Auburn Football: Previewing the Utah State Game

The Auburn Tigers kick off the 2011 season on Saturday at home against the Utah State Aggies. The game will start at noon ET and air on ESPN2.

Auburn gets back to action after an undefeated national championship season in 2010. Utah State compiled a 4-8 record in 2010, which was their 13th-straight losing season.

The Tigers enter the first week of the season ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll. Auburn was ranked No. 22 heading into last season before a 52-26 win over Arkansas State.

The Opponent: Utah State

Utah State, a member of the WAC, enters the game with an all-time record of 1-10 against SEC teams. The Aggies’ lone win came against Kentucky back in 1970.

Head coach Gary Andersen enters his third season in charge with an 8-16 record. Andersen is also taking over as the defensive coordinator in 2011 as the Aggies switch to a 3-4 defense.

Utah State was predicted to finish fifth in the WAC this season in the media and coaches polls.

The Signs Point to Auburn

A look at some historical numbers points to a likely win for the Tigers.

Auburn is 91-25-2 in their first game of the season and has won 20 of their last 25 opening contests. They are one game behind Alabama for the most wins among SEC schools in season openers.

Jordan-Hare Stadium is a house of horrors for opponents when Auburn is playing their first game of the season. Auburn is 48-7-1 at home in season openers.

The Tigers are 15-0-1 against teams from the WAC.

Utah State is 1-54 against ranked opponents in program history.

Barrett Trotter's Debut at Quarterback

All eyes will be on new Auburn starting quarterback Barrett Trotter when he makes his debut on Saturday. Trotter has huge shoes to fill taking over for last season’s starter, Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.

Trotter won the starting job in training camp over Clint Moseley and Kiehl Frazier. He should have an easy time of it against what should be an overmatched Utah State team before a bigger challenge next weekend against Mississippi State.

This will be the fourth straight year the Tigers begin the season with a new starting quarterback.

Auburn Running Backs Ready to Run Wild

The strength of the Auburn offense this season will be the running back duo of sophomore Michael Dyer and running back Onterio McCalebb. The pair combined for 1,903 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

This marks the first time in Auburn history where the Tigers returned two players who ran for over 800 yards in the previous season. Dyer had 1,093 while McCalebb accounted for 810 yards rushing last season.

Dyer should be watched especially closely after missing a good part of the preseason with an undisclosed injury. The Auburn depth chart for the first week lists no true starter at running back, so keep an eye on which of the pair sees more carries on Saturday.

The pair will be leaned on often against Utah State, who gave up 179 yards rushing per game in 2010.

Robert Turbin Returns to Lead Utah State Attack

The star of the Utah State offense is running back Robert Turbin, who returns to action after missing last season with a knee injury.

In 2009, Turbin earned second team All-WAC honors after rushing for 1,296 yards. A healthy Turbin is also a dangerous receiver out of the backfield.

Speedy Kerwynn Williams is also a threat at running back, wide receiver and kick returner. He set a new WAC record last season with 1,444 kick return yards.

Utah State Quarterback Situation Cloudy

A major question heading into Saturday is who will be taking the snaps under center for the Aggies. The team has not announced a starter between junior college transfer Adam Kennedy and freshman Chuckie Keeton.

Neither player has thrown a pass in a game for the Aggies. Jeremy Higgins was the only returning player with experience, but transferred to Hawaii after falling down the depth chart in the spring.

Don’t be surprised if both Kennedy and Keeton see action in Saturday’s game.

Plenty of New Faces on Auburn Defense

Auburn returns only three starters on defense, so plenty of new names will be taking the field on Saturday.

One talented young player to watch is sophomore defensive end Corey Lemonier, who saw some playing time last season. A top-ranked recruit with big potential, Lemonier takes over as a starter after an excellent preseason.

In the secondary, junior T’Sharvan Bell is now a full-time starting cornerback after starting three games last season. The talented Bell has four interceptions over the first two years of his career.

Sophomore defensive end Nosa Eguae, junior linebacker Daren Bates, and senior safety Nieko Thorpe are the returning starters from 2010.

Utah State Defense Looks to Slow Down Tigers

The key player on the defensive side for Utah State is linebacker Bobby Wagner. The senior was named the WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after racking up 133 tackles in 2010.

Kyle Gallagher also returns after making 91 tackles, making linebacker the position of strength on the Utah State defense.

Safety Walter McClendon is also back as the Aggies return their top three tacklers from 2010. The Aggies are aiming to improve on last year’s defense, which held only one FBS opponent under 20 points.

Auburn Youth Movement Ready for Debut

Talented recruiting classes under Gene Chizik are starting to make their presence felt in the lineup. Nine players on the opening week depth chart are freshman or sophomores.

One young player that will have a big impact this season is center Reese Dismukes. The top center in last year’s high school class, Dismukes is the only true freshman expected to start on Saturday.

Freshman wide receivers Trovon Reed and Quan Bray should also see plenty of time Saturday on both offense and special teams. The speedy Reed should be one of Auburn’s main weapons after redshirting last season with an injury.

On the defensive side, freshman safety Erique Florence and linebacker Justin Garrett are expected to be in action against Utah State.

Overall, the Auburn depth chart contains 27 redshirt or true freshman, leaving the Tigers with a very young team heading into 2011.