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AUBURN (1-1, 0-0 SEC) VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-1, 0-1 SEC)
JORDAN-HARE STADIUM (87,451) • AUBURN, AL
SEPTEMBER 15, 2007 • 11:30 AM CT • TV: LFS
GAME 3 QUICK FACTS
COACHES:
Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976)
Auburn Record 72-30 (9th year)
vs. Mississippi State 6-2
Overall Record 97-50 (13th year)
vs. Mississippi State 8-4
Sylvester Croom (Alabama, 1975)
MSU Record 10-26 (3rd year)
vs. Auburn 0-3
Overall Record Same
SERIES:
AU leads, 56-22-2
at Auburn AU leads, 25-5
at Starkville AU leads, 10-4-1
at Neutral sites AU leads, 21-13-1
at Birmingham, AL AU leads, 14-11-1
at Columbus, MS AU leads, 1-0
at Jackson, MS AU leads, 5-2
at Montgomery, AL AU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting AU 34, MSU 0
Sept. 9, 2006 in Starkville, MS
RANKINGS:
Auburn RV AP/RV USA Today
Mississippi State Not ranked
TELEVISION:
Lincoln Financial Sports (Live)
Play-by-play Dave Neal
Analyst Dave Archer
Sidelines Dave Baker
RADIO:
The Auburn Network provides radio coverage to over 50 stations that cover the Southeast. Rod Bramblett (play-by-play), Stan White (color), Quentin Riggins (sideline), Paul Ellen (studio) and Andy Burcham (locker room) provide gameday analysis.
SATELITTE RADIO SIRIUS 143
LOCALLY WKKR-FM (97.7)
INTERNET:
Live audio & stats www.auburntigers.com
THE GAME
Auburn opens the Southeastern Conference season when the Tigers host Mississippi State Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It will mark the third straight year that Auburn has played its first SEC game against the Bulldogs. Auburn won the two previous encounters, and in fact, takes a 14-game winning streak in SEC openers into Saturday's game.
AUBURN HEADLINES
* Auburn is 41-27-5 all-time in SEC openers, and has won 14 straight openers dating back to 1993.
* Head coach Tommy Tuberville owns an 8-0 record at Auburn in SEC openers.
* Auburn leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 56-22-2, and has won the last six.
* Auburn has shut out Mississippi State in each of the past two seasons, and had a shutout for more than 58 minutes in the 2004 contest.
* Senior quarterback Brandon Cox is 35-of-50 (70 percent) for 494 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions during his career against Mississippi State.
* Freshman placekicker Wes Byrum is tied for the national lead with six field goals made, while redshirt freshman punter Ryan Shoemaker leads the SEC with a 45.1-yard average.
* All 46 points scored by Auburn this season have been scored by freshmen and sophomores, including 22 by true freshman Wes Byrum.
* Auburn owns a 19-7 all-time record in games broadcast on Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly Jefferson Pilot), and has won nine of its last 10.
* Auburn has posted a 34-6 record over the past four seasons, which is tied for the third-best record in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision during that span.
* DE Quentin Groves needs just one more sack to equal the Auburn career record of 26 held by Gerald Robinson (1982-85).
* Brandon Cox is the winningest active quarterback in the SEC, with a 20-6 career record as a starting quarterback.
* Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 41-0 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn has won 46 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points in a game.
* Auburn is 139-45-5 (.749) all-time in the month of September, including a 29-6 mark under Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games in the month of September.
* Tommy Tuberville needs just three more victories to become the fifth active coach in the SEC with 100 career coaching victories.
AUBURN IN SEC OPENERS
Auburn is 41-27-5 in SEC openers, winning 14 straight openers dating back to 1993.
In its last nine SEC openers, Auburn has outscored its opponents, 320-91. Last season, Auburn blanked Mississippi State, 34-0, after beating the Bulldogs 28-0 and 43-14, in the two previous seasons. The Tigers defeated Ole Miss, 19-9, in 1997; 17-0, in 1998; 35-27, in 2000; and 27-21 in 2001. In 1999, Auburn defeated LSU, 41-7, and beat Vanderbilt 31-6 and 45-7 in 2002 and 2003.
TUBERVILLE IN SEC OPENERS
Tommy Tuberville owns an 8-0 mark in SEC openers at Auburn and is 8-4 overall including his stint at Ole Miss. Five of his eight conference openers at Auburn have come on the road: 1999 at LSU (41-7), 2000 at Ole Miss (35-27), 2003 at Vanderbilt (45-7) and 2004 (43-14) and 2006 (34-0) at Mississippi State.
AUBURN-MSU SERIES NOTES
Auburn leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 56-22-2 ... Saturday's meeting between the two schools will mark the 53rd consecutive year the two schools have played each other ... Auburn has won six straight in the series and 19 of the last 25 ... Mississippi State has been held to 18 or fewer points in each of the last eight games in the series, averaging 11.3 points per game during that span ... Just 10 games in the last 37 years have been decided by seven points or less, including three consecutive from 1999-2001 ... The Auburn defense has held Mississippi State to an average of 90.0 rushing yards in the last eight meetings.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS
Auburn has shut out Mississippi State each of the last two seasons, and shut out the Bulldogs for the first 58:37 of the 2004 game before MSU scored twice in the final 1:23. Auburn previously shut out Mississippi State in consecutive meetings in 1988 (33-0) and 1989 (14-0). The Tigers posted three straight shutouts against MSU from 1966-68, and had a string of four consecutive shutouts against the Bulldogs from 1912-15.
MISSISSIPPI STATE QUICK HITTERS
Mississippi State shut out Tulane during the second half to break away from a 17-17 tie and win 38-17 last Saturday in New Orleans ... The Bulldogs are ranked fifth in the SEC in total defense, allowing just 295.0 yards per game ... Mississippi State had 489 yards of total offense last Saturday against Tulane, including 266 yards rushing, which was the most for MSU since it collected 547 total yards against Jacksonville State in 2002 ... MSU has completed passes to 10 different receivers in each of its first two games ... Derek Pegues ranks third on the schools all-time kickoff return list with 1,412 yards ... Anthony Dixon had career bests of 131 yards rushing and 27 carries against Tulane.
MISSISSIPPI TIGERS
Auburn's roster includes three players who hail from the state of Mississippi. Senior DE Quentin Groves hails from Greenville, junior LB Steve Gandy is from Waynesboro and freshman OL Chaz Ramsey is from Madison.
AUBURN-MISSISSIPPI STATE COACHING TIES
* Mississippi State wide receivers coach Pat Washington played quarterback at Auburn from 1982-85, starting as a junior and senior and helping the team to four straight bowl games. He had a 17-8 record as a starting quarterback, and then served two seasons as a graduate assistant coach.
* Washington also coached the quarterbacks and receivers at TCU, where he worked with Auburn offensive line coach Hugh Nall in 1992 and 1993, and Auburn strength and conditioning coach Kevin Yoxall in 1992.
* Mississippi State safeties coach Charlie Harbison was the defensive backs coach at LSU in 2001 and 2002 when Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for LSU.
* Harbison also coached the defensive backs at Clemson in 1997 during Auburn tight ends coach Steve Ensminger's first season as the Tigers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
* Mississippi State defensive backs coach Melvin Smith was on the Ole Miss staff in 1994 when Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran began his stint with the Rebels.
COX SHINES VS. BULLDOGS
Senior quarterback Brandon Cox has been on target in three previous appearances vs. Mississippi State. Cox is 35-of-50 (70 percent) for 494 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions during his career against MSU. He was 18-of-27 for 249 yards and two scores in last year's game, completed 12-of-18 for 202 yards and two TDs in the 2005 game and connected on all five of his passes for 43 yards and a score during his freshman season in 2004.
ON THIS DATE
Auburn owns an all-time record of 3-1 on Sept. 15, but has not played on that date since 1990. The Tigers earned wins in 1973 (18-9) against Oregon State, in 1979 (26-18) against Kansas State and in 1990 (24-10) against Ole Miss. Auburn's only loss on Sept. 15 came in 1984 when the Tigers lost at Texas, 35-27.
TIGERS HAVE SUCCESS ON LFS
Auburn is 19-7 all-time in games played on Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly Jefferson Pilot Sports). The Tigers had won nine straight dating back to 2002 prior to losing to Georgia, 37-15, in their last appearance in 2006. Auburn did win twice on LFS last season, claiming victories against Mississippi State (34-0) and Ole Miss (23-17).
IN SEPTEMBER
Auburn is 139-45-5 (.749) all-time in the month of September, including a 29-6 mark under Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers have won 15 of their last 17 games played in September, and had won nine straight prior to falling in overtime to South Florida, 26-23.
JORDAN-HARE STADIUM
Now in its 68th year as home to the Auburn football team, Jordan-Hare Stadium is the nation's ninth-largest on-campus stadium, with a capacity of 87,451 fans. The Tigers are 256-63-7 (.796) at Jordan-Hare Stadium, including a 42-9 (.824) mark over the past eight years. AU went 7-0 at home in both 2000 and 2004, and posted a 6-1 mark in 2005.
Auburn has won 13 of its last 16 games at home and 21 of its last 26 games at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
TUBERVILLE IN NINTH SEASON
Tommy Tuberville is in his ninth season at Auburn in 2007 and his 13th as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference. Tuberville has the third-longest tenure in the SEC (second-longest active streak) behind Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, who are both coaching in their 15th seasons in the league this year.
Tuberville has amassed a record of 72-30 during his tenure at Auburn and has led the Tigers to seven straight bowl appearances.
Tuberville is fourth all-time at Auburn in wins, and is the fifth-longest tenured coach in school history.
CENTURY MARK APPROACHES
Tommy Tuberville needs just three more wins to amass 100 victories during his career as a head coach. Tuberville currently owns a career record of 97-50 in 13 seasons as a head coach. He would become the fifth active SEC coach to have 100 career victories, joining Steve Spurrier, Phillip Fulmer, Rich Brooks and Houston Nutt, and just the third to earn 100 victories while coaching at an SEC school (Spurrier and Fulmer).
YOUTH IS SERVED
Auburn has a lot of young talent on the squad this season, and to illustrate this point, one need look no further than the scoring column on the statistics sheet. All 46 of Auburn's points this season have been scored by freshmen and sophomores. True freshman Wes Byrum leads the team with 22 points, while sophomore tight end Gabe McKenzie has two touchdowns for 12 points. Auburn's other two touchdowns have been scored by redshirt freshman Mario Fannin and sophomore Antonio Coleman.
GROVES IN A GROOVE
Senior defensive end Quentin Groves was named to preseason watch lists for the Lombardi Award, the Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Hendricks Award, and his play through the first two games has shown why. Groves is tied for second on the team with 14 tackles in the first two games, including a career-best nine against South Florida, and leads the SEC and ranks tied for sixth nationally with five tackles for losses. Groves also has two sacks, a forced fumble and 12 quarterback hurries through two games played.
FILLING IN ADMIRABLY
Junior linebacker Chris Evans earned his first career start against South Florida, filling in for an injured Tray Blackmon. The result was the highest tackles total by an Auburn player in almost five years. Evans tallied 14 tackles (five solo, nine assists), which was the most by an Auburn player since Karlos Dansby had 14 tackles at Florida on Oct. 19, 2002.
STEPPING UP
Senior Prechae Rodriguez leads Auburn with nine receptions for 108 yards through the first two games of the season. Last year, it was seven games into the season before Rodriguez had nine catches, and it took eight games before he reached 108 receiving yards.
FRESHMAN KICKERS SHINE
Auburn was forced to replace perhaps the nation's top kicking trio after all three kickers from last season graduated. The Tigers lost Lou Groza finalist John Vaughn, the team's all-time leading scorer with 312 career points; Kody Bliss, who ranked third in the nation in punting with a 45.7-yard average; and Matt Clark, who led the nation last season with 51 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs (77 percent). But the newcomers have excelled in the first two games.
True freshman Wes Byrum is tied for the national lead with Georgia Tech's Travis Bell with six made field goals. Byrum had made three field goals in each of the first two games, including a season-long 49-yard field goal against South Florida.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Shoemaker is currently leading the SEC and ranks 13th nationally, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. Shoemaker had two punts of over 50 yards against South Florida before leaving with an elbow injury suffered while making a tackle.
DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS
Auburn's first two opponents have had strong starts, but the Tigers have been able to make quick adjustments. In the first two games, Kansas State and South Florida combined for 239 yards of offense in the first quarter and 17 points scored, but in the second quarter, Auburn allowed those two squads a combined total of just 55 yards and no points.
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
Last season, in all 13 of Auburn's games, the team leading at the end of the third quarter won the game, as the Tigers were 11-0 when leading after three periods and 0-2 when trailing at that point. But in the first two games this season, the team leading after three quarters has lost. Auburn trailed Kansas State 13-9 after three quarters in the season opener before rallying to win 23-13. Last Saturday vs. South Florida, Auburn led 17-14 after three periods but fell in overtime, 26-23.
Auburn has not had many chances to rally for wins when trailing after three quarters, as the Tigers have trailed after three periods in just six of their last 37 games.
TERRIFIC TIGHT END TRIO
Sophomore tight end Gabe McKenzie has been a key performer early this year with two touchdown catches including the go-ahead touchdown pass from Brandon Cox with just 2:01 left in the season opener against Kansas State. McKenzie is just one of three tight ends that see significant playing time for Auburn, as the Tigers boast perhaps the best trio of tight ends in the game. Senior Cole Bennett, who returned for a second senior season after suffering an ankle injury in the third game of the 2006 season against LSU, was a Coaches' Preseason First-Team All-SEC selection in 2006 and has 18 career catches while also serving as the team's top blocking tight end.
Bennett's injury last season opened the door for McKenzie and Tommy Trott to blossom. McKenzie, who has seven catches already this year, tied for fourth on the team last year with 13 catches for 137 yards and a score, while Trott, also just a sophomore, had 10 catches for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
GROVES NEARING SACKS RECORD
Quentin Groves had two sacks in the season-opening victory against Kansas State, pushing his career sacks total to 25. His second sack with just over a minute left and Auburn clinging to a 16-13 lead forced a fumble that was returned 34 yards for a touchdown by Antonio Coleman, sealing the victory. Groves needs just one more sack to tie the Auburn all-time record of 26 sacks held by Gerald Robinson (1982-85).
COX LEADS ALL SEC QBs IN WINS
Brandon Cox earned his 20th career victory as a starting quarterback during Auburn's 23-13 victory over Kansas State in the season opener. Cox, who is now 20-6 as a starter, leads all SEC quarterbacks in career victories. Tennessee's Erik Ainge is second with 18, followed by Kentucky's Andre Woodson (13). Cox's .769 winning percentage is also the best in the league among quarterbacks with at least five starts.
SENIOR SIGNAL CALLER = SUCCESS
With senior Brandon Cox returning for his third season as Auburn's starting quarterback this fall, history would suggest that the Tigers are primed for a successful season. The last 10 seasons that Auburn has had a senior returning as the starter at quarterback, the Tigers have won at least eight games every year, averaging 9.7 wins per season during those campaigns. Auburn's combined record during those 10 seasons is 97-22-2, and the Tigers won SEC Championships in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 2004 and SEC Western Division Championships in 1997 and 2000.
Incidentally, Auburn went 10-0 against Georgia during those 10 seasons, and 8-2 against Alabama with seven straight wins.
Below are the last 10 seasons that Auburn has had a senior returning as the starter at quarterback:
Year Quarterback Record Notes
1979 Charlie Trotman 8-3
1983 Randy Campbell 11-1 SEC Champs
1985 Pat Washington 8-4 Cotton Bowl
1987 Jeff Burger 9-1-2 SEC Champs
1989 Reggie Slack 10-2 SEC Champs
1993 Stan White 11-0 1st 11-win season
1995 Patrick Nix 8-4 Outback Bowl
1997 Dameyune Craig 10-3 SEC West Champs
2000 Ben Leard 9-4 SEC West Champs
2004 Jason Campbell 13-0 SEC Champs
ELDER STATESMAN
Senior quarterback Brandon Cox is not only the oldest player on the Auburn team, he's older than 18 quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters. Cox, who will turn 24 on Oct. 31, is nearly two full years older than the No. 1 pick in last year's NFL draft, JaMarcus Russell, who was born Aug. 9, 1985.
NEAR THE TOP SINCE 2004
Auburn has posted a record of 34-6 (.850) since the 2004 season, tying the Tigers for the third-best record in the NCAA during that period. Only USC (37-3, .925) and Texas (36-4, .900) have better winning percentages than Auburn during that span, while Boise State has an identical 34-6 mark.
FIRST-TIMERS
Eight players made their first career starts in the season opener against Kansas State, and 10 players played in their first collegiate games. Starting for the first time were OG Mike Berry, SS Zac Etheridge, OG Tyronne Green, CB Jerraud Powers, WR Prechae Rodriguez, DT Pat Sims, RB Ben Tate and OT Lee Ziemba. Berry, Etheridge and Ziemba played in their first collegiate games, as did K Wes Byrum, DE Antoine Carter, LB Bo Harris, WR Tim Hawthorne, K Morgan Hull, FS Mike McNeil, and P Ryan Shoemaker.
AIR ASSAULT
Kansas State attempted 58 passes in the season opener, completing 33. Those numbers are the most for an Auburn opponent since Louisiana Tech's Luke McCown completed 47-of-65 passes for four touchdowns with two interceptions during a 38-28 Auburn victory Oct. 21, 2000. Auburn threw only 18 passes in that game, but Rudi Johnson rushed 33 times for 249 yards and four scores.
IN THE POLLS
Auburn dropped out of the national rankings following the Tigers' loss to South Florida, marking the first time Auburn has not been ranked since the 2005 season. That season, Auburn dropped out of the polls after a season-opening loss to Georgia Tech, but jumped back in four weeks later after thumping South Carolina, 48-7. The Tigers climbed as high as No. 7 later that season prior to falling to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl.
A TOUGH A TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Auburn may have the toughest road schedule of any team in the country this year, as the Tigers' four road opponents are all ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including two in the top five. Auburn opens its road schedule at No. 5 Florida Sept. 29, plays at No. 16 Arkansas and No. 2 LSU in back-to-back weeks Oct. 13 and 20 and finishes the road schedule at No. 23 Georgia. Only two other teams (South Carolina and Oklahoma State) play four road games against teams ranked in the AP poll, and the combined rankings of Auburn's four opponents is the lowest of the three teams.
Auburn South Carolina Oklahoma State
@ No. 2 LSU @ No. 2 LSU @ No. 3 Oklahoma
@ No. 5 Florida @ No. 16 Arkansas @ No. 14 Nebraska
@ No. 16 Arkansas @ No. 22 Tennessee @ No. 23 Georgia
@ No. 23 Georgia @ No. 23 Georgia @ No. 25 Texas A&M
Avg. = 11.5 Avg. = 15.8 Avg. = 16.3
OL THIN ON EXPERIENCE
One concern entering the 2007 season for Auburn is a lack of experience on the offensive line. The Tigers lost four senior starters from last year's team, including first-round NFL draft pick Ben Grubbs. Senior tackle King Dunlap is the only returning starter, and his 14 career starts entering the season accounted for 70 percent of the just 20 career starts made by Auburn's entire offensive line unit prior to 2007. Junior Jason Bosley started four games at center last season, while Leon Hart had made the other two starts. By comparison, Auburn's starting offensive line during the 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic vs. Nebraska had combined for 110 career starts (Grubbs - 38; Tim Duckworth - 22; Joe Cope - 20; Jonathan Palmer - 16; Dunlap - 14).
17 OR LESS
Since Will Muschamp took over as defensive coordinator prior to the 2006 season, Auburn has held 12 of its 15 opponents to 17 points or less. The Tigers, who have allowed just 14.7 points per game since Muschamp's arrival, are 12-0 in those games.
UNDER THE LIGHTS AT JORDAN-HARE
Auburn has been tough to beat in night games at Jordan-Hare Stadium in recent seasons, accumulating a record of 12-2 since the 2000 season in home games starting at 6 p.m. or later. That stretch includes a 4-0 record against ranked opponents, with wins over No. 1 Florida in 2001, No. 2 Florida in 2006, No. 7 Tennessee in 2003 and No. 14 Georgia in 2000. The Tigers had a four-game winning streak in home night games snapped with a 26-23 overtime loss to South Florida Sept. 8.
GONE ON D
Defensively in 2006, Auburn must replace four starters from last year's squad that ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense (13.9), including the two leading tacklers on last year's team. Linebackers Will Herring and Karibi Dede, defensive end Marquis Gunn and cornerback David Irons combined for 208 tackles including 23 for losses and 6.5 sacks, five interceptions and 15 pass break-ups.
Herring led the squad with 72 tackles, while Dede was second with 59. Irons had a team-best 12 pass break-ups and tied with Herring and Eric Brock with a team-high two interceptions. Gunn ranked second on the team with four sacks and was third with 8.5 tackles for losses.
AUBURN BY THE NUMBERS
The Tigers return 49 lettermen from last season, including 21 on offense, 26 on defense and two specialists. Auburn returns five starters on offense and seven on defense.
Auburn's roster of 119 players includes 17 seniors, 23 juniors, 23 sophomores, 22 redshirt freshmen and 34 freshmen. The underclassmen (79) represent 66.4 percent of the Tigers' roster.
A number of walk-ons joined the program after the first day of classes on August 16.
13 AND COUNTING
In his 13th year as a head coach, Tommy Tuberville has five assistant coaches who have been with him all 13 years. That group includes: defensive tackles/ noseguard coach Don Dunn, running backs/special teams coach Eddie Gran, wide receivers coach Greg Knox, offensive line coach Hugh Nall and defensive ends coach Terry Price.
THE SENIOR CLASS
Head Coach Tommy Tuberville has a senior class that includes 17 players this season. The Tigers' group of 17 seniors is the third most during the Tuberville era, falling behind the group of 21 from last season and the 2004 group that had 18. During Tuberville's tenure, Auburn's other senior classes have consisted of: 15 in 2005, 13 in 2003, 15 in 2002, 10 in 2001, 14 in 2000 and 14 in 1999.
The 2007 seniors include: TE Cole Bennett, SS Eric Brock, QB Brandon Cox, OT King Dunlap, DT Tez Doolittle, DB Zach Gilbert, DE Quentin Groves, DE Brandon Haley, OL Leon Hart, DB Josh Hebert, CB Patrick Lee, H Matthew Motley, RB Danny Perry, WR Prechae Rodriguez, RB Carl Stewart, DT Josh Thompson and CB Jonathan Wilhite.
IRON MEN
Of Auburn's 17 seniors, 10 have seen time in more than 30 games during their careers. Quentin Groves leads the group with 42 career games played, and is the only member of the team to have played in every game over the past four seasons. Groves is followed closely by Cole Bennett and Eric Brock with 41 games each, while King Dunlap has seen action in 40 games. Josh Thompson and Patrick Lee are next with 38 games played, followed by Leon Hart (37), Zach Gilbert (37), Carl Stewart (36) and Brandon Cox (33).
STARTS STREAK
Brandon Cox is the lone member of the team to have a starts streak that dates back to the 2005 season. Cox has started 23 consecutive games at quarterback, missing only the fourth game (Western Kentucky) from 2005 over the past three seasons.
Five other players on this year's team started all 13 games last year and the first two games this season. Seniors King Dunlap, Quentin Groves and Josh Thompson, junior Rodgeriqus Smith and sophomore Sen'Derrick Marks all have started the last 15 games.
FRESH FACES
Freshmen will play a key role in determining Auburn's level of success this year, as 21 redshirt and true freshmen are listed on the depth chart, including six starters.
The depth chart lists 12 redshirt freshmen, including OG Mike Berry, DT Mike Blanc, DS Rick Cherry, DT Zach Clayton, SS Zac Etheridge, TB Mario Fannin, DE Michael Goggans, WR Tim Hawthorne, OG Byron Isom, P Ryan Shoemaker, LB Craig Stevens and WR Terrell Zachery.
Nine true freshman are listed on the depth chart, including K Wes Byrum, LB Bo Harris, S Mike McNeil, C Ryan Pugh, OG Chaz Ramsey, WR Chris Slaughter, K Graham Sutter, P Patrick Tatum and OT Lee Ziemba.
POSITION CHANGES
A number of players have changed positions from last year entering the 2007 season.
Sen'Derrick Marks, who started all 13 games at defensive tackle last season, has moved outside to a defensive end position.
Tristan Davis, who saw time at running back in 2005 before moving to safety last year, is once again a running back for the Tigers. Bart Eddins has moved from the defensive line back to the offensive line, while Michael Goggans has moved from tight end to defensive end.
NO SHUTOUTS ALLOWED
Auburn has scored in 52 consecutive games, which is the fourth-longest streak in school history. The Tigers have not been shut out since a 23-0 loss to USC to open the 2003 season. The third-longest streak without being shut out is 54 games and the second-longest is 58, but it would be quite a while before Auburn could challenge the school record. The Tigers scored in 149 straight games from Oct. 4, 1980 through Nov. 14, 1992.
EXTRA POINTS
Kicker John Vaughn, who finished his career last season as Auburn's all-time leading scorer with 312 points, made his final 107 consecutive PATs dating back to the 2004 season, and was 162-of-163 for his career. Wes Byrum has made his first four extra point attempts, pushing Auburn's streak of consecutive PATs to 111. Prior to Vaughn's only miss, Auburn had made an SEC record 209 consecutive PATs from 1999-2004. Auburn has made 320 of its last 321 PATs.
50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
The 2007 season marks the 50-year anniversary of Auburn's 1957 National Championship team. The '57 Tigers finished with a perfect 10-0 record, including a 7-0 mark in the SEC, and was selected as the national champion following the season by the Associated Press. Auburn outscored its opponents that season by a combined score of 207-28, posting six shutouts and ending the season with a 40-0 whitewashing of Alabama.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Auburn has had a knack for winning close ball games since Tommy Tuberville arrived as the Tigers' head coach. In his previous eight seasons at the helm, Auburn is 24-11 in games decided by seven points or less and has won 12 of its last 15, including all five games last season.
SENIORS GO FOR NEW MARK
Each of Auburn's last two senior classes have established new school records for victories in a four-year period, and this year's class has a chance to extend that streak. The 2005 senior class tied the old mark of 39 wins in four years, before last year's class finished with a new record of 41 victories in the last four years. With 33 of those wins coming in the last three seasons, this year's class needs eight wins to tie that record and nine to become the winningest senior class in Auburn history.
FATHERS AND SONS
Senior fullback Danny Perry is the son of Director of Football Operations Jimmy Perry. The younger Perry is the first Tiger to have his father on the football staff since Joe Whitt, Jr., played wide receiver from 1998-99 while Joe Whitt, Sr., who coached at Auburn from 1981-2005, was a linebackers coach.
Previously, Gene Lorendo, an assistant coach from 1951-75, saw his son, Mac, letter at offensive tackle from 1970-72, earning All-SEC honors as a senior, and Paul Davis, an assistant coach from 1967-80 and 1987-90, watched his son, Rhett, letter at split end from 1972-73.
In addition, Auburn freshman linebacker Adam Herring is the son of Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring.
TIGER GRADS
Auburn begins the season with nine graduates on the roster, which is tied for the third most of any Football Bowl Subdivision team.
The Tiger graduates include: TE Cole Bennett (business administration), SS Eric Brock (public administration), QB Brandon Cox (business administration), DT Tez Doolittle (criminology), DB Zach Gilbert (public administration), DE Quentin Groves (criminology), CB Patrick Lee (criminology), RB Carl Stewart (political science) and NG Josh Thompson (physical education).
Listed are the top 10 programs in terms of number of players who have completed their bachelor's degrees prior to the start of the 2007 season.
1. Boston College 17
2. Washington 11
3. Auburn 9
Notre Dame 9
5. Arizona State 8
Pittsburgh 8
7. Ole Miss 5
USC 5
Virginia 5
10. Memphis 4
TCU 4
TIGERS GO HIGH DEFINITION
The most notable change to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the 2007 season is a new high definition video board above the south end zone. The $2.9 million board is the first true HD video display in the SEC and makes Auburn just the second NCAA member institution to invest in true high definition LED video capabilities. The display measure approximately 30 feet high by 74 feet wide, and exceeds 2,200 square feet. It has the capability to show a single, wide screen image, and can also be split into multiple windows to show lineups, game statistics, out-of-town game information and much more.
TIGER PROS
Auburn has demonstrated a proficiency for placing players in the National Football League. As of Aug. 21, 38 former Auburn Tigers were listed on NFL rosters. The Seattle Seahawks have the most former Tigers, with five former Auburn players on the roster, while the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons have four each.
WHEN SCORING 20+ POINTS
Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 63-5 when scoring 20 or more points in a game, including a 61-4 mark in the regular season. Dating back to 1995, Auburn is 84-12 when scoring 20 or more points in a game.
30+ POINTS EQUALS VICTORY
Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 41-0 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn has won 46 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points.
The last time the Tigers lost when registering at least 30 points was a 56-49, four overtime loss to Georgia in 1996.
In the last 22 years, Auburn is 115-2 when scoring 30 points.
BRAMBLETT RECEIVES SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Rod Bramblett, who handles the play-by-play duties of Auburn football, men's basketball and baseball on the Auburn ISP Sports Network, has been named the 2007 Sportscaster of the Year in the state of Alabama by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
A Valley, Ala., native, Bramblett became Auburn's lead announcer for football and men's basketball in 2003. Bramblett, 41, has served as the voice of Auburn baseball since 1993. This is the first time he has received this Sportscaster of the Year honor.
Bramblett is a 1988 graduate of Auburn.
TIGERS ON CSS
Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) will broadcast encore presentations of Auburn football every Sunday at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT with Andy Burcham handling play-by-play duties and Cole Cubelic doing color commentary. CSS will also air the Auburn Football Review every Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT and the Auburn Football Preview every Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT.
CSS is a 24-hour regional sports network serving approximately 5.8 million households across 12 Southeastern states.
DID YOU KNOW?
Cole Bennett started his freshman year at Auburn already having accumulated 27 credit hours ... Bennett was also married during the summer of 2007, joining Quentin Groves as married players on the Tigers' squad ... Oscar Gonzalez is originally from Cuba and is bilingual ... Linebacker Courtney Harden and defensive tackle Jake Ricks are brothers ... Brad Lester was a high school teammate of the Atlanta Braves' Jeff Francoeur ... Carl Stewart plays the violin.
