SEC West Spring Recap

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by Ch0sn0ne, May 12, 2006.

  1. cadillacattack

    cadillacattack Illegitimi non carborundum est

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    IMO, Auburn has new weak spots for the '06 season, but the receiver corps and the loss of McClover aren't among them. In fact, I don't think McClover will be missed at all. SM was a superb pass rusher, but was strongly suspect against the run, as LSU so aptly demonstrated on multiple occasions last season. Jimbo was able to use misdirection (out of multiple sets) to confuse McClover and take advantage of overpursuit. Auburn was fortunate to have senior leadership at the LB positions to prevent McClover's occasional mistakes from becoming disasters. Personally, I wasn't impressed with McClover's play in any game other than the Bama game, where he benefitted from a total mismatch. If Auburn's defense is "weaker" - and that's up for debate - it won't be because of SM's absence.

    Auburn's receiver corp will be less experienced overall, but their passing game will be much more focused on the TE's than the WR's they've used in recent years. With solid depth at TE, and the best tandem of guards in the conference, Borges is finally in position to utilize one of the best known strengths of the west coast style of offense: the mismatch of TE's on smaller linebackers in single coverage. Expect the Auburn offense to have much more of a move-the-chains philosophy than they have been afforded since Borge's arrival.

    Additionally, Auburn retains its most experienced wide-receiver in Courtney Taylor, who is 100% healthy for the first time in nearly two seasons. Like LSU, AU has some speed at the position (Dunn, P-rod, Campbell) but speed alone does not equate to production. I'm speculating that we'll see much more of the possession-type receivers like Lee Guess and Tre Smith (when lined up at SR) begin to dominate AU's pass attempts. One thing you can say for certain, Cox will distribute the ball to a wide variety of targets.

    IMO, if you're looking for weaknesses on the Auburn team, you'll look long and hard before settling in on three positions: Fullback, Safety, and Kicker. The safety issue should sort itself out before the LSU game rolls around. My bet is on Drew Turman at the fullback position - less talented but has a nasty disposition. Kicker is a prayer at this juncture.

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  2. youcandoit1687

    youcandoit1687 Founding Member

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    jon vaughn! hes the man! ahha u should def play him against us again. he gonna be around for another trip to tiger stadium? that would be a lot of fun to watch... for lsu fans. sry kickers are low blows. weve had our problems too. who do u guys have at TE after losing cooper? what about depth behind irons(i always find RB depth to be just as important in the sec as a good starter) u talked about sr lbs, who will replace them? waht about the pass rush?ull need a number two behind taylor and a TE to havea full O in my opinion
     

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