Auburn Tigers Are 2-0 Yet Getting No Respect Going into Clemson Game

Tiger Talk

Saturday Auburn will be playing Clemson for the 47th time. Auburn holds the series lead comfortably 33-11-2.

Both teams are undefeated going into Saturday's game down on the Plains. You can find it on ESPN at 7:00 ET.

College football fans had the chance to see Auburn as they had the prime time spot on ESPN. The outside feedback has been pretty negative. Before the game started the guys in the booth were hyping Cam Newton, once in the broadcast even comparing him to Terrelle Pryor. They mentioned the fact that Newton went with Auburn instead of Mississippi State the entire game.

There was no way Auburn was going to live up to the expectations, that is unless they blew the Bulldogs out by 50 points, which was not going to happen. There is no team in the SEC that can beat that team by 50 in Starkville.

It was a prime time game with cowbells, and the place was loud. To say it was a hostile environment would be putting it lightly. Under head coach Dan Mullen that team was good at the end of 2009. They are not the same Mississippi State the SEC has routinely beaten up on.

Auburn is 2-0 after two games; that's about as good as can be expected. However, some comments on several sports sites, Facebook, and here on Bleacher Report have been mostly derogatory towards the Tigers. I'm not sure what's worse: the level of thought behind these comments or the fact Craig James kept saying "eye candy" while working with Jesse Palmer calling the game for ESPN.

Most people didn't realize in the pressure-packed moments of the fourth quarter, Auburn was rotating in freshmen to keep the defensive front fresh. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof acknowledged that wasn't a luxury the Tigers had last season. Auburn applied constant pressure on the two quarterbacks, getting three sacks while holding the Bulldogs' leading rusher to 27 yards.

The way the Tigers have been slowly working the freshmen into the games will benefit them greatly as the season progresses. That was live SEC football on the road; nothing can prepare the newcomers for what they'll be facing better than that.

The place was so loud when Auburn was on offense that there was no way to hear verbal calls at the line. The Mississippi State fans had cowbells made out of aluminum trash cans. I truly believe most Auburn fans are glad to have gotten out of there with a win.

There are some different things that Auburn needs to improve on, like the turnovers that would have put the game away, to shut the mouths of the critics. The play calling must get more aggressive to make a serious run for the SEC West.

I do think the vanilla play calling has been by design to work Newton into the game slowly. Starkville last Thursday night was no place to start trying anything beyond the basics. I do expect the Tigers to open it up more this Saturday at home against Clemson.

Saturday Night's Game Against Clemson

Clemson is 2-0 with wins over North Texas 35-10 and Presbyterian 58-21. It's obvious that Clemson has not faced a defense like Auburn's. Kyle Parker will be the best quarterback Auburn has seen all season. The redshirt sophomore threw for 2,500 yards last season with 20 touchdown passes.

Lost to the NFL was halfback C.J. Spiller, but they seem to have two viable backs this season. Andre Ellington has 133 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. Backup Jamie Harper is averaging 9.3 yards per carry with a touchdown of his own.

The fact that Presbyterian scored 21 points stands out, but by the end of the first quarter they'd played 57 different players. This was no doubt a game they used to gain much-needed experience with Auburn and Miami (FL) in consecutive weeks.

What Does Auburn Need to Do?

What I want to see from Auburn is the offensive line winning the battle in the trenches. I'd like to see the running backs exploding off the blocks consistently getting to the second level. I think we need to see more Michael Dyer running the ball.

At least three times a quarter Newton needs to go downfield with a medium to long pass. If we can get them to respect the run, those long passes will be there. We can overpower them up front, and I'd like to beat them with old-fashioned smash mouth football.

This is without a doubt the perfect game to start getting deeper in the playbook. We need to know where we stand after this week. South Carolina has been playing as good as anyone, and they come to Jordan-Hare in Week 4.