Auburn fan checking in...

[TDAuburn]

Looks like a good site with reasonable discussion... so I thought I would join.

It should be a good game.  A couple of thoughts/questions:

Grothe - What a competitor, it looks like he almost pulled out a couple of close ones last year along with the obvious wins.  He had some good comeback games after tough losses, I don't think he'll be intimidated at AU.  Our D should be strong and fast again this year.  if your O-line can protect, Matt will be a handful.  How do you think your O-line matches up?

Running backs - It looks like Benjamin Williams is the top returning back?  Plancher looks dangerous as a returner as well as maybe the #2 RB?

Wide receivers - I'm guessing Taurus Johnson is the leading WR?  Will Edwards get some playing time also?

Hopefully, you'll be treated right if you go to the game.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Regarding our O-line...

Our tackles are strong, but our middle three aren't as much so.

Our center, Capogna, is experienced, but undersized.  With a defense like Auburn, his ability will truly be put to the test.

Regarding our RB's...

If Ben Williams is our #1, we're in trouble.  Love that little guy, but flush with talent he is not.

It would be a good sign if Mike Ford and Moise Plancher are getting most of the carries by the time we roll into Auburn.

[BullyPulpit]

This is a good site indeed. Like any site we have our share of nut jobs, over exuberant fans, and pessimists.

As far as your questions, out O-Line is smallish, but fast. Very good at pass blocking, not as good run blocking.

Grothe is the man....remember his name as it will haunt your dreams on Sept. 9th.

RB is wide open right now. Ben Williams will probably not see much PT against Auburn. All of us are hopeful Mike Ford (the all time single season rushing king of Florida) lives up to the hype. We are also trying to get a hardship for the other 'Bama boy Jamar Taylor. Man, has USF destroyed Bama's backfield. There is also Mo Plancher who is back at 100%, plus Aston Samuels and Shawn Cannon.

Our WR's are fast. Between Johnson, Jackson, Edwards, Erskin, et. al. your DB's will have their hands full.

[Jake_Ryan]

Taurus should be the best receiver, and Edwards is listed at #1 on depth chart also.

Agree totally with MAB on RB situation.

This game should come down to which O-Line protects better and which team wins TO battle.  AU homefield advantage is big too.

[BullyPulpit]

Oh, and spread the word around your Auburn board, USF's team speed is for real. It doesn't just stop with our starters, our backups are real burners too. I know when I lurk over on your board there is all the talk about "SEC speed", which is undeniable. But if you don't think USF has team speed, just review some tape from last year, especially the WVU game. We have held all world RB Steve Slaton to under 100 yards the two times he has played us. I know you guys rely heavily on the run, but I don't think you have quite the ground game that WVU does.

I have heard a lot about your TEs. They are supposed to be pretty good. However, we have some really great tackling machines at the LB positions who are very physical with a nose for the ball. Also, if our safeties all pan out, we could have the best defensive backfield in the nation. Many pundits are talking our D up to the tune of saying we should have a top 10 defense this year.

The team that wins the game is the one that avoids the costly turnovers and controls the clock and field position. I know a lot of your boys are calling for a 21+ pt win, which could happen, but only if USF goes out there and falls flat on its face. We will know after the first 3 series what type of game we are looking at.

With all that being said, USF wins 24-21.  

[SANJAY]

TD, good questions.  If your D, specifically your ends, can get pressure consistently without blitzing we will have a long evening.  The OL has had its moments including holding Elvis Dumervil without a sack 2 years ago, but you guys have a lot more size than UL had that year. 

Let me ask you a question.  Has Auburn played a spread offense other than UF recently?  Auburn shut down Florida pretty well, what did your D do in that game that worked so well?

[TDAuburn]

Thanks for the info... hopefully our coaches will know more about your team than me. ???  No realistic AU fans are taking this game lightly.  I'll be happy with a 1 point win.

TD, good questions.  If your D, specifically your ends, can get pressure consistently without blitzing we will have a long evening.  The OL has had its moments including holding Elvis Dumervil without a sack 2 years ago, but you guys have a lot more size than UL had that year. 

Let me ask you a question.  Has Auburn played a spread offense other than UF recently?  Auburn shut down Florida pretty well, what did your D do in that game that worked so well?

I could be wrong, but I believe Spurrier ran a spread when we played So. Carolina.  We didn't do a very good job of stopping it either, we just kept the ball on offense most of the 2nd half and kept their O off the field.

As far as Fla., Chris Leak can be rattled if gotten to before he sets his feet, which we did early an often.  We did some blitzing and our DE's were playing lights out.  Here's a summary video of that game... http://www.auburnfootball.com/auburn-florida-2006.htm

[SANJAY]

TD, I do not expect that Grothe will get rattled.  He had more composure than most freshmen QBs do last year.  His errors always seemed to be because of trying to force a play more than anything else. 

If our offense gets points early they will remain confident and put together enough drives to keep it interesting.  If we start slow then that could snowball as seen in 3 of our 4 losses last season (KU, UC and UL).

[South_FLbulls398]

if usf plays the defense they're capable of, we'll have a chance to win. i'm not too confident about our o-line. straight up w/ auburn's front 4 our o-line would most likely crumble, we'll have to get creative w/ our offense in order to score points do some misdirection or screens to keep their d off balanced. i'm hoping auburn treats the game like they were playing troy or some non-bcs team and they go vanilla on offense, usf wants this game badly.

[BigShoop]

With us, it's all about early 3 and outs and turnovers on the road.

Compare the Louisville game to the WVU game last year. Those teams were very close talent wise, we dominated one of them and got CRUSHED by the other.

If we get ANY sort of rhythm early, it's going to be a close game. If we dont, it could get ugly.

Oh, and our RBs....our starter last year is now 4th on the depth chart, at best. With a running game to keep Auburn off balance, Grothe should be able to do some damage.