FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

However, they toss out this disclaimer after ranking Virginia Tech at #4: “Take the teams from No. 5 to, roughly, No. 35, throw them in a bag and pick them out, and you’d probably have the right order.”

Check it out:

5. Auburn 4-0

Last Week: W, Ball State 54-30
This Week: at Tennessee

Why the ranking is too high: The special teams are struggling a bit with no return game, and the home win over West Virginia a few weeks ago was a bit shaky needing turnovers to win. Auburn hasn’t gone on the road yet and now has to go away for three of the next four games.

Why the ranking is too low: The 49-24 win over Mississippi State in Week Two now looks really, really strong. The offensive line has been fantastic, and after the win over Ball State, Chris Todd and the passing game proved they can move the offense if needed.

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).

Auburn backed up its opening week win with a thorough beating of Mississippi State in their SEC opener. The offense again exceeded expectations, and the outcome of the game was never in doubt in the second half. Gene Chizik has to get his team ready for a prime time showdown with West Virginia, but first, I want to look back at a few things from Saturday’s game.

1. Gus Malzahn is keeping his word.

He said he would put a renewed emphasis on running the ball. And that’s exactly what he has done. The rushing attack has been dominant in both games thus far. It has created big plays and opened up passing lanes for Chris Todd. Anytime you rush for nearly 400 yards in an SEC game, you’re doing something right. Malzahn is smart to ride the deepest portion of the offense (the running backs) for as long as its working. Teams will start loading the box to stop the run, leaving them vulnerable to the pass.

2. Eltoro!

It was great to see Eltoro Freeman out there for the Auburn defense. He provided some much needed depth at linebacker and brought some fire and energy to the team. Hopefully he can stay healthy, because he will develop into a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.

3. Big plays, little things.

There’s something different about this team that has been missing for the last couple years. It’s big plays. The running game is gashing defenses. Malzahn is letting Chris Todd throw down the field. The defense is making plays (see Antonio Coleman’s incredible interception return). It gets difficult to drive the ball 80 yards in this conference. Big plays provide easy yards and deflate opposing defenses.

The other impressive thing is that the team seems to be doing the little things right. Kodi Burns did an incredible blocking job to spring Onterio McCalebb to his first half touchdown. Gang tackling has been a theme so far. There haven’t been any unsportsmanlike penalties that I can think of. These are the things that must continue for the wins to keep coming.

4. Special teams needs work.

Punt returns have been an adventure. Auburn has been lucky enough to recover two muffed punts so far, one in each game. The new punt formation got a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown, giving State a short-lived lead. Kick returns haven’t been successful and kick coverage has only been adequate. On the positive side, Wes Byrum has looked good and Morgan Hull did a great job on kicking the ball deep against Mississippi State.

Special teams is an area where Auburn fans have been pretty spoiled. Tommy Tuberville always put a huge emphasis on them and used starters to play nearly every position on every special team. Little mistakes in the kicking game can be the difference in winning and losing, so that needs to be addressed and corrected soon.

5. Auburn fans: ENJOY this!

I was struck by how many people managed to find things to complain about after Saturday’s game. I mean, people do realize how much better things look right now don’t they? Obviously there have been mistakes. Even Florida’s players mess up sometimes. They’re college kids after all. The defense is just fine. The offense is better than anyone could have reasonably expected. So ENJOY it! Take the bad with all the good that has been shown so far, and be reasonable fans.

War Eagle everybody! I’ll have a week 3 preview up later this week!

It seems like it’s been a long time since Auburn football was fun.

It hasn’t really, but the ache of 2008 was so strong that it feels like Auburn fans have been wandering the proverbial desert for 40 years.

New offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan is well on the road to changing that dynamic.

In his first two games with the Tigers, Malzhan has helped shred the team’s offensive record books, sent the scoreboard pinwheeling and put the Tigers at as solid a 2-0 as could have possibly been hoped for.

To say that Malzhan’s offense has so far exceeded expectations is like saying Kate Beckinsale is sort of pretty.

The evolution of that offense and the potential it brings to a Tiger team that has watched numerous seasons bog down with offensive inefficiency, adds a whole new dimension to fun at Jordan Hare Stadium.

How fun was Saturday night’s 49-24 demolition of Mississippi State?

It was mascot Aubie dancing with the band fun.

In the game’s final five minutes, fans were watching a play-by-play yardage total on the Jumbotron, urging the second team to gain a few more yards so Auburn could top 600 total on the night.

The Tigers didn’t quite get there, finishing with 589. Still, it was the second straight 500-plus yard outing for a Tiger offense that had difficulty gaining any yardage a year ago.  Through two games, the Tigers have amassed a school-record 1,145 yards.

Auburn didn’t break the 1,100 yard mark as a team until the fourth game of 2008.

Ben Tate and Onterrio McCalebb both topped the 100-yard mark for the second straight time. It’s the first time in school history two backs have gone over 100 yards in consecutive games.

Tate finished with 157 yards and didn’t play a single snap in the first quarter.  McCalebb added 115 on just 15 carries.  Both Tate and McCalebb averaged more than seven yards per attempt.

Tate finished 2008 with 664 yards, even after rushing for 117 in the season opener. The Tiger senior has racked up 272 already in 2009.

Kodi Burns ran for three touchdowns and passed for another on a well executed run fake that drew the entire Mississippi State defense in.

Auburn put up 49 points (and should have had more) against a Mississippi State team traditionally known for its defense.

Auburn scored more than 40 points only once in the last three seasons: a 55-20 win over New Mexico State in 2007.

The combined total of 86 points through two games is the best since Auburn put 63 on Ball State and followed that with 37 against Western Kentucky in 2005.

Auburn’s two-game total margin of victory, 49 points, is the widest of any two consecutive games since Auburn blasted Washington State 40-14 and then hammered Mississippi State 34-0 in 2006.

Last season’s well-chronicled 5-7 debacle aside, Auburn won a lot of games over the last few years. The Tigers posted nine wins in 2005, 11 in 2006 and nine more in 2007.

So many of those were gut wrenching, close ball games where the Tigers relied on their defense to hold the opposition at bay while the offense did just enough to win.  The record is littered with 23-17, 22-15, 17-3 type scores.

Former head coach Tommy Tuberville, despite a reputation as a riverboat gambler, grew increasingly conservative over the course of his 10-year Auburn tenure.

The 2009 edition of the Tigers under new head coach Gene Chizik seemingly has no such conservative bent.

Case in point: Mississippi State blocked a second quarter punt to take a 17-14 lead with just 4:44 remaining in the first half.

In previous seasons, the Tigers might have been content to play it safe, run out the clock and plan for the second half.

No longer. Auburn roared 80 yards in just five plays, burning a mere 1:36 off the clock to retake the lead. McCalebb covered the final 48 yards on a charge around left end.

When the defense held Mississippi State to one first down on its ensuing possession, the Auburn coaching staff judiciously used its timeouts to preserve the clock.

Auburn got the ball back at its own 22 with just 1:29 remaining.

Sit on the ball and protect the lead? No thanks.

Todd hit Darvin Adams for 21 yards on a third and eight.

After a five-yard bullrush by Tate, Todd and Adams connected again for 28 yards.  A 20-yard Todd to Adams completion moved the ball to the Bulldog one with 21 seconds still remaining.

Burns plunged in from there for one of his three touchdowns on the night.

Instead of taking a 17-14 deficit and a basket of questions to the halftime locker room, the Tigers posted two scores in the final 4:44 and carried a truckload of confidence to the break.

The Bulldogs were never a factor after that.

Yes, it’s only Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State.  Tech may struggle this season as evidenced by the 32-7 thrashing administered by Navy on Saturday.

MSU may not win a single conference game and most observers peg the Bulldogs as the league’s worst team.

But the Auburn of the last five years didn’t beat the Louisiana Techs and Mississippi States as thoroughly as this Auburn team did.  Those Auburn teams won more than their share of games.

It’s too early to begin building the Gene Chizik pedestal. It’s not time to start minting the Gene Chizik coins.  Unless you live in Iowa, where that was already done, that is.

It is time to recognize that if nothing else, Chizik and his staff have found a way to make football at Auburn fun again.

Now it’s time to see if they can make the Tigers relevant.  The road to relevance starts with 2-0 West Virginia on Saturday.

A year ago Auburn and Mississippi State waged one of the ugliest football games in the history of the college sport.

Auburn prevailed 3-2 on the strength of a 35-yard Wes Byrum field goal in the second quarter.

It was Chris Todd’s first full game as the starter after sharing duties with Kodi Burns, and Todd was serviceable, hitting 15 of 26 passes for 154 yards.

Ben Tate topped the century mark, rushing for 102 yards.

But the Tigers couldn’t score. While Byrum hit the second quarter field goal, he also missed an 18-yard attempt and flubbed a 38-yarder.

Auburn was a miserable three of 16 on third down conversions. Only two drives consisted of eight plays; nine covered five or fewer.

The Tigers’ last two offensive possessions ended in fumbles.

It was a hideous display. Everything about Auburn’s offensive effort looked out of sync.

The only consolation was that for all Auburn’s offensive woes, the Tiger defense was devastatingly effective.

Mississippi State did not convert a single third down the entire game. The Bulldogs’ most effective possession covered 22 yards in five plays and ended in a punt.

MSU punted an astounding 10 times.

When the Bulldogs recovered a Todd fumble at the Tiger 32, the defense denied the scoring threat. MSU penetrated only as far as the Tiger 21 and then failed to convert a field goal opportunity.

That’s one primary reason why Auburn will beat Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Tiger defense has traditionally handled whatever Mississippi State has thrown at it.   Since 2001, the Bulldogs have scored a grand total of 76 points against the Tigers.  MSU managed a mere 22 over the last four years.  In the last nine meetings, MSU is 2-7 against the Tigers.

The Tiger defense should be able to control the offensive schemes of new Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen, who will learn that life in the SEC is a little tougher when you don’t have Tim Tebow running the show.

MSU Coach Dan Mullen

Mullen’s Bulldogs will still be extremely dangerous, particularly with Chris Relf calling the shots.

After MSU’s mediocre first half in the season opener under starter Tyson Lee, Relf came on and led the Bulldogs to scores on five of six second half possessions.

The 6′3″, 230-lb. redshirt sophomore may have wrangled the starting job away from Lee, who opened against Jackson State on Saturday but left in the second quarter and did not return to action.

The Bulldogs looked quicker and more polished against Jackson State than they did all last season, but Jackson State isn’t exactly SEC caliber.

In a head-to-head matchup, the edge goes to the Auburn defense.

Auburn’s front four should control the line of scrimmage, and that will take pressure off the greener secondary.

The question for the Tigers is whether Auburn’s emerging offensive firepower can overcome the Bulldog defense.

To paraphrase the president, “yes, they can.”

Take away the last two stunted seasons, where Auburn would have had difficulty putting points on the board against a team of junior high cheerleaders, and Auburn averages close to 30 points per game since 2001.

Over the last four years, while State cobbled together just 22 (19 of that coming in a 19-14 win in 2007), Auburn posted 79 points.

Auburn’s offense under new coordinator Gus Malzahn showed signs of evolving last week against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers played with much greater confidence and poise.

The infusion of speed in the person of SEC freshman Onterio McCalebb adds a new dimension to the Tiger backfield.

Byrum seems to have rectified the yips that plagued his sophomore season and kicked the ball with greater authority.

Mississippi State’s defense won’t hold Auburn to three points again, and that  bodes well for the Tigers.

Mississippi State will likely be better on offense under Mullen, but the down side for the Bulldogs is that Auburn should be significantly improved under Malzhan.

Auburn is probably two touchdowns a game better on offense than they were at this point last season.

With the Tiger defense holding State in check, that boosted confidence and production will be more than enough.

Even if that supposition turns out not to be true, the tale told in Saturday intangibles points to the Bulldogs’ demise.

When Mississippi State took the field against Jackson State on Saturday, the team performed a choreographed dance routine that included more moves than a Lady Gaga video.

The pre-game dance ended with players jumping in unison and barking. One word came to mind as the spectacle unfolded: undisciplined.

The Bulldogs were just that.

Mississippi State committed a dozen penalties that cost them 152 yards. The Bulldogs put the ball on the ground four times, losing two. Bulldog kicker Sean Brauchle missed two very makeable field goals, one from 38 yards and another from 37.

Those are the kinds of things that will get you killed in the SEC.

Auburn faced a tougher opponent than Mississippi State did in week one and showed greater poise in completing its assignments.

At home, under the lights, that gives the Tigers more than enough of an advantage.

The Tigers should pull away down the stretch and give Gene Chizik his first SEC win and a realistic shot at opening his Auburn tenure 4-0.

Fresh off an exciting 37-13 win over a good Louisiana Tech team, the Auburn football team will be paid a visit by Mississippi State on Saturday night. First year head man Dan Mullen guided the Bulldogs to a convincing win over Jackson State in Week 1. Now it’s the SEC opener for him and for new Auburn coach Gene Chizik.

It’s an important game for Auburn to win if they want to support the idea that the demons of last season are fully eliminated. Last year, Auburn staggered to a 3-2 win in Starkville. The defense played an incredible game, but the offense kept trying to lose it. I think Mississippi State will be better than advertised this year, but this is a game at home that Auburn should win. Here’s a few things to watch for on Saturday night:

Turnovers – Two years ago in this series, Auburn lost the game mostly because of turnovers. Chris Todd did a great job of protecting the ball last week, but two costly fumbles (Ben Tate, Darvin Adams) need to be eliminated for SEC play. Can Auburn force the two quarterback system in place at State to turn the ball over? If so, Auburn might win fairly convincingly. If Auburn commits the turnovers, the game will be much too close for comfort.

Auburn Tigers QB Chris Todd

The Running Game – Mississippi State has some quality running backs. Anthony Dixon returns after a one game suspension, and Christian Ducre is another solid back. Both teams want to run the ball first out of their new spread attacks. Whichever team establishes the running game more successfully has a huge advantage in the game.

Momentum – How will Auburn’s players and coaches handle the praise they have received this week? Last week was a trap game. And while this is an SEC game and it shouldn’t be a problem, it will be interesting to see the intensity with which the team plays as they’re expected to win. I hope to see the same loose, fun, yet focused attitude displayed last week. Having another game under the lights at Jordan-Hare will help create more of a home field advantage. Can they continue the momentum that started last weekend?

Linebackers – They were very productive last week. Will Eltoro Freeman play this week? Adam Herring did a good job in his place last week. They will be key in stopping the run and limiting the intermediate passing game of the Bulldogs.

Special Teams – In the history of this series, Mississippi State tends to play Auburn close, even when they’re not expected to. In close games, special teams are vital. I hope it doesn’t come down to a field goal or an important punt to flip the field position. But if it does, can Auburn’s special teams units come through in the clutch?

Things to watch for around the country:

USC @ Ohio State – Obviously this is a huge game with national title implications. How will true freshman Matt Barkley respond while playing in the Horseshoe? Is Ohio State a legitimate top 10 team? We’ll know a lot more about both teams after this one is over.

SEC matchups begin – South Carolina @ Georgia and Vanderbilt @ LSU provides some interesting storylines to begin the SEC slate. Georgia absolutely needs a win to curb some of the criticism from last week’s loss, and LSU still has questions about their defense after Washington moved the ball so well. It’s good to have SEC matchups back on the schedule.

Notre Dame @ Michigan – Both teams looked impressive in their openers, but which team is for real? Whichever team can advance to 2-0 on the year will be in the ESPN spotlight for weeks to come.

UCLA @ Tennessee – Can Lane Kiffin avenge the Vols’ loss in the Rose Bowl last year? It certainly looks like Tennessee will be much improved, but they will have to perform that way against a quality opponent. I think this is a huge swing game for UT – if they lose, it’s going to be pretty devastating to their record in the long run with Florida, Auburn and Georgia coming up in the next few weeks. But if they can win, Tennessee @ Florida will be extremely entertaining next week.

Upset Special – Watch for Connecticut to at least stick around and make it a game against North Carolina, and don’t be surprised if Vanderbilt plays LSU on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

Enjoy the games this weekend! I’ll have a recap of the weekend’s action at the beginning of next week…War Eagle!

Kickoff Time: 6:00 p.m. CT

JORDAN-HARE STADIUM

TELEVISION – FOX SPORTS NET

Bob Rathbun Play-by-play

Dave Archer Analyst

Jenn Hildreth Sidelines

Auburn Vs. Mississippi State SERIES

AU leads, 57-23-2

at Auburn AU leads, 25-6

at Starkville AU leads, 11-4-1

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 3, MSU 2

Sept. 16, 2008 in Starkville, MS

Current Streak AU, W1

Auburn Tigers Under the Lights

The Tigers have accumulated a record of 16-3 since the 2000 season in home games starting at 6 p.m. or later

Point Spread: -14 Auburn

Source: AuburnTigers.cstv.com

]]> http://auburnwareaglegameday.com/preview/auburn-vs-mississippi-state-preview/feed/ 0 http://auburnwareaglegameday.com/matt-donaldson/an-obsessive-auburn-fans-thoughts-week-1-recap/ http://auburnwareaglegameday.com/matt-donaldson/an-obsessive-auburn-fans-thoughts-week-1-recap/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:33:58 +0000 Admin http://auburnwareaglegameday.com/?p=203 By Matt Donaldson

Auburn freshman running back Onterio McCalebb has been named the Southeastern Conference Football Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

McCalebb rushed for 148 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown during Auburn’s season-opening 37-13 victory over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. He also added 49 yards on two kickoff returns, giving him an SEC-leading 197 all-purpose yards.

McCalebb became the first Auburn freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game in a season opener since Bo Jackson rushed for 123 yards against Wake Forest in 1982. McCalebb’s total was the highest ever for an Auburn freshman in a season opener, and the seventh highest total by an Auburn freshman in any game.

After totaling 40 yards on the ground during the first half in just six carries, McCalebb exploded for 108 yards on 16 rushes, including a 3-yard touchdown, in the second half. Five of his 22 carries, including four in the second half, went for at least 10 yards.

Auburn (1-0) will host Mississippi State (1-0) in the SEC opener for both schools this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by Fox Sports Net.