Auburn vs. Tennessee Pre-Game Notes

Auburn Football Fans:

War Eagle!  This is the Auburn Tigers vs. the Tennessee Volunteers issue of the AuburnFootball.com Tiger Insider Newsletter.  The game will be played Saturday, September 27, 2008 in Auburn at 2:30pm.  The game will be broadcast nationally on the CBS television network (http://www.auburnfootball.com/local-cbs-affiliates.htm).  This is a series renewal for the schools, as they had played each other every year until the SEC divided into divisions.  The last time Auburn played Tennessee was in 2004, when Auburn beat Tennessee, both in the regular season, and in the SEC championship game.  Auburn has fell to 15^th in the latest AP polls, and in coming off a very disappointing loss to Florida, Tennessee is unranked.

A quick personal note, I grew up as a huge “Big Orange” fan in Pulaski, Tennessee.  However, it didn’t take me long to fall in love with Auburn, especially once I was on campus, and I graduated from the Plains in 1992.  Now that I am a hard-core Auburn fan and alumni, I have found that Alabama fans get especially irritated when I tell them that I cheer for two SEC schools – Auburn first of course, and secondly, Tennessee.  To me, the Auburn – Tennessee rivalry has always been a friendly rivalry, and has never effused the bitter hatred and anger that seems to exist between Alabama and Tennessee, and for that matter, Alabama and Auburn.  War Eagle!

Quoting Coach Tuberville about the game:

“After last week's game, we're all disappointed in the outcome. I was very encouraged by a lot of the things we did, both on offense and on defense and how hard the players played, how hard the coaches coached, and how hard the fans cheered. That was some night, but we just didn't get it done. But the good thing is that our players have moved on. You have to do that each week, win or lose, it doesn't make a difference. You have to realize that the next Saturday comes up very quickly.”

Latest News:
INJURY WATCH: Linebackers Craig Stevens (ankle) and Tray Blackmon (wrist), running back Brad Lester (knee), safety Zac Etheridge (shoulder) and defensive end Mike Goggans all practiced for at least a portion of Wednesday's workout, Tuberville said.  Freshman DE Jomarcus Savage is out for the year after undergoing shoulder surgery last week.  Tailback Brad Lester, who has been knocked out of the last two games with injuries, is on course to play against Tennessee on Saturday.  Tristan Davis, who was accidentally kicked in the head by a teammate during a kick return last Saturday, has not taken contact in practice, but is expected to play on Saturday.

AUBURN – TENNESSEE GAME NOTES
from the Auburn University Press Release

THE GAME
Auburn hosts Tennessee Saturday in the first meeting between the teams since 2004, and the first at Jordan-Hare Stadium since 2003. The Tigers have won the last three meetings in the series and hold a 6-2-1 edge in games played in Auburn. Both teams are looking to bounce back after home losses to top 10 teams last weekend.

AUBURN HEADLINES
* Auburn and Tennessee have not met since the Tigers earned a 38-28 victory in the 2004 SEC Championship game in Atlanta.
* Eight of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
* Auburn and Tennessee routinely played on the last Saturday of September from 1956-91, but this will be the first September meeting since 1991.
* Auburn is seeking its first four-game winning streak against Tennessee since 1961-64.
* Auburn leads the nation in opponents' third-down conversion percentage, surrendering just seven first downs in 60 attempts (11.7 percent).
* Auburn ranks 10th nationally in scoring defense (10.3), 19th in rushing defense (84.3) and 20th in total defense (259.8).
* Auburn has is one of just five teams - and two teams that have played four games - that has not allowed a rushing touchdown all season.
* Auburn has allowed just three points in the first half this season.
* Sen'Derrick Marks leads the SEC and ranks tied for 11th nationally with seven tackles for loss.
* Robert Dunn ranks eighth nationally in punt returns (21.4), and his 193 punt return yards are tied for sixth most in the nation.
* Rodgeriqus Smith needs three receptions to become the seventh player in Auburn history with 100 career receptions.
* Auburn has two players with more than 1,500 career rushing yards on the squad. Ben Tate has rushed for 1,618 career yards and Brad Lester has 1,574 career rushing yards.
* Fourteen different players have caught passes for Auburn this season, including 11 in the Sept. 6 game against Southern Miss, which was the most in a game by Auburn since 2005.
* Auburn has played 12 true freshmen this season.

 

AUBURN-TENNESSEE RIVALRY
Auburn and Tennessee played every year from 1956-91. The two teams didn't play from 1991 until the 1997 SEC Championship game because of the league expansion and the rotating opponents' setup. The two played in 1998 and 1999, and in 2003 and 2004 before rotating off each others schedule.

The two schools dominated the SEC in the mid-to-late `80's. In six of the eight seasons from 1983-90, either Auburn (1983-87-88-89) or Tennessee (1985-89-90) claimed an SEC Championship.

SERIES NOTES
Eight of the last 11 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less ... Auburn's current three-game winning streak against Tennessee is the longest for the Tigers since 1982-84 ... Auburn has not won four straight against the Vols since 1961-64 ... Auburn has averaged 33.3 points during its three-game winning streak against Tennessee ... This marks the first Auburn-Tennessee game on the last Saturday of September since 1991 ... From 1956-1991, every meeting was on the last Saturday of September except in 1968 ... The will be the first time in the last 14 meetings that at least one of the two teams has not been ranked in the top 10 ... Tennessee has only thrown three touchdown passes in the last five meetings ... The 66 combined points scored in the last meetings between the teams were the most in the series since Auburn won by an identical 38-28 score in 1976.

MEMORABLE AU-UT GAMES
1956--The Modern Auburn-Tennessee series begins in Birmingham over the objections of Vol AD Gen. R.R. Neyland. Johnny Majors, who would finish second in the Heisman Trophy balloting, led Tennessee to a 35-7 win over Auburn before a crowd of 44,258.

1957--In its first trip to Knoxville since 1939, Auburn was expected to be little match for Tennessee, the defending SEC champions. Yet, the Tigers won 7-0 and started their march toward the National Championship.

1958--Defending National Champion Auburn 13, Tennessee 0 in Birmingham. Tennessee made no first downs and was held to minus 30 yards of total offense. Lindsey Nelson and Red Grange described it to the nation on NBC-TV.

1959--Tennessee ended Auburn's 24-game unbeaten streak with a 3-0 upset victory at Knoxville. Time and time again, the Tigers assaulted the Tennessee goal line. Time and time again, Tennessee's Volunteers pushed them back. Cotton Letner's field goal won it for the Vols.

1961-63--Auburn fell behind by two touchdowns or more three years in a row, 0-21 in 1961, 0-14 in 1962, and 0-12 in 1963, only to storm back and win all three games, 24-21 in 1961, 22-21 in 1962 and 23-19 in 1963. The modern Auburn-Tennessee series had been born.

1965--Auburn defensive tackle Jack Thornton intercepts not one, but two passes as Auburn struggles to a 13-13 tie with Tennessee in Knoxville.

1968--In the first Auburn-Tennessee game to be played at night, Auburn upsets the unbeaten Vols 28-14 in Birmingham. Halfback Mike Currier from Oneonta scored on three of his first four plays in the game.

1969--Vols jump to a big lead in Knoxville, 24-3 at the half, but Auburn, behind first-year quarterback Pat Sullivan, came storming back to cut the Vol lead to 24-19 in the fourth quarter. The Vols pull away, however, and won 45-19.

1970--Auburn overcame a 10-0 Tennessee lead and defeated the Vols 36-23 in Birmingham. It was the only loss of the year for Tennessee and cost the Vols an SEC Championship.

1971--Tennessee dominated Auburn for 58 minutes, but in the final two minutes, Pat Sullivan drove Auburn 86 yards for a touchdown and a 10-9 victory. The next day, Jack Doane of The Montgomery Advertiser wrote: "Blindfolded, hands tied behind his back, Pat Sullivan would be a one-point favorite at his own execution."

1973-74--Tennessee defeated Auburn 21-0 in Knoxville in a driving rainstorm. Tennessee punted on first down throughout the fourth quarter, infuriating Auburn coaches. At the end of the game, Auburn coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan refused to shake hands with Vol coach Bill Battle saying Battle refused to shake hands with him before the game. In 1974, Tennessee, reluctantly, made its first trip to Auburn. Auburn won, ironically by the same 21-0 score. Throughout the first quarter, Auburn fans chanted "Punt...Punt...Punt" whenever Auburn had a first down.

1977--Leads are never safe in the Auburn-Tennessee game. Tennessee jumped to a 12-0 lead in Johnny Majors' first SEC game as head coach of his alma mater, but Auburn won 14-12 when a Vol field goal attempt was wide right on the final play of the game.

1980--Tennessee defeated Auburn 42-0 before the then largest crowd in Auburn history. It was, perhaps, the darkest day in Auburn's long and glorious football history.

1983--Auburn, 20-7 losers to Texas a week earlier, came to Knoxville labeled as the SEC's disappointment of the year after only two games. Auburn reestablished itself with a 27-14 win over the Vols, highlighted by an 81-yard Trey Gainous punt return.

1985--Auburn went to Knoxville undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation. That ranking lasted as long as Tennessee's first possession. The Vols led 24-0 at the half and Auburn has not been ranked No. 1 since that day, Sept. 28, 1985.

1990--Proving once again that leads, big or small, do not hold up in the AU-UT series, Auburn spotted Tennessee a 17-point fourth quarter lead, 26-9, only to storm back to tie the game, 26-26. Tennessee missed a potential game-winning field goal with 15 seconds to play.

1991--A series that had been contested 35 consecutive years came to an end thanks to the expansion of the SEC from 10 schools to 12 and the formation of two divisions. Vol receiver Carl Pickens caught four balls for 172 yards, including TD receptions of 87 and 67 yards in Tennessee's 30-21 win.

1997--In the SEC Championship game in Atlanta, Auburn scored 20 unanswered points to take a 20-7 lead. Tennessee scored two touchdowns late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to win 30-29. Tennessee's Peyton Manning threw for 373 yards and four TDs, while Auburn signal caller Dameyune Craig passed for 262 yards and a pair of scores.

2004--Auburn raced to a 31-3 halftime lead en route to a 34-10 win over No. 10 Tennessee for the Tigers' first win in Neyland Stadium since 1983. Auburn QB Jason Campbell was 12 of 15 for 240 yards and two TD strikes in the first half. Safety Junior Rosegreen set a school record and tied an SEC mark with four interceptions in the game. The teams met again in the SEC Championship, with Auburn prevailing 38-28 behind Campbell's 374 yards passing and three TDs.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITTERS
Tennessee fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the SEC with a 30-6 loss to Florida last Saturday ... The Vols were picked to finish third in the SEC East by the league's media ... Senior Arian Foster ranks sixth on UT's all-time rushing list with 2,627 career yards ... Senior Lucas Taylor has caught at least one pass in 17 consecutive games ... The Vols have intercepted seven passes in three games this season ... Foster, OL Anthony Parker, LB Rico McCoy and DB Eric Berry were all Preseason All-SEC first-team selections ... Tennessee has scored in 175 consecutive games dating back to 1994 ... Tennessee is 126-8 under Phillip Fulmer when leading after three quarters ... Fulmer's 148 career wins rank him seventh among head coaches on the SEC all-time wins list.

TENNESSEE TIGERS
The 2008 Auburn roster includes two players who hail from the state of Tennessee. Sophomore OL Mike Berry is from Antioch, while redshirt freshman OL A.J. Greene is from Brentwood.

ALABAMA VOLS
The 2008 Tennessee roster includes two players who hail from the state of Alabama. Junior DE Wes Brown is from Athens and freshman OL Carson Anderson is from Florence.

AU-UT CONNECTIONS
* Auburn defensive tackles/nose guards coach Don Dunn is familiar with East Tennessee. A 1976 graduate of East Tennessee State, Dunn began his coaching as an assistant at David Crockett High School in Jonesboro, Tenn. From 1977-79, Dunn was an assistant at Holston High School in Knoxville before serving as a defensive line graduate assistant at Tennessee from 1983-84.
* Tommy Tuberville and Vols' defensive ends/special teams coach Steve Caldwell coached together at Arkansas State in 1980.
* Caldwell also coached at Pacific with Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads (1992-93) and defensive tackles coach Don Dunn (1991-93).
* Auburn quarterbacks coach Steve Ensminger and Tennessee defensive backs coach Larry Slade coached together at Texas A&M from 1994-96. Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville was the defensive coordinator for the Aggies in 1994.

GAME TICKETS
Tickets are officially “sold out”.  Check scalper and Stub Hub prices by visiting www.auburnfootball.com, and clicking on the Tickets link, or searching our Ebay custom search located on our tickets page.    Our message boards usually have some tickets ‘for sale” or even “give away” listed as well.

Definitely check prices on our site before you go down to Auburn, but if the ticket situation is the same as it was for the LSU game, there will be plenty of single tickets available outside the main gates for substantially reduced prices.  Many Alabama companies and corporate sponsors buy books of season tickets, and while this drives prices up for season ticket holders ($60 face value  per ticket for SEC games + $250 donation for a season ticket), it creates a buyers market for people patient enough to wait until before game time to buy.  At the LSU game, I ended up getting 8 awesome tickets (together in a row) for an average of less than $50 per ticket.  We actually ended up with one extra, which I gave away to a family at the entrance who needed one for their daughter.  See www.auburnfootball.com for ticket news.

TV
The game will be televised nationally by CBS AT 2:30 p.m. CST.  For a list of CBS stations in your area, see http://www.auburnfootball.com/local-cbs-affiliates.htm.

RADIO:
The game will be broadcast throughout the Southeast on Auburn Network affiliate stations.  For a full list of Auburn Network affiliates, please visit http://www.auburnfootball.com/auburn-radio.htm. 

INTERNET:
Live audio & stats at www.auburntigers.com.  Also free radio coverage may be provided by Yahoo Sports at http://sports.yahoo.com and various Auburn affiliate stations.

UPDATES AND LATE BREAKING NEWS
Injury updates and late-breaking Auburn news can always be found on our message boards.  Visit our main web page at www.auburnfootball.com, and click on the TIGER INSIDER MESSAGE BOARDS link to find one of the best online Auburn communities on the internet!   

People have been getting ROWDY on the message boards this week!  Check it out!

Thanks and War Eagle! 

Thomas "T." Price

AU Pharm '92

tprice@auburnfootball.com

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