Auburn Tigers Football: 10 Reasons to Be Optimistic and Pessimistic in 2011

There is sure to be some ups and downs that come with the 2011 college football season for the Auburn Tigers. There is an ongoing conversation about the wealth of reasons to dislike the Tigers this season, but finding good things to say has been tough lately.

It is very easy to look at the Tigers' potential and have a level of optimism, but it is also easy to look at the lack of experience and the pessimism returns. For every positive there seems to follow a negative, so it is understandable why fans are cautiously optimistic this season.

Auburn is now reaching the end of the second week of fall camp and classes have started. The season is inching closer, and for the Tigers to be successful, questions have to be answered.

Looking forward, there are five big reasons for optimism and five for pessimism before the season kicks off. How the Tigers balance these points will go a long way in determining the success of the 2011 Tigers.

Optimism: Defensive Back Development

Auburn has a very young secondary entering the 2011 campaign.

The good news is the guys filling the positions in the secondary have real-game experience. Auburn is very young, but last season’s injuries forced numerous freshmen into games.

Those freshmen are now experienced sophomores, and with junior T’Sharvan Bell and senior Neiko Thorpe also helping guide the young Tigers, Auburn should be quite formidable in the defensive secondary.

There will be some true freshmen who are sure to earn some playing time, such as Erique Florence, Jonathan Rose and Robinson Therezie. Those guys have a wealth of talent, so it will be difficult to keep them off the playing field.

Don’t be surprised if the Auburn secondary is one of the better defensive units in the conference when the season is said and done.

Pessimism: Daunting Schedule

The Tigers' 2010 schedule was set up very nicely for Auburn, with eight home games.

This season does not offer the Tigers such a blessing.

It is very well-documented that the month of October will likely be the toughest stretch for any team in the 2011 season.

Auburn starts the season relatively mildly against Utah State at home, but follows that up with Mississippi State. Their first road trip takes them to Clemson, then back home before the gauntlet in October occurs.

Auburn has to make it through the month of September undefeated. October will be a very successful month if Auburn could win three of the five weekends, then go into November on a good momentum swing.

This team’s youth will force it to rely on momentum and a short memory as it navigates the SEC West.

Optimism: Options at Running Back

Auburn has one of the most dangerous running back tandems in college football this season. Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb have both shown their abilities to be game-changers for the Tigers.

After those to backs, however, the options were looking slim right before the beginning of fall camp. Auburn hoped to gain Mike Blakely's eligibility after his transfer from Florida, but he will have to sit out this season and redshirt.

Anthony Morgan and Tre Mason will be the backups this fall, and both have had solid camps. Mason earned a ton of praise in the first two scrimmage games for stellar performances that included two rumored long breakaway runs.

Morgan is a rising junior who has been a bit of a utility player for the Tigers in his tenure. He has found his way back to the running back role and looks very comfortable at the position.

Both Morgan and Mason will likely be a big part of the Auburn rushing options this season and add much-needed depth to the Tigers' backfield.

Pessimism: Inexperience on the Offensive Line

The most important part of moving the football is having control of the line of scrimmage. Auburn lost an extremely talented and experienced group this past season, leaving coach Jeff Grimes with at least three starting positions to fill.

It is looking more likely every practice that by the end of the season, three true freshmen will see playing time along the line for the Tigers. Auburn will look to play Christian Westerman, Greg Robinson and Reese Dismukes this season. All three have shown the ability to be aggressive and own an opponent on the practice field.

Auburn hopes it translates to game day.

There is some experience along the line with returning starters A.J. Greene and Brandon Mosley, as well as the return of senior Jared Cooper and junior John Sullen. Auburn will look to play the most experienced players first, but it is likely some of the younger Tigers will earn their way on to the field.

This position set may be the most dangerous for the Tigers this season, as abysmal line play will result in a terrible rushing attack—a rushing attack Auburn is relying heavily on this season.

Optimism: Starting Quarterback Named

Auburn released a very vital piece of the depth chart today when the Tigers' coaching staff named Barrett Trotter as the starting quarterback. Trotter is a rising junior who has been in the program for three years.

To begin the season, Trotter is likely to take the majority (if not all) of the snaps for the Tigers. Don’t be surprised, however, if Kiehl Frazier gets a few looks during the season as well, as the Tigers are likely to want to bring Frazier along as fast as possible.

Trotter was battling Clint Moseley for the starting position. Moseley and Trotter have similar intangibles, with the nod going to Trotter for experience. This is a decision that needed to be made as Auburn edges closer to game week.

Now with an offensive leader named, the Tigers can lean on Trotter for leadership and guidance as they move forward with game preparation.

Pessimism: Lack of Senior Leadership

The largest senior class in Auburn football history graduated after the 2010 season. The Tigers were not lacking devoted leaders to guide the younger players through the process that leads to excellence.

The Tigers lost a ton of natural leadership when guys like Zack Etheridge and Aaron Savage left after graduation. Players like Cam Newton, Darvin Adams and Nick Fairley are also missing from this year’s squad, as they were juniors who claimed early for the draft.

Auburn will be looking for juniors and some sophomores to lead the workouts, and ensure guys aren’t cheating their team and themselves during stretches and drills.

Auburn will also miss the level-headedness that comes with the maturity and game experience. This will not be the team that comes from behind seven times in a season; they will need to strike early and often to have a chance.

Optimism: Skill Positions Loaded with Talent

Outside of the running backs, Auburn expects to field a wealth of talent and speed this coming season. The Tigers will look to the slot receivers to assist in the running game, and they will ask their outside receivers to stretch the field on a regular basis.

Auburn has a wealth of talent accumulated over the past two signing classes that will help build this team into an offensive powerhouse.

Look for names like Trovon Reed, Quan Bray and Travante Stallworth on the inside. Quindarius Carr, Emory Blake and DeAngelo Benton will look to secure the outside passing lanes.

Auburn will not have an issue scoring points this season, as the wealth of skill talent will dictate the score often. It will not be if the Tigers can stop their opponent this season, but rather can their opponent stop them.

Auburn will have similar (if not better) statistics than those produced by the 2009 Tigers. There is more talent and offensive understanding in Malzahn’s third year, so expect fireworks. 

Pessimism: Defensive Line Depth

Auburn is coming off one of the best rushing defensive performances in a long time. The Tigers are known for their smash-mouth defense, but last year redefined tough rushing defense.  

This season, Auburn is going back to the drawing board.

The team will look to start two true sophomores on the interior and likely will use freshmen to back them up. The Tigers will also use young players on the outside as well.

Auburn is likely to mix more experienced defensive ends on the inside during speed-rush downs and will hope the younger Tigers are able to come on strong to earn their spot in the rotations.

No matter how you cut it, starting sophomores on the defensive line is not a dream scenario.

Optimism: Coaching Continuity

Auburn is one of the best coaching and recruiting staffs in the country. Gene Chizik and the Auburn athletic department have done the unthinkable by retaining almost every single coach for three seasons in a row. Tracy Rocker is the lone defector, as he took his talents to the NFL this season.

Auburn returns the two most important coaches on staff, as defensive coordinator Ted Roof and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn enter their third season with the Tigers. Malzahn has never kept his talents at one school at the collegiate level this long, so it will be interesting to watch his creativity at work this fall.

The recruiting coordinator and running backs coach, Curtis Luper, is a very important piece to the Tigers' puzzle, as is boisterous Trooper Taylor. Taylor may lead one of the SEC's best wide receiver groups in the next couple of years as the young Tigers grow into their positions.

The defensive backs are coached by Tommy Thigpin and Phillip Lolley. Lolley is the veteran of the group and has spent a lot of time with the Auburn program.

The final addition was coach Mike Pelton to the staff. After Rocker’s departure Pelton was asked to return to his alma mater and coach the defensive line. He accepted and is now entering his first season with the Tigers.

Having consistent leadership and guidance is a huge plus for this team. These players know these coaches, and these coaches know these players. Leadership at the top will not be an issue this fall.

Pessimism: Early Injuries

So far there have been no major injuries for the Auburn Tigers. The past three fall camps have seen expected contributors fall to injury, but Auburn has had only minor issues so far.

There has to be a bit of concern that these injuries have happened to very important players, though. Auburn sat Michael Dyer and A.J. Greene during a few practices in the past few weeks. Both also missed scrimmages.

Both Dyer and Greene are back in the saddle, but the hope has to be that these Tigers stay healthy. If these or any other major contributors fall before the season (or even during), the Tigers don’t have a wealth of experience to pull from.