LSU v Auburn Prediction Thread

[Deltamud77]

Who wins and why? I think Auburn wins 27-20 due to a few factors:

(1) Home field
(2) Cam Newton, although I think he is held in check pretty good...I think someone else has a breakout game due to having to concentrate on Newton
(3) Turnovers...Les Miles, for some reason, insists on playing Jordan Jefferson, easily the worst BCS conference quarterback in the nation and he continues to turn the ball over...the last four games JJ has turned the ball over in within the first two offensive possessions for LSU, all resulting in TDs for the opponents...I see no reason why this trend does not continue, and
(4) LSU simply cannot score enough points in essentially two quarters of offense to beat AU in four quarters of offense...meaning LSU will not score or move the ball with JJ in the game and he gets 60% of the snaps at a minimum.

[champcaller]

33-10 Auburn

i think this is where where the wheels come off for the tigs and cam newton has a great game that puts him as the front runner for the hiesman.

[camlock]

24-10 Auburn

I agree, Les Miles luck is gonna run out...that win over Florida ain't nearly as salty, they are beatable and didn't match up with LSU (not saying that b/c State just beat them, it's fact, Florida is down). Auburn is about to give LSU a game like they've not had yet!

I would predict a higher score, but I do think LSU defense is good enough to slow down Auburn that much

[Greenhead22]

Auburn is going to destroy LSU.

[Deltamud77]

Wow...bigtime lack of faith in LSU...I figured people would predict an Auburn victory, but not an booty kicking. Remember, this AU team barely beat State and UK...they are not unbeatable...I guess we will see.

[blgros1]

nah, tighas gonna win but not by much. id say by a field goal. i think you'll see more of lee and less of JJ and the tighas def. will win the game. at least one defensive TD. plus you throw in the mad hatter's luck and it's almost in the bag already......trying to be optimistic???????

[BR549]

Not trying to say LSU is the better team but, I think this will be the game where Auburn shoots themselves in the foot! LSU's defense wins this one for em in a close one!

[duckter]

I think LSU can control Newton - but the LSU offense has to move the ball, chew the clock and keep Newton on the bench. Otherwise, their "D" stays on the field too long and Auburn will dominate them. LSU will have to put 20+ points on the board to win...can they?

[Deltamud77]

Read a stat today that I found to be pretty interesting. When an LSU running back rushes for 100+ yards, Les Miles is 35-0. Hopefully, Steven Ridley or Michael Ford will go for 100 or more.

[augustus_65]

I didn't check all the stats, but I don't think there has been a running back put up 100 yards on Auburn this year. We held Marcus Lattimore to 37 yards. I think Kentucky's Cobb only had 47 yards rushing. Auburn has been successful in stopping the run, our weakness has been in the secondary defending the pass.

Auburn matches up better with LSU than with Arkansas. Our strength on defense is LSUs strength on offense and vice versa. Our special teams play has been improving each week and was stellar against Arkansas. People overlook Newton as a passer and we have some great receivers who get overshadowed by the running game. This week, I look for Auburn to pass more and Darvin Adams, Emory Blake, Terrel Zachary and Kody Burns will have a much larger impact on the game.

I think playing at home will be a factor. Jordan Hare can get loud and I will be there doing my best to add to the confusion. Auburn should win, but who knows what magic Miles may pull out of his tiny hat.

[Deltamud77]

I think playing at home will be a factor. Jordan Hare can get loud and I will be there doing my best to add to the confusion. Auburn should win, but who knows what magic Miles may pull out of his tiny hat.

You can bet you butt that will be a factor...I do not remember an Auburn game of consequence in the last decade at home in which a pivotal call did not go their way to "aid" in victory...see Arky game this weekend as evidence of this, or the pass interference mysteriously waived off versus LSU in 2006 that would have set up first and goal.

I know the token Auburn fan response will be that they do not get favorable calls at home, but everyone else in the SEC will disagree...

[tombstone]

don't like cam newton, and like JJ even less. JJ is awful, no two ways about it. I think Les miles runs out of tricks and time this week as bad as I hate to say it. I would like to see LSU win, but think AU nudges them out.

[augustus_65]

So long as the calls go our way, I have no complaints. And they didn't all go our way in the Arkansas game. We did get a rediculous pass interference call in the endzone.

There have been some great Auburn - LSU games on the Plains over the years. I was at the interception game in 94 and the "barn burning" game in 96. The 2004 game was one for the ages with Courtney Taylors big catch in the endzone. It has been a great series and you never know what to expect.

[augustus_65]

Pretty good article on Newton's contributions in Auburn off the field.

Newton giving back
By Rachel Morand, AuburnSports.com Staff Writer 2 hours, 58 minutes ago

Between the exhausting practices, film study sessions, team meetings, classes, study hall and countless interviews each week, it’s a wonder how Cameron Newton finds time to do much else outside of school and football.

But he does.

In a town like Auburn that supports its college football team so emphatically, Newton wanted to find a way to give back to the community during his time on the Plains.

Newton , who has a goal of one day opening a day care center, wanted to do something that would allow him to work closely with local youth.

Before Auburn City Schools went into session in early August, Newton ventured over to Wrights Mill Road Elementary School . He met with principal Lynda Tremaine and told her that he wanted to make difference with the students.

Tremaine told Newton about the school’s mentor program that allows adults to work with children who need extra encouragement, whether for academics or behavior. Newton was thrilled about the opportunity.

“I honestly had no idea who he was,” Tremaine said. “I just knew he was an awfully big guy when he walked in.”
But Tremaine had her doubts when Newton told her he was the starting quarterback for the Auburn University football team.

“I said, ‘I know when football season starts you won’t be able to make it,” Tremaine said. “‘But Cameron said, ‘No ma’am, I’ll work around football.’ And thought, ‘Ok, we’ll see.’”

Tremaine had four fifth grade boys in mind that she believed Newton could help.

“We’re all women at the school except for one male PE teacher,” Tremaine said. “I thought these little boys could really benefit from having a strong male role model who could steer them in the right direction.”

Newton usually visits the boys around lunchtime each Monday, the team’s day off from practice.

“And you should see the smiles on these little boys’ faces when they’re waiting for Cameron to walk through the door,” Tremaine said.

They all meet in Tremaine’s office where the boys show him their schoolwork from the previous week. They also have a behavior sheet filled out by their teacher that shows Newton if they are staying on track in the classroom.

“And it is serious conversation,” Tremaine said. “He goes through each page of their work and he’ll say, “Mmhmm… 65? Not good. What happened here?”

Newton also talks with the boys about good behavior and doing the right thing.

“He holds them accountable too,” Tremaine said. “He has been bringing little bags of goodies for them as a way to offer extra encouragement. He finds out what their favorite type of candy is. But he had to leave a bag this week because each of his boys had gotten a behavior check. He wouldn’t give them their little reward. This is how seriously he’s taking this.”

Once the season began, Newton ’s performances on the field earned him Player of the Week honors from the Southeastern Conference and he is becoming a fixture in Heisman Trophy talk. The Tigers are now ranked seventh in the nation and each week the stakes are raised.

But Newton has stayed true to his word of visiting the school each week.

“If something comes up and he’s going to be a little late, he’ll call,” Tremaine said. “If he’s got to come on a different day, he’ll let me know. I’ve been principal here for 14 years and have seen volunteers come and kind of fade away. But Cameron is taking this very seriously.”

Even though Newton was initially going to work with just the four boys, he now lends his time to the entire school.

“We use him as a reward for the boys and girls who do something kind for somebody else, like showing great citizenship,” Tremaine said. “He’ll meet them and congratulate them. So he’s been encouraging to those who have needed encouragement as well as those who are outstanding citizens as well.”

Fifth-grade reporters recently interviewed Newton for the school’s televised news broadcast, Wright News.
“We focus on good character traits,” Tremaine said. “So he talked about doing the right thing and that we learn from our mistakes. He offered some real good advice.”

According to the teachers of the boys that Newton mentors, their academic performance and behavior has improved tremendously since working with the quarterback.

“The teachers said they cannot believe the difference in their whole attitude,” Tremaine said. “He was made-to-order for our program.”

The students recently had a day off school on a Monday, Newton ’s usual day to visit. Tremaine said she was surprised that Newton ’s four boys were upset about the long weekend.

“On Tuesday they showed up and said, “It’s not fair! It was Monday and we missed Cam !” Tremaine said.

Newton usually stays on campus for about an hour, but he offers to stay as long as the teachers and children need him.

“Sometimes he’ll have to leave if something comes up,” Tremaine said. “But he never makes like he’s in a hurry.

Teachers will come up to him and say, ‘I’ve got someone you need to talk to, do you mind?’ Without hesitation he says, “I’ll be happy to.” He makes time for all of these kids.”

Two weeks ago the school held a pep rally to get the community fired up for the annual fund-raiser, Wright Run.
Aubie was in attendance as well as Newton .

“The children were of course excited to see Aubie,” Tremaine said. “But when Cam came in, you would have thought it was a movie star. And Cameron was just grinning from ear to ear. I don’t want to speak for him, but I truly believes that he enjoys what he is doing here.”

But there was one little boy who wasn’t so excited to see the Auburn mascot.

“I had a third grade little boy sitting in the office,” Tremaine said. “I asked what was going on and he said, ‘I am scared of Aubie.’ Cameron happened to be coming in and he heard that and said, ‘You’re scared of Aubie?’ He said, ‘Yes sir, but I’ve got to ask you some questions.’

“ Cam stayed in there and they had the most precious conversation. He asked, ‘How do you throw that ball like you do?’ So here he’s telling him, ‘When I was your age, I had to start practicing and I had to practice every day.’ It’s just fun listening to him talk to the students.”

Even though Newton ’s publicity regarding football reaches new heights each week, he remains focused on his goal of helping the community. And he certainly isn’t doing it for the attention.

“He is doing this, without a doubt, out of the kindness of his heart,” Tremaine said. “He really wants to make a difference. He has told his boys, ‘You know there were times that I was bad when I was about your age too,’ but he lets them know that we learn from our mistakes.

“And he told me, ‘If I can make a difference with any of these kids, nothing would thrill me more.’ And you can see that he means that in his smile.”

[Deltamud77]

The 2004 game was one for the ages with Courtney Taylors big catch in the endzone. It has been a great series and you never know what to expect.

Which reminds me of another bogus call that probably costs LSU the game with the blocked field goal at the end. As to Arky, the refs gift-wrapped two touchdowns to AU this weekend. I realize that AU won by 22 but those calls changed the entire game from a strategic standpoint forcing a back-up QB into a very uncomfortable situation on the road playing catch-up.

Sidenote: I hate Arkansas more than any other SEC school, but they were robbed of the chance to at least compete for a win at Auburn this past weekend because of horrible officiating.

I will agree, you never know what to expect, especially in the last 15 years or so. Interception game, Auburn's kicker missing like 10 fieldgoals in 2005, Les Miles clock mismanagement and the last second TD pass to Byrd in 2007. Moreover, I would put this game against any game in the SEC year in and out as far as violence. No matter who wins, someone is gonna get smoked in this game.