2011 Auburn Football Predictions
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
Behind quarterback Cam Newton the Auburn Tigers won the National Championship with a perfect 14-0 record. Now comes the difficult task of replacing so many players off that championship team. The Tigers have just six starters back for the 2011 season. They will not only have to replace Newton, but one of the best defensive players in the country in Nick Fairley. With the level of talent that there is in the SEC, it is going to be extremely difficult for the Tigers to stay competitive with so many players lost.
To give you a better idea of where this team might be headed this season, let’s take a look at who they are projected to send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus I will give my predictions on where I see them finishing the year in the SEC West.
Offense:
The biggest challenge the Tigers will face is replacing the productivity of Newton. He not only threw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns, but he was all the leading rusher with 1,473 yards and 20 touchdowns. Junior Barrett Trotter is the early favorite to win the starting job, but he is being pushed by sophomore Clint Mosely and true freshman Kiehl Frazier. I really like the potential of Frazier, but there just isn’t any way any of these guys live up to what Newton did for this team in 2010.
Sophomore running back Michael Dyer is one of just three starters back on the offensive side of the ball. Dyer’s freshman season was overshadowed by the success of Newton, as he ran for 1,093 yards and five scores. Auburn also has a solid backup in Onterio McCalebb, who ran for 810 yards and 9 touchdowns. With Newton out of the picture these two are going to have to really step up their game for Auburn to stay competitive on this side of the ball.
The Tigers have to replace all three starting receivers from last year. Junior Emory Blake is expected to be the go to guy, after finishing third on the team with 33 catches for 554 yards and eight touchdowns. Also added to the starting mix will be senior Quindarius Carr and redshirt freshman Trovon Reed. Another starter back is junior tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen, who had 5 touchdowns on just 15 catches in 2010.
The offensive line has some major holes to fill this season. The only starter back up front is senior right tackle Brandon Mosley. The hope is that senior A.J. Green will be able to fully recover from a broken leg and take over at left tackle. If he isn’t able to go, look for freshman Christian Westerman to step in right away and start. Auburn already looks like they will start freshman Reese Dismukes at center and redshirt freshman Erick Mack at right guard. Inexperience on the offensive line is never a good thing, and a big reason why we see the Tigers dropping off big time this season.
Defense:
Auburn routinely has one of the better defenses in the SEC, but it is going to be hard for this unit to live up to recent years with just three starters back. One of those starters returning is sophomore defensive end Nosa Eguae, who had a pretty solid freshman season with 3.5 sacks. A trio of sophomores are expected to join Eguae up front. Jeffery Whitaker and Kenneth Carter are expected to step in at the two tackle spots, while Corey Lemonier takes over opposite of of Eguae at the other end.
Junior Daren Bates is the lone starter back at the three linebacker spots. Bates finished with 48 tackles in 2010. After spring practice it looks like sophomore Jake Holland will get the first crack at taking over at middle linebacker, while junior Jonathan Evans is projected to take over opposite of Bates at the starting weak-side linebacker position.
While is plenty of concern with the front seven, the secondary for the Tigers doesn’t figure to provide much of a challenge for opposing quarterbacks. The Tigers routinely gave up big plays in the passing game, and only return senior free safety Neiko Thorpe. Freshman Jonathan Rose and junior T’Sharvan Bell appear to be the two best choices to take over at corner, while sophomore Demetruce McNeal figures to be the new starter at strong safety.
SEC Prediction: 6th SEC WEST - While many will likely have the Tigers picked higher than last, I think this team is going to struggle to win a game in the SEC this season. They have to go on the road to face South Carolina, LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia, while getting Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi at home. Their best chances for wins are at home against the Bulldogs and Rebels, but even those games figure to be a challenge.
| Most Recent SEC Football Predictions by Team | |
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| Mississippi State Bulldogs | Florida Gators |
| Arkansas Razorbacks | Tennessee Volunteers |
| Ole Miss Rebels | Kentucky Wildcats |
| Auburn Football Predictions | Vanderbilt Commodores |
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Other Resources:
- Locksmith Sports – 5th in SEC West
5 Responses to “2011 Auburn Football Predictions”
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Steve Janus….I’ll bet you whatever you want that the Auburn Tigers don’t finish 6th in the west….in fact ithink they finish 3rd or higher…name your price
Wow, you clearly are one of those people who believes the hype. Auburn has had 3 of its best recruiting years EVER the past three seasons. While they will be inexperienced they will be very, very talented. Trovon Reed will explode onto the scene this year. AU’s starting DL will be a ‘surprise’ to people who don’t understand college football; Lemonier, Eguea, Whittaker, and Carter may be young, but they are the most talented starting DL AU has had since the 80s.
If Gus Malzahn can win 9 games with Chris Todd at QB, he can do it with anybody. Lets also remember that whoever starts at QB they will be backed up by a pretty good tandem at RB in MaCcalebb and Dyer.
To say AU will have trouble winning an SEC game is a joke. Alabama loses Ingram, Darius, Jones, McElroy, 4 of their 5 on the OL, and both of their DEs….but they will just reload. AU loses the same and they won’t win a game. Same old yellow journalism. Either you are a part of the hype machine or you believe in it. Either way this article is crap.
All I gotta say is:
We Comin
Auburn will lose two games this year and next year will make another championship run kiehl fraizer will be cam newton 2.0
All we do is win baby war calm eagle!!!