florida under Tim Tebow. In the first game of the season, Newton broke the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback at Auburn. I have a feeling he may break more records yet.
Teams often live and die through the strength or weakness of the offensive line. For 2010, Auburn will be starting four seniors and junior on its offensive line and together, the experience and leadership should give Auburn an edge at times when it may desperately need it.
The Auburn Tigers are very strong at the tight end and wide receiver positions. The corps of receivers are all very fast with very good hands. Many times, receivers are called upon in a game to make critical blocks. If there is one area of doubt concerning Auburn's receiver corps, blocking is it. If the Tiger receivers can be disciplined enough to make good blocks and, or good fakes when they are called upon to do so, Auburn's chances of an SEC championship season will be much stronger.
The weakest link in Auburn's offensive attack may be at running back. Starting tailback, Mario Fannin has a tendency to fumble and turnovers will certainly be a no-no if Auburn wishes to rule the SEC West and play for a shot at the championship. How good Mike Dyer will be remains to be fully seen. He looked pretty good in the opener against Arkansas State but he is still untested against SEC defenses.
Overall, I believe Auburn can score more points per game in 2010 than it did in 2009. With a quarterback who can run and pass, fans are hoping the offensive explosion at Auburn will be enough to bring home the SEC West and a chance at an SEC championship.
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