Auburn at Tennessee Football 2009

Potent Offense Meets Tough Defense in SEC Game at Knoxville

Sep 28, 2009

The Auburn Tigers have been cruising along just fine in their first season under head coach Gene Chizik. This weekend, they'll find out how good they've become.

Auburn faces Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference football game Saturday, Oct. 3, in Knoxville, Tenn. The 7:45 EST contest, which will be telecast by ESPN, will pit one of the nation's most lethal offenses against one of the top defenses.

The Tigers (4-0 overall, 1-0 in the SEC) have put up eye-popping numbers this season. They rank third in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision in both total offense (526.3 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.3 points per game).

But they haven't faced a defense like that of Tennessee, which ranks eighth in total defense with an average of 233 yards allowed per game. Coach Lane Kiffin's Volunteers (2-2) lost their only previous SEC game, which was a 23-13 decision to top-ranked Florida.

And they struggled with underdog Ohio University last weekend before pulling out a 34-23 win. Their defense got banged up while giving up an uncharacteristically high 340 yards, which were 17 more than they yielded to Florida.

How will Tennessee hold up against Auburn's high-pressure attack? Yet how will the Tigers respond to playing in Neyland Stadium? They haven't played away from home all season.

New Offensive Coordinator Fires Up Auburn Attack

Auburn ranked 104th in total offense last season, but has thrived under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. A guru of the no-huddle offense, Malzahn has the Tigers slicing through the opposition at a rapid rate.

The Tigers are averaging 265 yards passing and 261.2 yards running per game. And despite putting up a lot of passes, they've only allowed two sacks.

Quarterback Chris Todd is 62-of-106 passing for 1,012 yards and 11 TDs, against just one interception. Kodi Burns, who shared the QB job with Todd last season, is occasionally inserted to take the snaps out of the "Wildcat" formation. Auburn's running game, meanwhile, has been taken care of quite well by the likes of Ben State (72 rushes, 412 yards, 1 TD) and freshman Onterio McCalebb (54 rushes, 365 yards, 3 TDs).

And the Tigers also have highly effective pass-catchers like 6-3 sophomore Darvin Adams (20 catches, 334 yards, 5 TDs), fullback Mario Fanin (13 catches, 22 yards, 2 TDs) and explosive Terrell Zachery (11 catches, 276 yards, 3 TDs).

Tigers Defense Picking Off Plenty of Passes

The Auburn defense hasn't enjoyed the spectacular success of its offense, but it's performed quite solidly while yielding 327/8 yards per game.

The Tigers, who are yielding 327.8 yards per game, have forced 12 turnovers, including eight interceptions. Auburn's also recorded 10 sacks.

Linebackers Josh Byrnes and Craig Stevens are both averaging over eight tackles a game. Byrnes leads the team with 34 tackles, including one for a safety. Stevens has 32, including four stops for losses and 1.5 sacks.

Defensive backs Neiko Thorpe and Zach Etheridge, have added 23 and 22 tackles respectively, and star defensive end Antonio Coleman has recorded 4.5 tackles four losses, 2.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries. The senior has 19 tackles overall.

It's certainly no secret that Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton's been plagued by interceptions throughout his career. But Kiffin had him fire away vs. Ohio last week with mixed results.

Crompton was 17-for-34 passing for 222 yards and a pair of TDs. He was intercepted once, racing his season total to eight. But the Vols still rode the legs of Montario Hardesty, who ran for 140 yards.

Hadesty's been Tennessee's most effective weapon, running 84 times for 485 yards and four touchdowns. Freshman Bryce Brown's also been a strong backfield threat, carrying 43 times for 226 yards and a TD, and catching seven passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Other receiving threats include Quintin Hancock (11 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD), fullback Kevin Cooper (7 catches, 95 yards 1 TD), Brandon Warren (7 catches, 54 yards, 2 TDs) and tight end Luke Stocker (4 receptions, 33 yards 2 TDs).

The Vols are gaining a decidedly average 368.5 yards per game, including 197.2 rushing.

Vols Defense Hopes to Overcome Injuries

The Tennessee defense was already banged up entering the Ohio game, and came out of it with even more aches and pains. Worst of all, middle linebacker Nick Reveiz suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Reveiz, a junior who rose from walk-on to team leader, is the Vols' No. 3 tackler with 27 tackles, including 4.5 losses.

No. 1 on the list is All-American safety Eric Berry, who has 31 tackles, including 20 solo. Linebacker Rico McCoy is second with 28. The defensive line has been anchored by Dan Williams (17 tackles) and Chris Walker (15 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 interception).

Linebacker LaMarcus Thompson, who sat out last week's game because of injury, has 15 tackles, including 3.5 for losses.

Tennessee is allowing only 87 yards rushing per game. The Vols have recorded 10 sacks and forced eight turnovers.

Auburn-Tennessee Series History

Saturday's game will be the 45th between the teams. Auburn leads the series 26-21-3, and has won the last four – including a 14-12 triumph last season. But Tennessee is 14-8-1 against the Tigers at Knoxville.

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