There is one silver lining the Auburn Tigers can find this week as they prepare for their Homecoming game: the Bulldogs that will be standing across the field from them this Saturday won't be from the University of Georgia.
After suffering a defeat by the largest margin in 16 years, the Tigers (6-4, 4-3 SEC) can't afford to let their loss to rival Georgia affect them as they prepare for Saturday against the Samford Bulldogs and for archrival Alabama the following week.
Coach Gene Chizik had one comment about his team's preparation after the 45-7 shellacking they received in Athens last week.
"They don't have a choice," Chizik said. "We're going back to work. The only choice is the exit sign over the door if they don't like it."
The Samford Bulldogs (6-4, 4-4 Southern) travel to Auburn for the first time since 1993, when they lost 35-7 in the second game of Auburn's 11-0 season.
Chizik's coaching counterpart should be recognizable to Auburn fans. Pat Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, is in his fifth year as head coach for the Bulldogs and will be honored before the game for the 40th anniversary of winning the first Heisman Trophy in Auburn University history.
Sullivan won't be the only familiar face across the sideline Saturday. Samford offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee was the offensive graduate assistant for Auburn in 2010. Lashlee left Auburn for Samford, but his former boss still holds him in high regard.
"He's an extremely bright young football coach," Chizik said. "He's doing a great job as offensive coordinator there. He's a future star in this business. He's doing a great job, just like I thought he would."
Lashlee had coached under Auburn's offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn dating back to 2004, where he served as an assistant coach at Springdale High School.
One of the biggest losses last Saturday in Athens wasn't on the scoreboard, but in the defensive backfield.
Starting cornerback T'Sharvan Bell went down with a knee injury that will cost him the remainder of his junior year.
His position will be filled by three freshmen: Jermaine Whitehead, Robenson Therezie and Jonathon Mincy.
"We'll rotate those guys in there," Chizik said. "One of those guys is going to have to step up. We'll let them battle it out during the week and see who has the best week of practice."
Even with the offensive struggles of late, Michael Dyer has remained a stalwart for the Auburn running game.
Last Saturday, Dyer became the fifth running back in Auburn history to pass the 1,000-yard plateau in consecutive seasons.
Dyer joined James Brooks, James Joseph, Stephen Davis and Carnell Williams as the only other running backs to achieve this mark.
While the Tigers have struggled this season, their strength of schedule is not to be overlooked.
All four of Auburn's losses have come on the road and have been to the Nos. 1, 6, 7 and 14 teams in the current BCS rankings.
Based on the opponent's cumulative record, Auburn is tied with Kansas for the most difficult schedule in the nation. Auburn's opposition has a total record of 58-33 for a winning percentage of .637.
No matter which Bulldogs await them on the other sideline, the Tigers have one goal this Saturday.
"We have one goal in this room united, and that is that we are going to go out and work really hard to get our seventh win," Chizik said.
Auburn vs. Samford will air on pay-per-view Saturday at noon.
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