Tigers on the prowl?

Much is still to be made of the 2009 Auburn Tigers but one can't help but notice that the War Eagles have made some serious strides in their quest to return to glory. First year head coach Gene Chizik has gotten the Plainsman offense rolling up yards on offense like the days of old.Only 27 teams in Auburn history have started a season 4-0. Eight of those occurred after 1974. Of the eight teams in the last 35 years that started 4-0, only two failed to win at least ten games. The 1994 Tigers reeled off nine before a closing with a tie and a loss. Auburn started 2000 with five consecutive wins before fading to 4-4 down the stretch.A lack of quality competition over the first four games is a valid criticism. None of the four teams Auburn defeated in 2009 were ranked at the time. That doesn't impact the trend, however. Of the eight Tiger teams that started 4-0 since 1974, only two beat a ranked opponent during the four-game streak. The 2009 Auburn Tigers have a long way to go before they can start considering double digit win totals. At some point during the SEC season, Auburn will run into a team that will put the clamps on the offense and the Tigers will need to lean on the defense to earn a win.

The Tiger stopping unit has so far shown no indication it is capable of holding up its end of the bargain. The next stop will be a visit to Tennessee this week, which we should get a better grasp of what both teams should be like for the rest of the year. Auburn has impressed me with the dual duo of running back Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb. As we know, the Tigers seem to have potent offenses when they have two legit backs(see Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams). Quarterback Chris Todd seems to have his confidence grow from week to week. He is coming off a 5 touchdown passes game and seems to really grasp the offense better than last year when he was benched in favor of Kodi Burns(who is now a wide receiver) The defense is still needing improvement as Ball State out up good numbers including 30 points. This seems to be the only factor of the Tigers really being back. The special teams have been terrific with a few blocks and touchdowns. All in all, we figure the Tigers to make it to a bowl this year and pull maybe one or two upsets along the way. We will be keeping check on the Tigers, Plainsman, and War Eagles.