Who’s got the edge? Furman or Auburn?

Click here to follow us on Twitter.

If you need this blog post for reassurance, you don’t have much faith in your Auburn Tigers.

QUARTERBACKS
Jordan Sorrells has been consistent all season and Chris Forcier is emerging as a weapon off the bench, but a confident Chris Todd trumps both of them handily.
Edge: Auburn

RUNNING BACKS
Ben Tate is 133 yards from matching his preseason goal of rushing for 1,200 yards. He might reach that by the third quarter.
Edge: Auburn

RECEIVERS
Terrell Zachery has given Todd a reason to feel safe throwing to him down the field, no matter how many corners are riding his back.
Edge: Auburn

OFFENSIVE LINE
This Tigers’ unit seems to become more and more dominant when Todd or Tate break off a big play.
Edge: Auburn

DEFENSIVE LINE
Has there ever been a more drastic one-week improvement from an area on the Tigers than the resurgence this group had last week? All of a sudden, Antoine Carter and Antonio Coleman are wreaking havoc in opponents’ backfields.
Edge: Auburn

LINEBACKERS
Finally, Josh Bynes and Craig Stevens should be able to get some rest today.
Edge: Auburn

SECONDARY
The Paladins have Max from “Two-a-Days.” Auburn has two largely inexperienced safeties but a couple of lockdown corners.
Edge: Auburn

SPECIAL TEAMS
Not even against the Paladins will the Tigers win this category.
Edge: Furman

COACHES
Bobby Lamb has done a lot in his seven years with the Paladins. With last week’s win, Gene Chizik has put himself back in contention for SEC Coach of the Year.
Edge: Auburn

OVERALL
The Paladins know the drill. Show up, play hard, go home with a big check. All the pressure is on Auburn to put them away before the second quarter.
Edge: Auburn

(Photo credit: Cliff Williams)

Playoff previews ... all up in your area: Lee-Montgomery at Auburn High

Since I’m obsessive and psycho, I’ve decided to do more in-depth playoff previews than what’s going to run in the paper. Three a day until Friday.

Today: Lee-Montgomery at Auburn in the Class 6A first round:

Lee-Montgomery Generals (4-6)

Aug. 27 vs. Northview (W, 10-7)
Sept. 4 vs. Prattville (L, 6-38)
Sept. 10 vs. Baldwin County (L, 0-7)
Sept. 18 at Benjamin Russell (W, 17-0)
Sept. 25 at Carver-Montgomery (L, 8-15)
Oct. 2 vs. Wetumpka (L, 0-7)
Oct. 9 vs. Jeff Davis (W, 14-8)
Oct. 16 at Stanhope Elmore (L, 12-16)
Oct. 23 at SIdney Lanier (W, 21-0)
Oct. 30 at Dothan (L, 6-21)

Points scored: 94 (9.4)
Points allowed: 119 (11.9)

Key Players
DL Edwin Berry, Sr., 5-8, 280: 76 tackles, 4 sacks
LB Terrance Smith, Jr., 6-1, 190: 105 tackles, 7 sacks
RB/LB Shermaine Washington, So., 5-11, 200: 131 tackles, 2 sacks

Auburn High (10-0)

Aug. 28 vs. Valley (W, 28-7)
Sept. 4 vs. Dothan (W, 37-14)
Sept. 11 at Enterprise (W, 41-7)
Sept. 18 at Northview (W, 48-9)
Sept. 25 vs. Jeff Davis (W, 47-0)
Oct. 2 vs. Smiths Station (W, 49-28)
Oct. 9 vs. Russell County (W, 37-0)
Oct. 16 vs. Central (W, 26-12)
Oct. 23 at Opelika (W, 41-15)
Oct. 29 at BTW (W, 49-14)

Points scored: 403 (40.3)
Points allowed: 106 (10.6)
Rushing yards: 2408 (240.8)
Passing yards: 1353 (135.3)
Total yards: 3761 (376.1)
Rushing yards allowed: 1155 (115.5)
Passing yards allowed: 863 (86.3)
Total yards allowed: 2018 (201.8)

Key Players
RB Augustus Brooks, Sr., 5-10, 175: 115 att., 821 yds., 7.1 avg., 15 TD
CB Dequavious “Pee Wee” Cobb, Sr., 6-0, 175: 23 tackles, 7 INT
QB Calvin Jenkins, Sr., 6-0, 180: 75-of-117 passing, 1304 yds., 14 TD, 4 INT; 628 rush yds., 12 TD
DL JaMichael Payne, Jr., 6-0, 295: 44 tackles, 3.5 for loss
WR Jason Webb, Jr., 6-3, 185: 17 rec., 447 yds., 26.3 avg., 5 TD

Lee-Montgomery on the road: 2-3
Auburn at home: 6-0
Last meeting: Auburn, 31-13, on Nov. 2, 2007

Pick: Auburn 27, Lee-Montgomery 10

Playoff previews ... all up in your area: Stanhope Elmore at Central

Since I’m obsessive and psycho, I’ve decided to do more in-depth playoff previews than what’s going to run in the paper. Three a day until Friday.

Today: Stanhope Elmore at Central in the Class 6A first round:

Stanhope Elmore Mustangs (5-5)

Aug. 28 at Hewitt-Trussville (L, 21-28)
Sept. 4 at Wetumpka (L, 27-40)
Sept. 11 vs. Jeff Davis (W, 42-6)
Sept. 18 vs. Shaw (Ga.) (W, 35-0)
Sept. 25 at Central (L, 29-32)
Oct. 2 at Sidney Lanier (W, 44-20)
Oct. 9 at Prattville (L, 6-7)
Oct. 16 vs. Lee-Montgomery (W, 16-12)
Oct. 23 vs. Benjamin Russell (W, 21-14)
Oct. 30 at Jess Lanier (L, 14-17)

Points scored: 255 (25.5)
Points allowed: 176 (17.6)

Key Players
WR Rodney Davis, Sr., 6-1, 185
QB Arsenio Favor, Sr., 6-1, 210
CB Demarcus Milliner, Sr., 6-1, 180

Central Red Devils (9-1)

Aug. 28 vs. Shaw (Ga.) (W, 49-0)
Sept. 4 at Enterprise (W, 49-21)
Sept. 11 vs. Northview (W, 54-20)
Sept. 18 at Russell County (W, 16-12)
Sept. 25 vs. Stanhope Elmore (W, 32-29)
Oct. 2 vs. Opelika (W, 21-7)
Oct. 9 vs. Dothan (W, 35-14)
Oct. 16 at Auburn High (L, 12-26)
Oct. 23 vs. Smiths Station (W, 61-0)
Oct. 29 at Wetumpka (W, 20-12)

Points scored: 349 (34.9)
Points allowed: 141 (14.1)
Rushing yards: 2850 (285.0)
Passing yards: 824 (82.4)
Total yards: 3674 (367.4)
Rushing yards allowed: 1317 (131.7)
Passing yards allowed: 1166 (116.6)
Total yards allowed: 2483 (248.3)

Key Players
RB Cordary Clark-Allen, Sr., 6-2, 195: 115 att., 738 yds., 6.4, avg., 13 TD
LB Montrel Crawford, Sr., 6-1, 195: 82 tackles, 10 for loss, 2 sacks
QB Darren Daniel, Sr., 6-4, 195: 59-of-111 passing, 672 yds., 6 TD, 3 INT; 214 rush yds., 3 TD
HB Deon Hill, Sr., 6-0, 190: 206 att., 1329 yds., 6.5 avg., 14 TD
LB Glenn Miller, Sr., 5-9, 195: 80 tackles, 5 for loss

Stanhope Elmore on the road: 1-5
Central at home: 6-0
Last meeting: Central, 32-29, on Sept. 25, 2009

Pick: Central 30, Stanhope Elmore 17

Dyer, one of the nation’s top RBs, commits to Auburn

Click here to follow us on Twitter.

Little Rock five-star running back Michael Dyer, considered the nation’s No. 1 running back by ESPN/Scouts Inc., pledged his commitment to Auburn for the 2010 season today, according to a bevy of recruiting sites.

Those would be: AuburnSports.com, AuburnUndercover.com and AUTigers.com.

Dyer was recruited by pretty much every big school in the country, but had narrowed his choices down to Auburn, Tennessee and Arkansas. He told AuburnSports.com that he’ll talk to the Auburn coaching staff about whether or not he should still go on official visits to those schools.

Dyer, 5-foot-8, 200 pounds, has 7,566 rushing yards and 74 touchdowns in his high school career.

He is the Tigers’ 20th commitment for the 2010 class and the first running back.

5 things to watch for Saturday against Furman

Click here to follow us on Twitter.

- Demond Washington – The sophomore junior-college transfer will be making his first-ever start in an Auburn uniform and his first-ever appearance at safety in his entire life. Filling Zac Etheridge’s shoes will certainly be intimidating, and it’s not expected by anyone that he puts up the tackle numbers that Etheridge did. Washington’s best-case scenario is to not be noticed at all, simply blending in as if nothing happened to one of the Tigers’ biggest leaders. Again, that’s a tall task, but a test-run against the Paladins will be beneficial.

- The post-tackle antics – It seems like Auburn has a new gimmick every week, doesn’t it? The Tigers unveiled the “Shhh…” campaign last week against Ole Miss, and considering the end result, it’s likely that it’s here to stay until they lose. Also, expect Tiger players to flash four fingers in the air whenever possible, an ode to Etheridge.

- Travante Stallworth – Auburn’s freshman class as a whole has been a bit lackluster this season, but Stallworth, one of the least heralded members, has emerged as a reliable option for Gus Malzahn. Stallworth has looked smooth running the ball on speed sweeps and has shown he can catch the ball whenever the opportunity presents itself. Expect big minutes for him when the game gets out of hand.

- The second half – Yeah, sure, no one stays for the second half of Homecoming. So many parties and tailgates, so little time. But this year’s second half should provide a sneak preview of sorts for what’s to come from Gene Chizik’s team. Does Neil Caudle have what it takes to compete for the starting job next year? Can Mario Fannin be an every-down back? Will Jonathan Evans ever emerge as a reliable linebacker? Is Dee Ford the next Antoine Carter? If you stick around, you might get the answer to one of these questions.

- Max and Chris – Furman isn’t your everyday FCS team. The Paladins have two major celebrities on their roster. Rover Max Lerner is one of the Paladins’ leading tacklers. He was also “Max” from MTV’s Two-a-Days. Backup quarterback Chris Forcier’s claim to fame was the press release he distributed when he left UCLA for the Paladins, citing 18 “facts” for why he made his decision. Hang out by the team bus and you just might get their autograph.

(Photo credit: AP)