Auburn Football 2011 Schedule: Game-by-Game Breakdown
Coming off their first national championship in half a century, the Auburn Tigers will be wearing a very large bulls-eye in 2011. They’ll be replacing more than half their starters, including Heisman-winning QB Cam Newton and defensive leader (and presumptive NFL first-rounder) Nick Fairley.
How will Auburn fare in its defending champion campaign? Read on for a preview of every game on the Tigers’ 2011 schedule.
September 3 Vs. Utah State
1 of 12
Even with dual-threat QB Dionte Borel gone, the Aggies are not a team Auburn should be sleeping on. Utah State gave Oklahoma a run for its money last year in a early-season 31-24 loss and could put a similar scare into an inexperienced Tiger team to start this season.
That said, even with eight starters back on offense, Utah State will be out of its league against Auburn runners Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb, so expect the Tigers to open with a win.
September 10 Vs. Mississippi State
2 of 12
With QB Chris Relf leading a host of returning starters, the Bulldogs will not be the pushover Auburn has seen in some recent seasons.
The Tigers may be lucky to have this game at Jordan Hare, because the home crowd should provide a safety net for their new starters (especially on the O-Line) getting their first real taste of SEC competition.
September 17 at Clemson
3 of 12
The big question coming into this game is whether Clemson’s stellar recruiting class will have gotten its bearings this early. If standouts like RB Mike Bellamy and LBs Tony Steward and Stephone Anthony are already contributing at a high level, they could surprise Auburn with an early challenge away from home.
More likely, though, Clemson (which returns a combined 16 starters) will look pretty much like the team that finished 6-7 a year ago, and won’t have the firepower to stand up to Auburn.
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September 24 Vs. Florida Atlantic
4 of 12
Unlike Utah State, the Tigers should have little to fear from FAU, a middling Sun Belt Conference squad with no particular pretensions to standing up to a ranked opponent.
The Owls will be replacing half their starters from a team that finished 4-8 a year ago and the newcomers won’t have had much time to get their bearings after meetings with Florida and Michigan State. Expect an easy Auburn win here.
October 1 at South Carolina
5 of 12
The conference gauntlet begins in earnest with this road test. Marcus Lattimore, arguably the best returning RB in the country outside of LaMichael James, will force the Tigers defensive line to make plays.
Add in the possibility of blue-chip Gamecocks freshman Jadeveon Clowney living up to the hype, and Auburn has a very real chance to suffer its first loss here.
October 8 at Arkansas
6 of 12
With the Razorbacks, it’s natural to focus on Bobby Petrino’s high-octane offense, but don’t ignore a defense that returns three All-SEC performers. QB Ryan Mallett may be gone, but Tigers fans saw last season how much potential his replacement, Tyler Wilson, brings to the table.
This one may not end 65-43, but expect Auburn to get a run for its money in Fayetteville.
October 15 Vs. Florida
7 of 12
Florida enters this game coming off back-to-back meetings with Alabama and LSU, so they could either be beaten up or riding high when they arrive at Jordan Hare. The always-athletic defense brings back two veteran tackles who will challenge the Tigers running game.
On the other side of the ball, new Gator coach Will Muschamp has hinted at moving toward a pro-style offense. If QB John Brantley starts clicking, watch out.
Don’t be surprised at a shootout here, with Auburn’s home-field advantage giving them just enough to pull out a win.
October 22 at LSU
8 of 12
This Tigers vs. Tigers showdown will likely be Auburn’s toughest test of the year, excepting only the Iron Bowl meeting with Alabama. Baton Rouge is always a tough place to win, especially with a deep, athletic LSU team returning nine starters on offense.
If Auburn’s rebuilt offensive line has gelled, they may be able to grind out a win with ball control, matching their great runners against LSU’s great defense. Otherwise, Auburn probably doesn’t have the defensive firepower to hang with the LSU offense for four quarters on this field.
October 29 Vs. Ole Miss
9 of 12
The good news for Ole Miss is that they’re bringing back nine starters on offense, including the entire line. The bad news is that they’ve lost their best player, troubled QB Jeremiah Masoli, from a team that limped to a 4-8 finish in 2010.
Even with their experience (and talented newcomers like freshman LB C.J. Johnson), the Rebels shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Auburn.
November 12 at Georgia
10 of 12
Whatever the records of these teams coming in, Auburn would be wise not to look past this game to their showdown with Alabama. Georgia, coming off a down year but returning a combined 15 starters, including QB Aaron Murray, could surprise the Tigers if they aren’t ready.
The Bulldogs probably won’t be equipped to beat Auburn unless all their incoming freshmen (led by DE Ray Drew and RB Isaiah Crowell) live up to their billing, but this game could put a scare into the Tiger faithful.
November 19 Vs. Samford
11 of 12
For homecoming, the Tigers get a de-facto week off with a meeting against the Samford Bulldogs of the FCS (nee I-AA).
Whether the Tigers have or haven’t survived their brutal conference schedule to this point, they’ll be in midseason form and unlikely to suffer the kind of season-breaking upset other FCS schools have managed in recent years.
Expect very little interesting football, and a W for the home team.
November 26 Vs. Alabama
12 of 12
If all has gone according to the hopes of Tiger fans, the Iron Bowl could once again have a BCS berth on the line in 2011.
The Tide, behind a ferocious defense and punishing RB Trent Richardson, should be in the hunt for a national title once again.
Auburn is going to need QB Barrett Trotter to be on top of his game against a stingy ‘Bama secondary; even then it’s probably going to take a lucky break or two for Auburn to come away with the win.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
