Arkansas St. @ Auburn preview
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 4, 2006 ) Arkansas State 0, Auburn 27
If Auburn is to fancy itself as anything more than the “other” Alabama school, the Tigers will need to continue to show marked improvement in the merciless Southeastern Conference.
Second-year coach Gene Chizik was an unpopular choice to replace Tommy Tuberville after going just 5-19 in two seasons at Iowa State.
Chizik seemed to quiet his critics when the Tigers started 5-0 in 2009. They faded down the stretch, losing five of their last seven before earning a 38-35 overtime victory against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
Chizik will ultimately be judged on what he does against archrival Alabama, but he likely won’t have to sweat much in Saturday night’s season opener against Arkansas State of the Sun Belt Conference.
The 23rd-ranked Tigers have never lost to a Sun Belt Conference team, going 14-0. They blanked the Red Wolves 27-0 in their only previous meeting in 2006.
Arkansas State will be getting a $1 million payday for this game, and the 31-point underdogs hope to avoid another beat-down to the mighty SEC. The Red Wolves are just 1-46-3 against the SEC foes.
Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin will be working in a new spread offense and will get a tough test in his first game. Derek Lawson will step into a starting running back spot after playing mostly as a backup the past two seasons.
The Tigers will see the return of three safeties who missed last season because of injuries.
Aairon Savage, a sixth-year senior, was plagued by injuries the last two seasons with a torn knee ligament and torn Achilles’ tendon. Zac Etheridge suffered a cracked vertebrae and neck injury against Mississippi on Oct. 31 and Mike McNeil missed the season with a broken leg.
Linebacker Josh Bynes has All-SEC credentials and had 104 tackles in 2009.
New Auburn quarterback Cam Newton led Blinn (Texas) to the national junior college title in 2009. He was a backup to Tim Tebow at Florida in 2007 and part of 2008. He takes over for an offense that set a school record with 5,613 yards last season.
Junior wideout Darvin Adams was second in the SEC with 997 yards and 10 TDs last season.
Mario Fannin had 990 all-purpose yards last season and was second on the team in receptions (42). Highly recruited freshman Michael Dyer, who rushed for more than 8,000 yards at Little Rock (Ark.) Christian Academy, should also compete for carries.
They will operate behind an experienced offensive line, led by four-year starter Lee Ziemba.
Arkansas State returns most of its top players along the defensive line, led by Bryan Hall and Dorvus Woods, and all but one linebacker with top players Demario Davis, Javon McKinnon and Nathan Herrold back.