Some Thoughts About the Auburn/ULM game

i finally caught the replay on Sunday of Auburn's opener vs. ULM. first thing is the passing game was really really sloppy. lots of dropped passes, a few bad reads, and nothing really dynamic to let the fans know what to expect this season. the Qbs could only manage 1 passing td and less than a 100 yards passing combined.

as far as QB Vs. QB, the team looked a lot better with Burns in the game. his running ability caused havoc for ULM and Burns could not be contained at all when rushing or running the option, he reminded me of Nebraska QB Tommie Frazier at times. i could care less about passing if Burns and his stable of backs wanna run it down every team's throat, but that's not what Tony Franklin was hired for. Chris Todd wasn't very impressive at all which is pretty much what i expected.

Ben Tate and Brad Lester both looked fine getting the ball out of the shotgun. as long as they both stay healthy i expect them to have good stats. true freshman RB Eric Smith was one of the players who really jumped out at me because of his size and power. he was breaking tackles and getting extra yards and looks to be a great goal line option for the Tigers this year. the defense was the real star, shutting the Warhawks out and causing chaos all day. the opening sack/fumble/touchdown was a great way to set the tone for 2008. freshman corner Neiko Thorpe looks like a star in the making and defensive end Michael Goggans announced himself as the next great Auburn play making defensive end.

so to summarize: the defense looks good, the receivers can't catch, the running game is gonna be solid, and Burns is dynamic and i prefer him to Todd. hopefully the offense has a chance to be more explosive against Southern Miss.

also where was Mario Fannin? he needs to get touches. the kid is a play maker, but it's kind of hard to make plays when you are buried behind guys dropping passes all game.

some injury notes: freshman receiver Philip Piere-Louis was lost for the year with a knee injury on the opening kickoff. he'll redshirt this year and hoepfully doesn't lose any of his breakaway speed. Kodi Burns had to leave the game with a gash on his leg after hitting a ULM player's facemask. Coach Tubs said his status is questionable for the Southern Miss game. Montez Billings pulled a hamstring and James Swinton hyper extended his knee, but apparently both should be back.