When SEC West foe LSU visited The Plains on Sept. 24, there was more than uncertainty surrounding Auburn and head coach Gus Malzahn.
A narrow victory that included 18 points from field goals alone has launched Auburn to five straight victories and the ability to make the race to Atlanta interesting.
The Tigers from Baton Rouge were entering the weekend with one loss to Wisconsin and Auburn had already suffered two defeats to top 10 opponents in Clemson and Texas A&M.
Many believed that Les Miles and Malzahn were coaching to keep their jobs that night. At least for one side, that proved to be true. While things looked bright for Auburn and bleak for LSU, both sets of Tigers in the west now look to compete with the top of the conference.
As we head into November, Alabama is the obvious top dog. While they continue to impress, and have shown no signs of weakness thus far, their remaining schedule has become more interesting than once expected.
The tests for the Tide begin this weekend in Death Valley as Nick Saban and his team take on LSU.
While Auburn must take care of its own business this weekend as they play host to Vanderbilt, they can also hope to see a Tiger victory on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium (just because). In order for LSU to keep their hopes alive they must win out, and Auburn must lose once more.
For Auburn, an Alabama loss on Saturday is not crucial, but will prove that the Tide are beatable. However, winning out and a Texas A&M loss are musts for the Tigers. Both are very possible because of the way Auburn is playing and the remaining Texas A&M schedule that includes visits from Ole Miss and LSU.
Expect to see the same from Auburn in the upcoming weeks before the Iron Bowl.
Kamryn Pettway will likely reach the 1,000 yard mark this Saturday, and a healthy Kerryon Johnson will add to the strong rushing attack that the Tigers have maintained in recent weeks.
Vanderbilt and head coach Derek Mason, who have already knocked off Georgia on the road, will bring one of the top running backs in the conference in Ralph Webb to The Plains this weekend. A well coached Commodore squad will play tough, but with less than stellar quarterback and defensive play, should be no match for the Tiger defense specifically. Auburn fans may be spoiled by the 53 point beat down that occurred last time the Tigers were at home,but this one should not be close.
If the Vanderbilt and Georgia games are closer than many would like, it will not be because of a struggling Auburn team, but because of “vanilla” play calling leading into a potential top ten showdown in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Trips to Athens, Georgia, and Tuscaloosa will be tall tasks, but do not count this Tiger team out.
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