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LOGAN -- This Saturday the Aggies of Utah State will kickoff the season against the defending national champion Auburn Tigers in Auburn, Ala. The Tigers begin the 2011 season ranked #23 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Although the teams ended last season on different notes, the similarities between the two squads are undeniable.
Week 1 Game Notes- Utah State (0-0, 0-0 WAC) at #19/23 Auburn (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 3
- Time: 10:00 am MT
- Site: Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451) Auburn, Ala.
- TV: ESPN2
- Radio: KVNU 610 AM, KVNU 102.1 FM (Cache Valley) and KLZX 95.9 FM in Logan; KZNS (97.5 FM and 1280 AM) in Salt Lake City
- Series Record: First meeting
- Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Temp: lower 90s
Auburn begins the season with the same question as the Aggies who will lead the team our of the locker room? Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton was taken number one overall in this year's NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and replacing him will be no easy task. Junior quarterback Barrett Trotter has been chosen by Auburn head coach Gene Chizik to start against the Aggies. "Barrett has worked extremely hard to earn the starting quarterback job at Auburn University," Chizik said. "I'm very proud of him for the leadership and hard work he has shown not only during camp, but also during his three years at Auburn." Trotter spent the spring battling redshirt sophomore Clint Moseley for the starting spot left by Newton and both potential starters were pushed even harder with the arrival of true freshman Kiehl Frazier, a dual-threat quarterback rated as the nation's No. 2 quarterback in the 2011 recruiting class.
As with the Aggies, the Tigers bring back two quality running backs: sophomore Michael Dyer set an AU freshman record by rushing for 1,093 yards last season, while junior Onterio McCalebb rushed for 810 yards in 2010. This will be the first season that Auburn returns a pair of running backs who each rushed for 800 yards or more the previous season. Look for senior linebackers Bobby Wagner, Kyle Gallagher to eat up double teams and open us areas for freshman linebacker Tavaris McMillian to make plays and a name for himself on the Aggie front seven.
There are many who would argue that the greatest loss for the Tigers this year is former starting defensive lineman Nick Fairley, who was selected 13th overall by the Detroit Lions. His size and skill created many backfield problems for opposing teams and those talents will be difficult to replicate. The good news for Tiger fans (and bad news for faithful Aggies) is the return of two promising sophomore defensive lineman: Corey Lemonier and Nosa Egua. Lemonier was the first AU defensive lineman named to the SEC All-Freshman team since Antoine Carter in 2007 while Egua finished the season with 3.5 sacks. Both players played in every game last season with Lemonier starting in one game and Egua starting in the final 11 games of the year. Whoever the Aggies have under center will need to make quick decisions and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
While Auburn may have questions about who will be the Aggies' starting quarterback, look for the Tigers to run away with this one. The Tigers have superior size on the offensive and defensive lines and talent in the skill positions. That is a formula that does not bode well for Aggie head coach Gary Andersen and his team.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com
