NCAA football preview: Auburn Tigers continue their chase for a BCS championship
This weekend should serve as little more than a tune-up for the Auburn Tigers (9-0, 6-0 SEC), currently ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings. The Tigers look to keep their championship-calibre season alive
when the Football Championship Subdivision Chattanooga Mocs travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday, 6 November.
Although they beat up on the Mississippi Rebels, 51-31, last weekend, the Tigers hope to bounce back in the BCS rankings after dropping from first to second. They swapped slots with new No. 1 Oregon following
the Ducks’ impressive victory over the Southern California Trojans.
Even though a likely win over the Mocs will do little to solidify their bid for a national championship, the Tigers hope to continue their extraordinary play on Saturday. They aim to dismantle the Mocs before
focusing on their final two contests against the Georgia Bulldogs and arch-rival Alabama Crimson Tide, a much anticipated annual matchup known as the Iron Bowl.
The Tigers have been led this season by the incredible play of quarterback Cameron Newton, who has propelled himself to the front of the line in the Heisman Trophy discussion. The junior QB, who transferred
to Auburn after riding the pine for two years at Florida (as Heisman winner Tim Tebow’s back-up), comes into the contest with a conference-leading 1,122 rushing yards. Incredibly, even at his position, Newton leads the next highest rusher in the SEC by nearly
400 yards.
However, the Tigers have proven over the course of the season that they are more than just Newton. With the help of running backs Onterio McCalebb and Michael Dyer, Auburn has averaged 307.7 rushing yards
per game, boasting what is statistically the fourth-best running attack in the nation. For all of the success and adoration that he has received on an individual level, Newton remains grounded, aware that the team is bigger than him.
“There’s just so many people that come to mind when you talk about Auburn’s offense, not just me,” the quarterback said to reporters. “Of course, I don’t want to have all the attention on me, because that
only makes my job harder. Those guys came out here and any time they had an opportunity to make a play, they did.”
Likewise Gus Malzahn believes that each week’s opponent is just as dangerous as the last. The Tigers offensive coordinator has been trying to stress the importance of execution, especially given the fact
that Auburn might already be focusing on their 26 November date with Alabama.
“It is very important to try to improve each week,” Malzahn told the school’s official website earlier this week. “That is what we focused on today, we are going to go at this team 110 miles per hour just
like we do every other game. That is our approach and that is our mindset.”
With their key matchup against Alabama just weeks away, it would be easy for the Tigers to look past their next two opponents. However, in order to celebrate an undefeated regular-season next month, Auburn
knows that keeping their focus will be the key to every game, starting with this Saturday’s matchup against the Mocs.
Prediction:
Auburn 45-11 Chattanooga
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