All signs point to a high noon (well high elevenish at least) wild SEC West shootout. When the dust clears in the streets of Fayetteville tomorrow afternoon, one gunslinger will put a sixth notch on his pistol while the other crumples to a fatal 0-3 league sprawl.

Auburn will dodge the Mallet bullets, and utilize the Gatling gun, Gus Malzahn-directed offensive arsenal of Chris Todd, Ben Tate, Onterrio McCalebb, Darvin Adams, Mario Fannin, Tommy Trott and Terrell Zachary to shoot down the hopes of the ‘Hogs.

If you listen really closely right now you can hear the squealing. “What about Arkansas’ offense,” it goes. “We don’t just have Mallett, Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Jarius Wright and Michael Smith. We can score too!”

Yes, Hog fans, you do have those weapons. Arkansas has scored points in bunches this season.

Here’s the rub. Arkansas has only faced one SEC-level defense so far this season: Alabama. How did the Razorbacks fare against the Tide? Seven points.

Mallet threw 41 passes and completed only 16 for 191 yards. As a team Arkansas rushed for a meager 63 yards.

Nobody’s saying the Auburn defense is akin to the 17th Annual Crimson Tide “As Good as 1992″ defense. It’s probably not in the same neighborhood at this point.

Auburn is in the SEC, however. Despite some obvious flaws and some busted assignments, the Tiger stopping unit is better than any of the rest of the teams Arkansas has played to this point.

Texas A&M on whom the ‘Hogs dumped 47 points? The Aggies are 75th in the country in total defense despite having played only New Mexico State, Utah State and UAB before venturing to Arkansas.

Here’s another eye opener. Utah State punished A&M, racking up 521 total yards on the Aggies. USU rolled up 334 of those through the air. It makes Mallett’s highlight-filled day against A&M just a little less impressive.

Georgia’s 64th in the nation in total defense. Missouri State? Well, they’re 1-AA.

The other problem is that the Razorbacks are one-dimensional. Through four games, against highly suspect competition, the ‘Hogs have failed to establish any rushing game to speak of. As a team, Arkansas has a total of just over 500 yards.

The Hogs rushed for 155 total yards against Georgia, 63 against Alabama, and 163 against Texas A&M.

When you look at it like that, Arkansas’ offense isn’t quite as frightening.

If Auburn’s defense stops the run game and puts even limited pressure on Mallett, it could be a long afternoon for the Hogs. Conversely, if the Tigers opt not to pressure Mallett and give him ample time to stand in the pocket, he does have the capacity to pick the secondary apart.

As criticized as the Auburn defense has been, and the Tigers have suffered their share of slings and arrows, it is ranked higher than any defense (other than Alabama) Arkansas has faced this season. The Tigers weigh in at 53rd.

Auburn will contain Arkansas, not stop them completely.

The question then becomes how the Tiger offense will fare against the Arkansas defense.

That’s when the shooting starts.

The ‘Hogs are currently ranked 97th in total defense. Only one team on Auburn’s schedule to this point is ranked lower – Ball State, a team the Tigers torched for 54 points.

Arkansas has not stopped anyone this season. The ‘Hogs have barely slowed them down. Texas A&M racked up 484 yards. Georgia posted 530. Alabama rolled for 425.

None of those teams have the offensive firepower Auburn has shown through four games.

Auburn trucked Tennessee for 459 yards in a game that was significantly more lopsided than the final score reflected. Tennessee was in the top ten in the nation defensively at the time the Tigers plowed through the Vols.

Auburn enters Saturday’s showdown ranked second in the nation in scoring offense, behind Texas. The Tigers are fifth in total offense.

A balanced attack is at the core of Malzah’s offense. Auburn split almost dead even at Tennessee, rushing for 224 and passing for 235.

Malzahn has also shown he isn’t afraid to play to what the defense gives him. When West Virginia sold out to stop the run, Malzahn called on Todd who lit up the Mountaineers for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

If the Razorbacks stuff the box to deny Tate and McCalebb, Todd has proven he has the tools to move the ball through the air.

There’s also this to consider.

Arkansas native Malzahn spent one controversy-filled season on the Razorback sideline.

Hired by Houston Nutt to implement his innovative offense but never fully given the reins, Malzahn departed for Tulsa. The split was acrimonious, divided the fanbase and may have helped hasten Nutt’s own departure from Arkansas a year later. Nutt’s critics note it was the only ten-win season of his Arkansas tenure.

Malzahn returned to his old stomping grounds last season as a member of the Golden Hurricane staff.

His Conference USA Tulsa squad posted 23 points and more than 500 yards of offense but were unable to take down his former employers. Arkansas prevailed 30-23.

The Golden Hurricanes had the ball at the Arkansas seven late in the game when a failed fourth down attempt derailed their bid to tie.

Malzahn has many more weapons at his disposal as offensive coordinator at Auburn than he did at Tulsa. He’s shown he knows how to use them.

Against Auburn’s defense, the Razorbacks will score. Against Arkansas’ defense, Malzahn’s Tigers will score more.

When the guns stop blazing on Saturday, Auburn will holster its pistol, wipe its brow and take a long swig from the 6-0 flask.

Enjoy the moment. There are much bigger and badder hombres kicking up dust on the horizon.

FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

First the good news.

Auburn is 5-0. With a game against Furman still to come, the Tigers are all but assured a bowl game, which at the beginning of the season was considered a reasonable goal for 2009. Given the current state of the SEC, expectations for an upper tier bowl are now not unreasonable.

Tiger head coach Gene Chizik notched his first road win as a head coach in one of the most hostile environments in the league and in the process extended Auburn’s winning streak over its longtime rival.

Chizik’s young team proved it can maintain focus and thrive away from the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium.

It will be almost impossible for poll voters to ignore Auburn now. The Tigers should crack the poll for the first time since a loss to Arkansas slammed Auburn from the rankings on October 11 a year ago.

Auburn’s offense acquitted itself well against a Monte Kiffin-directed Tennessee defense that had clamped down on the Florida Gators and was expected to provide a significant challenge to a resurgent Tiger offense.

Auburn moved the ball significantly better against Tennessee than did the nation’s number one team, Florida. The Tigers put up better numbers despite the efforts of more than 100,000 Volunteer fans in Knoxville. Florida had the luxury of taking down the Vols at home.

Auburn piled up 459 total yards on Rocky Top. Florida managed just 323.

Running back Ben Tate continued to chew up the opposition, rolling up 128 yards on 25 carries. On one highlight-reel quality hit, Tate lowered his shoulder and sent All American safety Eric Berry pinwheeling into a backward slide.

If that doesn’t give you pause, try to wrap your mind around this::

Tiger quarterback Chris Todd outperformed Florida Heisman Trophy winner (and presumed favorite unless you’re Lou Holtz and have an unhealthy obsession with all things Notre Dame) Tebow.

Todd was 19 of 32 passing for 218 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception and wasn’t sacked. Against the Vols, Tebow threw for a meager 115 yards. He was sacked three times and was picked off once. Florida’s superman did rush for 105 yards on 24 attempts, but that’s not the role Todd is required to play.

Nobody’s cranking up a Todd for Heisman campaign yet, but the Auburn quarterback has numbers that rank near the top of the SEC in every significant category. Todd is second in the league in yards per game with an average of 246. He’s fourth in passing efficiency.

He is cool and efficient in running offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s game plan. Todd took his lumps against Tennessee as the Vols brought pressure and hit Todd often. He took the punishment and delivered despite the beating he suffered.

The special teams gaffes that plagued the Tigers in all four games were non-existent on Saturday. Onterrio McCalebb’s kickoff returns were electric.

His fourth-quarter return, in particular, flipped field position and provided the Tigers momentum that should have finished off the Volunteers.

Auburn did no damage on punt returns but that includes damage to itself which has been a weekly occurrence. Fair catches ruled the day and while they limited field position with four coming inside the Tiger 20, there were no muffs or bobbles.

Wes Byrum continued solid place-kicking work, hitting three of four field goals.

Overall, it was a fairly thorough domination and a game Auburn never seemed in jeopardy of losing control over.

At the very least, the Tigers established themselves as a team that will require attention by the rest of the SEC.

Now for the bad. And it’s not all bad.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but the game should not have been nearly as close as the final score reflected.

Auburn’s performance was much more dominant than it would appear on the surface. The Tigers wasted several opportunities to drive a stake through Tennessee’s heart. Auburn should have put Tennessee away and finished with a 10-15 point differential instead of the final four-point spread.

As the Tigers navigate a progressively more difficult October schedule, Auburn can’t afford to waste scoring opportunities.

McCalebb dropped a pass in the end zone that should have been caught for one touchdown.

Late in the game, leading 23-16, Auburn had the ball inside the Tennessee five. Malzahn seemed to abandon his traditional method of attack content to drain the clock and kick a field goal for a 26-16 advantage with 34 seconds remaining.

Those two series alone would have been enough to turn a 26-22 win into a more typical for 2009 37-13 type spanking.

As it turned out, the field goal on the last offensive series was needed as Tennessee covered 79 yards in the final 34 seconds to tack on a consolation touchdown on the last play of the game.

There were worse final 34 second spans on Saturday. Georgia suffered one when LSU’s Charles Scott broke loose for a game-winning score.

But the worst of all came when Ball State allowed a long game-winning pass for a score in the waning seconds against Toledo.

Auburn didn’t suffer the ignominy that either the Bulldogs or Cardinals did, but still, the ease with which the Volunteers motored down the field as time ticked down is a concern.

Auburn’s defense played relatively well most of the game. The Tigers did an excellent job of containing Tennessee’s rushing attack, holding the Vols to 163 yards on the ground, well below their season average.

Tennessee opened the game with a 41-yard rush but that first series ended with a missed field goal. Nine of the next ten Volunteer possessions finished with a punt.

The lone exception was a seven-play 70 yard touchdown march at the end of the first half.

If you’re being honest, however, you have to acknowledge that many of the punting situations were caused as much by Tennessee miscues as they were outstanding Tiger defensive efforts.

Volunteer receivers dropped pass after pass. Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw in front of, over, behind and in front of open receivers.

Frustration was high. Just prior to the Vols late first half drive, ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews noted chaos on the Tennessee sideline with coaches and players having to be physically separated.

Yet Auburn could not take full advantage of the turmoil.

Tennessee players know better than to ask Crompton to pass the salt at dinner because it’s likely to be intercepted before it gets there. Crompton had at least one pick in every game dating back to his first pee-wee effort. But he didn’t have one Saturday.

Instead, Crompton had one of his best days as a Vol.

The much maligned Tennessee quarterback played like Tom Brady in the fourth quarter against Auburn after playing like Marsha Brady for most of the last two years.

Auburn took a 23-6 lead with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and appeared to have the game well in hand.

Despite the desperation of the situation it was like the light went on for the Volunteer offense.

Tennessee churned 62 yards in seven plays, burning less than two minutes off the clock. Crompton, who’d shown all the finesse of a brick layer through three quarters caught fire. He hit four of five passes including a 31 yarder for a touchdown that trimmed Auburn’s lead to 23-13.

After a defensive stop, Crompton went back to work. He was six of 12 on a 72-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Four of the six completions gave Tennessee a first down, including an 18-yard completion on fourth and six.

From 23-6, Tennessee closed to 23-16.

McCalebb’s return and the Byrum field goal that ended Auburn’s next possession effectively slammed the door, but in the final two drives, Crompton went from being a liability to at least window shopping the hero’s cape.

He padded his stats with 64 yards on three completions in the final 34 seconds. Of his 259 total passing yards, 181 of them came in the fourth quarter.

Part of the reason for Crompton’s success was Auburn failed to pressure him. The Tigers didn’t register a sack and Auburn defenders were credited with a mere five hurries, a number that is probably generous.

Auburn managed to survive a revitalized Crompton over the final ten minutes of the game, but his success has to buoy the confidence of the Ryan Mallets, Jevan Sneads and Greg McElroys waiting down the road.

That’s a worry for next week.

Auburn is 5-0. The Tigers will likely be ranked for the first time in a calendar year when the polls come out today. Auburn is a virtual lock for a bowl game and probably a win or two away from getting New Year’s Day consideration. The positives far outweigh the negatives.

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.

Two of the eight finished the season without a loss.

Only one of the eight lost more than two games.

Three of the eight won the SEC West (one other would have but was on probation).

Six of the eight finished in the Top Ten. All eight were ranked at the end of the season.

Seven of the eight opened the season with at least five consecutive wins.

Of interest to fans of college football’s greatest rivalry, seven of the eight Auburn teams that opened 4-0 defeated cross-state rival Alabama.

The 2009 Auburn Tigers have a long way to go before they can start considering double digit win totals.

Auburn special teams are truly special, particularly if you’re using the term “special” to describe something malformed, hideous and shocking to the senses.

Against Ball State the Tigers fumbled a punt that led to a Cardinal touchdown, attempted a ill-timed and poorly-executed fake punt that helped Ball State put a field goal on the board, committed penalties that nullified the only quality punt and kick off returns, and did a poor job containing Cardinal kick returners.

Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said special teams were his focus after flops against Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State were costly. There seems to be little, if any, improvement.

Kicker Wes Byrum provides lone spark to the woeful special teams effort. Byrum appears to have regained the consistency he showed as a freshman and has been methodically efficient.

Defensive lapses are also particularly troubling.

The Tigers gagged up 30 points to a team that managed just ten against North Texas.

Auburn continues to display a frustrating inability to get the opposition off the field on third down.

Poor tackling continues to plague the Tigers.

Fortunately the Auburn offense has no such issues. Tiger quarterback Chris Todd continues to gain confidence and the Tiger offense has more than compensated for the defensive deficiencies.

Auburn racked up nearly 600 yards against the Cardinals despite sporadic struggles in the rushing game, including a dreadful failure on fourth down in the first quarter.

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 have 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.

Still, the Tigers are 4-0. It’s better to be 4-0 with clearly defined areas in need of improvement than 0-4 and performing at peak efficiency.

From a historical standpoint, the 4-0 start forecasts an expectation-defying season for Auburn.

The last Tiger team to start 4-0 banged out five straight wins, including a gutsy 24-17 win over South Carolina in Columbia. Auburn started 2006 ranked fourth and had a chance to leap into the number one spot before Arkansas derailed the winning streak and bounced Auburn out of the Top Ten 27-10.

The 2006 Tigers finished the season 11-2 and were ranked ninth after knocking off Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.

Other Auburn teams that opened a season with four consecutive wins:

2004 — SEC Champions

Auburn won 13 straight games and finished the season ranked second in the nation. The Tigers were denied a shot in the BCS title game despite playing the toughest schedule among the top three teams and despite beating more top ten teams than the other two competitors combined.

2000 — SEC West Champions

Tommy Tuberville’s second Auburn team roared out to a 5-0 start behind the surprising dominance of junior college transfer Rudi Johnson. The Tigers climbed to 19th in the polls before dropping back-to-back games to Mississippi State and Florida. Auburn finished the year 9-4 after losses to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

Auburn (9-4) closed 2000 ranked 18th.

1997 — SEC West Champions

A year before the Terry Bowden era imploded, quarterback Dameyune Craig helped power Auburn to a 6-0 start. The Tigers clawed their way to sixth in the poll before falling to number seven Florida. The 1997 Tigers lost to Tennessee and Peyton Manning 30-29 in the SEC Championship Game before upending Clemson in the Peach Bowl.

Auburn (10-3) finished the 1997 season ranked 11th.

1993 – 1994

Bowden’s Auburn tenure got off to an incredible start. Despite probation and limited expectations, his first Auburn team clicked off eleven consecutive wins, including a 22-14 win over Alabama.

Even though Auburn was the only major program in the country with an undefeated record of 11-0, the Tigers finished fourth in the polls.

The streak continued through the first nine games of 1994. Georgia halted the winning streak with a 23-23 tie before Alabama upended the Tigers 21-14 to end the season.

Auburn (9-1-1) was ranked ninth in the final poll in 1994.

1988 — SEC Champions

Auburn opened the 1988 campaign ranked seventh. Four wins later, the Tigers had surged to fourth when they visited Baton Rouge for a showdown against LSU Tigers. In a classic SEC bout, the Bayou Bengals set off seismic waves when a fourth quarter touchdown gained a 7-6 win.

The loss was probably the most frustrating of Dye’s career. Three straight shutouts followed and the Tigers only allowed 28 total points over the remaining six games of the season — all wins.

Had Auburn survived LSU, the Tigers would have played a typically overrated Notre Dame team in the Orange Bowl for the national title. Instead, Auburn got a Sugar Bowl bid and fell 13-7 to Deion Sanders and Florida State.

Auburn finished the season 10-2 and ranked eighth. 10-2

1986

In the first year of the post-Bo Jackson era, Pat Dye’s 1998 Tigers churned through seven straight games, rising as high as fifth in the polls, before 20th-ranked Florida rallied in the fourth quarter to eclipse Auburn 18-17. Georgia skimmed past the Tigers 20-16 two weeks later. Auburn smacked Rodney Peete and USC 16-7 in the Florida Citrus Bowl to finish 10-2, seven total points from an undefeated season.

The 10-2 Tigers closed 1986 ranked sixth.

1974

Auburn rolled up seven consecutive wins to open the 1974 campaign. Legendary Tiger coach Shug Jordan was one dismal season away from retirement and this was his last great team.

The Tigers finished 10-2 and were ranked 8th.

1972

One of the most cherished of all Auburn teams, the Amazin’s were expected to flounder after the departure of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Pat Sullivan and record-setting receiver Terry Beasley. The team flourished instead.

Auburn won four straight before a loss at LSU. The Tigers rebounded and knocked out six consecutive wins to close the season. Included in that string was the famous Punt Bama Punt game, an improbable 17-16 Auburn win, and a 27-3 thrashing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Auburn (10-1) finished the season ranked fifth.

1957 – 1971

Auburn started at least 4-0 on five occasions between 1957 and 1971

1971: Auburn won nine straight and finished 9-2
1970: Auburn won its first five and finished 9-2
1963: Six straight to open the season led to a 9-2 finish
1962: Auburn won its first five, but fell to 6-3-1
1957: The National Champion Tigers ran off 10 consecutive wins
1908 – 1921
Auburn opened with at least four consecutive wins in 1921 (5-3 overall), 1919 (8-1 overall), 1917 (6-2-1 overall), 1916 (6-2 overall), 1915 (6-2 overall), 1914 (8-0-1 overall), 1913 (8-0 overall), 1912 (7-1-1 overall), 1909 (6-2 overall), 1908 (6-1 overall), 1907 (7-0 overall), and 1900 (4-0 overall).

Predicting the outcome of an upcoming game normally takes a bit of research, particularly early in the season. For that reason, predictions normally come on Thursday, giving a few days to digest the events of the week that just transpired.

No such research is required this week.

The Auburn Tigers (3-0) will annihilate the Ball State Cardinals (0-3).

Little known fact: Joyce DeWitt, who played Janet on the 70s sitcom Three’s Company is a Ball State alumnus. Even if she and TV co-star Suzanne Sommers (in their prime) were prancing the sidelines Cardinal cheerleader outfits it wouldn’t help Ball State avoid a Saturday thrashing.

Auburn rides buoyed confidence after surviving both a monsoon and early roundhouse kicks from West Virginia 41-30 last Saturday night.

After the Mountaineers connected on a 58-yard pass on the opening series and a 71-yard run on their second possession enroute to a 14-0 first quarter lead, the Auburn defense changed tactics and denied the big play,

West Virginia managed just four plays of 20-plus yards over the remaining three and a half quarters. One of those came on the last snap of the game.

The Mountaineers were intent on making Auburn quarterback Chris Todd beat them with his arm. He did, throwing for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

While the Tigers are cresting, Ball State limps into Saturday’s meeting with more negative momentum than a Scott Baio TV pilot.

The Cardinals are reeling after three losses, one to an abysmal North Texas squad.

Ball State was a bowl team a year ago, but head coach Brady Hoke fled to San Diego State, where he is coincidentally the boss of former Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges.

The Cardinal team that made the GMAC Bowl a year ago is also without record-setting quarterback Nate Davis, who leaped to the NFL and was drafted in the fifth round by San Francisco, as well as a handful of other significant skill players.

Little known fact: Jim Davis, cartoonist and creator of the Garfield comic strip is a graduate of Ball State. Not even Davis could draw up a scenario where the Cardinals have a chance.

North Texas spanked Ball State 20-10 in the opener. The Mean Green followed that with a loss to Ohio (not State) and a 53-7 thrashing at Alabama.

New Hampshire shocked the Cardinals in week two 23-16. The Wildcats are 2-0 with big showdowns against Hofstra, Dartmouth and Towson coming up. That’s right, New Hampshire is 1-AA.

Army punked Ball State 24-17 in the third week of the season. Army lost to Duke 35-19. In football, not basketball.

Of some consolation to Cardinal fans, at least the offense is improving each week. Ten to sixteen to seventeen.

Maybe against an Auburn defense that has struggled at times, Ball State can post 18 or even 19.

The host Tigers will likely match that in the first quarter.

It’s true you can’t do the comparative score analysis because it never works. If it did hold true, you could pencil in a pretty convincing win by LSU over USC given the results of their respective efforts at Washington.

Wait, bad example. Who’s to say those Tigers wouldn’t clock the Trojans? Obviously not ESPUSCN, but you have to look past their cam-crush on Pete and the men from Troy.

Back to Auburn and Ball State.

Little known fact: John Schattner, founder of the Papa John’s Pizza chain, is a graduate of Ball State’s Miller School of Business. Not even Papa John himself can deliver a Cardinal win.

Barring an unforeseen calamity of Biblical proportions, Auburn will win this game.

Since the outcome is all but pre-determined, what should Tiger fans hope to get out of the contest?

One, Auburn needs to get backup quarterback Neil Caudle some reps. Caudle fought his way to the number two slot in the signal calling pecking order and desperately needs to take significant snaps to help prepare him should he be needed in this campaign as well as to season him for his final Auburn campaign in 2010.

Two, the Tigers need to establish depth at the linebacker positions. With true freshmen and walk-ons pressed into duty, it is imperative for Auburn to get them accustomed to game speed. It’s not a matter of if they will be needed as with Caudle, but when.

Three, Auburn must see how it handles success. The win over West Virginia was emotionally draining, physically demanding and mentally challenging. Can the Tigers psych themselves up for an opponent that really offers little challenge?

Sandwiched between the revenge-motivated battle with West Virginia and a looming visit to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers, the Ball State game has all the hallmarks of a trap game.

In the past, Auburn has come out flat in similar circumstances. A week after one of the most physical, emotional games in Auburn history, a 7-3 win over LSU in 2006, the Tigers were listless against Buffalo. Auburn eventually prevailed 38-7, but the starters were unable to get the much-needed rest anticipated.

It is imperative for the Tigers to take Ball State by the throat, dominate early and let the second and third line players gain experience.

Four, Auburn must show it can handle looking ahead. Next week’s visit to Tennessee is one of four linchpins to Auburn’s season. The Rocky Top showdown grew significantly more interesting after the Volunteers tugged on Superman’s cape in the Swamp and effectively thwarted the Gator offense. Tennessee didn’t have enough offensive firepower to engineer a legitimate threat to the Florida dynasty– let’s face it, a wet firecracker has more pop — but the Vol defense sent a message.

The chess match between white-hot Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and wizened Tennessee defensive guru Monte Kiffin will be well worth watching.

On Saturday, none of that anticipation can be in the minds or eyes of the Tigers. Take care of the business at hand first before looking to the next challenge.

Five, Auburn must develop additional weapons. Darvin Adams (three touchdown catches against West Virginia) has established himself as Auburn’s go-to receiver. Ben Tate and Onterrio McCalebb have turned the rushing game on its ear. For the Tigers to have continued success, DeAngelo Benton and Emory Blake must integrate themselves into the offense. Electric Mario Fannin needs more touches.

Ball State provides an opportunity to work on bringing more of the game to those potential game breakers.

And six, the Tiger defense must work on fundamentals. Poor tackling allowed West Virginia to gain positive yards when they should have been stopped for a loss.

Auburn can’t seem to get off the field on third down regardless of the distance. A team can’t surrender third and ten-plus yards and be successful on a consistent basis.

Little known fact: David Letterman, long time host of Late Night with David Letterman on CBS is an alumnus of Ball State. Not even Letterman can find the Top Ten reasons Ball State has a chance against the Tigers.

The last time Auburn and Ball State squared off, the result was a 63-3 Tiger win in 2006. That Auburn team, under Borges, averaged 32 points per game — one of only two Auburn offenses to average more than 30 points per game in the last decade.

The conservative approach once favored by the Tigers is out the window under Malzahn.

Auburn’s new offensive coordinator thrives on a fast pace.  His goal is to find creative ways to neutralize the defense. Malzahn’s offense probes for chinks in the defensive armor and then hammers relentlessly at those cracks until the armor crumbles under the pressure.

Forget field position, Malzahn believes every offensive possession should result in points.

That’s bad news for the Cardinals.

Little known fact: Current Ball State coach Stan Parrish has already led his Cardinals against a Malzahn-coached offense. When Hoke abandoned Muncie for sunny California, Parrish stepped in and directed the Ball State effort in the GMAC Bowl against Tulsa, where Malzahn directed the offense.

With less talent at Tulsa than he has at his disposal at Auburn, Malzahn’s Golden Hurricane offense rolled up 45 points in a 45-13 win.

On Saturday, 45 would be merciful.