Countdown to Kickoff – Week 8

Auburn coach looks to overcome missteps

The Auburn football team was a masterpiece this past September.

What happened every other month of the season – well, that was a bit of a different story.

After an undefeated opening month that saw the Tigers average more than 45 points per game, while rolling to a perfect 4-0 record, Auburn limped to a 4-5 finish to the season.

So with last year’s bitter October and November still on their minds, consistency is the story of the Tigers’ recent spring practices.

“Every play makes our team better,” Chizik told reporters following the spring game. “We’ve tried to make our guys more accountable and be a better player and part of that is the mistakes we made last year as a football team.”

To find a more stable foundation for success, the Tigers will probably need to look to a couple of factors.

Firstly, Auburn will likely need to get more steady production from their offense, headed by highly-touted offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. In Auburn’s eight wins last season, the Tigers averaged more than 42 points per game.

But in the team’s five losses, Auburn limped to just 18 points per game, including a 31-10 thrashing at the hands of LSU in Tiger Stadium.

Junior quarterback Cameron Newton was named the team’s starting quarterback in the spring, a move Chizik hopes will stabilize the offense heading toward the fall.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pound specimen joined the Tigers’ program after a decorated junior college career at Blinn College in Texas.

Newton beat out last season’s backup Neil Caudle after spring practices, despite Caudle completing 17-of-21 passes for 199 yards in the team’s spring game.

Newton was just 3-of-8 in the same game, but had 80 yards passing in his three completions.

“What our offense is all about is making big plays,” Chizik said.

Malzahn agreed and said whether Newton, Caudle or someone else is under center, he believes a playmaker will be playing quarterback for Auburn this fall.

“All four are quality quarterbacks and all can perform. They are four quality people,” Malzahn said.

And while this competition is already decided on paper, both Chizik and Caudle have said competition will ensue in the fall.

“We just have to go back and keep working, keep trying to earn the job,” Caudle said.

In addition to finding relief under center, the Tigers’ defense will likely have to improve if Auburn hopes to become a legitimate Southeastern Conference threat in 2010.

The Tigers allowed 30 or more points in seven games last season – including a 44-23 loss against Arkansas.

There was both good and bad on the defensive side of the football in the team’s spring practices.

On the good was the final score of the game was 21-17, which means scoring was at a bit of a premium.

But on the bad was the Tigers’ mostly unheralded quarterbacks combined to pass for 488 yards and three touchdowns against Auburn’s defensive backs.

Despite last season’s struggles, Auburn does return several stalwarts of last year’s unit, including senior defensive end Antoine Carter, senior defensive back Demond Washington and senior defensive end Michael Goggans.

Carter said despite showing signs of improvement in the spring, the Tigers need to be better when the games begin to matter in the standings.

“We can improve all around still. We haven’t arrived yet, and we want to keep working every day,” he said.

Washington agreed and said while Auburn was known last season for its explosive offense, it is the team’s defense that will likely have a footprint on the team’s final record.

“We still need to get better,” he said.

Auburn Tigers

2009 Record: 8-5

Starters Returning: 15

Key Returners: Quarterback Neil Caudle, halfback Onterio McCalebb defensive end Antoine Carter, defensive back Demond Washington and defensive end Michael Goggans

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 33.31 points per game

Scoring Defense: 27.5 points allowed per game

Total Offense: 431.7 yards per game

Total Defense: 374.0 yards allowed per game

Steelers work on ‘quality depth, competition’

Whether the blame is placed on the myriad of key-player injuries that plagued the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 season, or if it was a simple clichéd case of losing focus and falling from grace after achieving their sixth Lombardi trophy in 2008, the Steel Curtain’s inconsistent performance made for a disappointing and lackluster season.

The Steelers’ gridiron struggle began with the 2009 season opener against the Tennessee Titans. Steelers’ defensive end Aaron Smith blocked a field goal attempt, and in an effort to recover the ball, the Steelers’ backfield powerhouse, strong safety Troy Polamalu went down after Titans’ tight end Alge Crumpler fell on his left knee. Polamalu was out for the rest of the game (and a majority of the season) after registering six tackles and an interception in the first half. The game went into overtime before the Steelers could pull a three-point victory.

“He’s the main cog. Everybody knows that,” Steelers free safety Ryan Clark said of Polamalu to FOX News. “This defense looked totally different when you don’t have Troy, and it’s not just the hair.”

Without Polamalu, Steelers’ defense suffered in 2009, and not only the secondary. And although the 2010 starting defense is the same unit that won the Super Bowl in 2008 including a healthy Polamalu, players like Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel and James Farrior are all over the age of 30. The Steelers needed to address their defensive needs in the 2010 draft.

With draft picks including Thaddeus Gibson, outside linebacker from Ohio State, and Jason Worilds, outside linebacker from Virginia Tech, the Steelers hope to get back to playing “smash mouth” football in 2010.

“I hope they are capable of [being] kickoff coverage unit men,” Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin said at a press conference. “If they can do an adequate job of that, then we’ll get to see if they are capable of rushing the passer. They are two quality, young, 250-pound-ish men, if you will. Of course, we value that here in Pittsburgh. We believe that’s a formula for winning football.”

In order to win games, the Steelers will be focused on a different offensive plan, too. With MVP star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out on a four- to six-game suspension imposed by commissioner Roger Goodell, the Steelers will have to build their running game and rely on backup quarterbacks Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch.

“Right now, we’re going to work with all three of these men that will of course be a part of the program in the short term and see where they are,” Tomlin said.

The Steelers will rely on returning running back Rashard Mendenhall, who gained 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

“It’s no question we want a quality running game,” Tomlin said.

Maurkice Pouncey, the center from Florida and the Steelers’ first round draft pick, will start at right guard to help create holes for the running back and anchor the offensive line for the upcoming season.

“Quality depth and competition has been our mantra here for the offseason. We followed that plan in free agency and we were able to follow that plan here in the draft as well,” Tomlin said. “We truly believe that we strengthened ourselves for the challenges that await us here in the 2010 season. It’s going to be fun to watch these guys carve out roles for themselves along with some of the new veteran players that we acquired and we’re excited about it.”

Pittsburgh Steelers

2009 Record: 9-7

Starters Returning: 18

Key Returners: Safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker James Harrison, receiver Hines Ward, halfback Rashard Mendenhall, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 23.0 ppg

Scoring Defense: 20.2 papg

Total Offense: 371.3 ypg

Total Defense: 305.3 yapg

McNeese replaces most of its offensive production

After taking on Central Arkansas at home, the Nicholls State Colonels will face off with McNeese State – a team who by this time in the season will have plenty seasoning playing quality opponents.

The Cowboys play road games at Missouri and at LSU two weeks before hosting Nicholls.

And although Central Arkansas would love to have a great showing against the Colonels, Stephen F. Austin may be the game circled on their calendars.

The reason: revenge.

A three-point loss to Stephen F Austin cost the 8-3 Cowboys an outright Southland Conference Championship last season.

Despite the early-season loss, the Cowboys rattled off six-straight conference victories to finish second and qualify for the FCS playoffs, where they lost in the first round to New Hampshire.

But in an improving Southland Conference, the graduation of their starting quarterback Derrick Fourroux (25 TDs in 2009), starting running back Todd Pendland (19 TDs in 2009) and three of their top four pass catchers Immanuel Friddle, Chad Davis and Wes Mangan (seven TDs in 2009) could prove to be too much for the Cowboys to overcome.

Five quarterbacks entered spring football with an opportunity to compete for the starting job, and things got even more muddled when Jacob Bower transferred from Tulsa to McNeese in June.

Because Bower is transferring from an FBS to an FCS school, he is allowed to play immediately.

With no starting quarterback named at the conclusion of the spring season, the previously highly touted Bower doesn’t have the luxury of being able to focus on just beating out one guy.

“So far I think that all of them have distinguished themselves in some way,” Viator said to mcneesesports.com after a spring practice. “It’s a work in progress.”

In McNeese’s annual Blue/Gold game, redshirt freshman and Florida transfer Zack O’Quinn started for the Blue and went 7-for-14 for 130 yards, a touchdown and an interception while fellow redshirt freshman Cody Stroud started for the Gold and went 16-for-23 for163 yards and a touchdown.

Other quarterback competitors Blake Barousse and Trent Whitley saw limited playing time while Zack Fourroux, younger brother of former starter Derrick Fourroux, missed the spring game due to injury.

Although the Cowboys must replace Pendland’s more than 1,000 yards and almost 20 touchdowns at halfback, the Cowboys run-oriented attack allowed a pair of freshmen to get a piece of the pie and experience last year.

Donaldsonville native Champlain Babin had five touchdowns and 395 yards on 66 carries while Javaris Murray had two touchdowns and 251 yards on 42 carries last year.

On defense, the Cowboys will rely on the return of 10 starters, including junior defensive end Desmund Lighten, who made 77 tackles last year and earned an All-Southland Conference First Team award.

Additionally, the Cowboys entire starting defensive backfield is back for another crack at the conference championship.

This year’s defense, comprised mostly of underclassmen who started for the first time last year, will look to gel in 2010 and improve upon their 25.2 points allowed per game average.

However, they may not have the luxury of an offense that put up an average of 37 points per game like the Cowboys did last year.

McNeese State

2009 Record: 9-3 (6-1 Southland Conference)

Starters Returning: 14

Key Returners: Tight end Corday Clark, defensive end Desmund Lighten, safeties Malcolm Bronson and Darrell Jenkins

2009 STATS

Scoring Offense: 27 ppg

Scoring Defense: 25.2 papg

Total Offense: 443 ypg

Total Defense: 349.5 yapg