auburn tigers 2007 FOOTBALL AUBURN (1-1, 0-0)

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1 auburn tigers 2007 FOOTBALL GAME 3 QUICK FACTS COACHES: Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976) Auburn Record (9th year) vs. Mississippi State Overall Record (13th year) vs. Mississippi State Sylvester Croom (Alabama, 1975) MSU Record (3rd year) vs. Auburn Overall Record...Same SERIES: AU leads, at Auburn...AU leads, 25-5 at Starkville...AU leads, at Neutral sites...au leads, at Birmingham, AL...AU leads, at Columbus, MS...AU leads, 1-0 at Jackson, MS...AU leads, 5-2 at Montgomery, AL...AU leads, 1-0 Last Meeting...AU 34, MSU 0 Sept. 9, 2006 in Starkville, MS RANKINGS: Auburn...RV AP/RV USA Today Mississippi State...Not ranked TELEVISION: Lincoln Financial Sports (Live) Play-by-play...Dave Neal Analyst...Dave Archer Sidelines...Dave Baker AUBURN (1-1, 0-0 SEC) VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-1, 0-1 SEC) JORDAN-HARE STADIUM (87,451) AUBURN, AL SEPTEMBER 15, :30 AM CT TV: LFS THE GAME Auburn opens the Southeastern Conference season when the Tigers host Mississippi State Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. It will mark the third straight year that Auburn has played its first SEC game against the Bulldogs. Auburn won the two previous encounters, and in fact, takes a 14-game winning streak in SEC openers into Saturday s game. AUBURN HEADLINES Auburn is all-time in SEC openers, and has won 14 straight openers dating back to Head coach Tommy Tuberville owns an 8-0 record at Auburn in SEC openers. Auburn leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, , and has won the last six. Auburn has shut out Mississippi State in each of the past two seasons, and had a shutout for more than 58 minutes in the 2004 contest. Senior quarterback Brandon Cox is 35-of-50 (70 percent) for 494 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions during his career against Mississippi State. Freshman placekicker Wes Byrum is tied for the national lead with six field goals made, while redshirt freshman punter Ryan Shoemaker leads the SEC with a 45.1-yard average. All 46 points scored by Auburn this season have been scored by freshmen and sophomores, including 22 by true freshman Wes Byrum. Auburn owns a 19-7 all-time record in games broadcast on Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly Jefferson Pilot), and has won nine of its last 10. Auburn has posted a 34-6 record over the past four seasons, which is tied for the third-best record in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision during that span. DE Quentin Groves needs just one more sack to equal the Auburn career record of 26 held by Gerald Robinson ( ). Brandon Cox is the winningest active quarterback in the SEC, with a 20-6 career record as a starting quarterback. Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 41-0 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn has won 46 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn is (.749) all-time in the month of September, including a 29-6 mark under Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers have won nine of their last 10 games in the month of September. Tommy Tuberville needs just three more victories to become the fifth active coach in the SEC with 100 career coaching victories. AUBURN (1-1, 0-0) MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-1, 0-1) RADIO: The Auburn Network provides radio coverage to over 50 stations that cover the Southeast. Rod Bramblett (play-by-play), Stan White (color), Quentin Riggins (sideline), Paul Ellen (studio) and Andy Burcham (locker room) provide gameday analysis. SATELITTE RADIO...SIRIUS 143 LOCALLY...WKKR-FM (97.7) INTERNET: Live audio & stats Date Opponent Score/Time Sept. 1 KANSAS STATE [ESPN] W, Sept. 8 SOUTH FLORIDA [ESPN2] L, (OT) Sept. 15 MISSISSIPPI STATE [LFS] 11:30 a.m. Sept. 22 NEW MEXICO STATE 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at Florida TBA Oct. 6 VANDERBILT TBA Oct. 13 at Arkansas TBA Oct. 20 at LSU TBA Oct. 27 OLE MISS TBA Nov. 3 TENNESSEE TECH (HC) 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at Georgia TBA Nov. 24 ALABAMA TBA All times Central Date Opponent Score/Time Aug. 30 2/2 LSU [ESPN] L, 0-45 Sept. 8 at Tulane [CSS] W, Sept. 15 at Auburn [LFS] 11:30 a.m. Sept. 22 JACKSONVILLE STATE 6 p.m. Sept. 29 at South Carolina TBA Oct. 6 UAB 1:30 p.m. Oct. 13 TENNESSEE TBA Oct. 20 at West Virginia 11 a.m. Oct. 27 at Kentucky TBA Nov. 10 ALABAMA TBA Nov. 17 at Arkansas TBA Nov. 24 OLE MISS [LFS] 11:30 a.m. All times Central

2 STATISTICAL COMPARISON AUBURN VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE 2007 STATISTICS AU MSU Points Scored Total Offense First Downs Rushing Yards Passing Yards Time of Possession 29:46 33:09 3rd Down Pct. 18% 43% Points Allowed Yards Allowed Rushing Yards Allowed Passing Yards Allowed STATISTICAL LEADERS 2007 STATISTICS RUSHING YARDS AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Ben Tate Anthony Dixon Mario Fannin...62 Justin Williams...70 Christian Ducre...48 PASSING YARDS AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Brandon Cox Michael Henig Wesley Carroll...16 RECEPTIONS AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Prechae Rodriguez...9 Jamayel Smith...5 Gabe McKenzie...7 Tony Burks...5 Rodgeriqus Smith...4 Arnill Stallworth...4 Carl Stewart...4 Lance Long...4 POINTS SCORED AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Wes Byrum...22 Anthony Dixon...12 Gabe McKenzie...12 Adam Carlson...8 Two tied with...6 Three tied with...6 TACKLES AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Chris Evans...15 Dominic Douglas...13 Zac Etheridge...14 Anthony Johnson...11 Quentin Groves...14 Jamar Chaney...11 Eric Brock...13 De Mon Glanton...10 Jerraud Powers...11 Gabe O Neal...9 INTERCEPTIONS AUBURN MISSISSIPPI STATE Tray Blackmon...1 Gabe O Neal...1 Chris Evans Auburn Football Game Notes AUBURN IN SEC OPENERS Auburn is in SEC openers, winning 14 straight openers dating back to In its last nine SEC openers, Auburn has outscored its opponents, Last season, Auburn blanked Mississippi State, 34-0, after beating the Bulldogs 28-0 and 43-14, in the two previous seasons. The Tigers defeated Ole Miss, 19-9, in 1997; 17-0, in 1998; 35-27, in 2000; and in In 1999, Auburn defeated LSU, 41-7, and beat Vanderbilt 31-6 and 45-7 in 2002 and TUBERVILLE IN SEC OPENERS Tommy Tuberville owns an 8-0 mark in SEC openers at Auburn and is 8-4 overall including his stint at Ole Miss. Five of his eight conference openers at Auburn have come on the road: 1999 at LSU (41-7), 2000 at Ole Miss (35-27), 2003 at Vanderbilt (45-7) and 2004 (43-14) and 2006 (34-0) at Mississippi State. AUBURN-MSU SERIES NOTES Auburn leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, Saturday s meeting between the two schools will mark the 53rd consecutive year the two schools have played each other... Auburn has won six straight in the series and 19 of the last Mississippi State has been held to 18 or fewer points in each of the last eight games in the series, averaging 11.3 points per game during that span... Just 10 games in the last 37 years have been decided by seven points or less, including three consecutive from The Auburn defense has held Mississippi State to an average of 90.0 rushing yards in the last eight meetings. BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS Auburn has shut out Mississippi State each of the last two seasons, and shut out the Bulldogs for the first 58:37 of the 2004 game before MSU scored twice in the final 1:23. Auburn previously shut out Mississippi State in consecutive meetings in 1988 (33-0) and 1989 (14-0). The Tigers posted three straight shutouts against MSU from , and had a string of four consecutive shutouts against the Bulldogs from MISSISSIPPI STATE QUICK HITTERS Mississippi State shut out Tulane during the second half to break away from a tie and win last Saturday in New Orleans... The Bulldogs are ranked fifth in the SEC in total defense, allowing just yards per game... Mississippi State had 489 yards of total offense last Saturday against Tulane, including 266 yards rushing, which was the most for MSU since it collected 547 total yards against Jacksonville State in MSU has completed passes to 10 different receivers in each of its first two games... Derek Pegues ranks third on the schools all-time kickoff return list with 1,412 yards... Anthony Dixon had career bests of 131 yards rushing and 27 carries against Tulane. MISSISSIPPI TIGERS Auburn s roster includes three players who hail from the state of Mississippi. Senior DE Quentin Groves hails from Greenville, junior LB Steve Gandy is from Waynesboro and freshman OL Chaz Ramsey is from Madison. AUBURN-MISSISSIPPI STATE COACHING TIES Mississippi State wide receivers coach Pat Washington played quarterback at Auburn from , starting as a junior and senior and helping the team to four straight bowl games. He had a 17-8 record as a starting quarterback, and then served two seasons as a graduate assistant coach. Washington also coached the quarterbacks and receivers at TCU, where he worked with Auburn offensive line coach Hugh Nall in 1992 and 1993, and Auburn strength and conditioning coach Kevin Yoxall in Mississippi State safeties coach Charlie Harbison was the defensive backs coach at LSU in 2001 and 2002 when Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for LSU. Harbison also coached the defensive backs at Clemson in 1997 during Auburn tight ends coach Steve Ensminger s first season as the Tigers offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Mississippi State defensive backs coach Melvin Smith was on the Ole Miss staff in 1994 when Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran began his stint with the Rebels. COX SHINES VS. BULLDOGS Senior quarterback Brandon Cox has been on target in three previous appearances vs. Mississippi State. Cox is 35-of-50 (70 percent) for 494 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions during his career against MSU. He was 18- of-27 for 249 yards and two scores in last year s game, completed 12-of-18 for 202 yards and two TDs in the 2005 game and connected on all five of his passes for 43 yards and a score during his freshman season in ON THIS DATE Auburn owns an all-time record of 3-1 on Sept. 15, but has not played on that date since The Tigers earned wins in 1973 (18-9) against Oregon State, in 1979 (26-18) against Kansas State and in 1990 (24-10) against Ole Miss. Auburn s only loss on Sept. 15 came in 1984 when the Tigers lost at Texas,

3 TIGERS HAVE SUCCESS ON LFS Auburn is 19-7 all-time in games played on Lincoln Financial Sports (formerly Jefferson Pilot Sports). The Tigers had won nine straight dating back to 2002 prior to losing to Georgia, 37-15, in their last appearance in Auburn did win twice on LFS last season, claiming victories against Mississippi State (34-0) and Ole Miss (23-17). IN SEPTEMBER Auburn is (.749) all-time in the month of September, including a 29-6 mark under Tommy Tuberville. The Tigers have won 15 of their last 17 games played in September, and had won nine straight prior to falling in overtime to South Florida, JORDAN-HARE STADIUM Now in its 68th year as home to the Auburn football team, Jordan-Hare Stadium is the nation s ninth-largest on-campus stadium, with a capacity of 87,451 fans. The Tigers are (.796) at Jordan-Hare Stadium, including a 42-9 (.824) mark over the past eight years. AU went 7-0 at home in both 2000 and 2004, and posted a 6-1 mark in Auburn has won 13 of its last 16 games at home and 21 of its last 26 games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. TUBERVILLE IN NINTH SEASON Tommy Tuberville is in his ninth season at Auburn in 2007 and his 13th as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference. Tuberville has the third-longest tenure in the SEC (second-longest active streak) behind Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, who are both coaching in their 15th seasons in the league this year. Tuberville has amassed a record of during his tenure at Auburn and has led the Tigers to seven straight bowl appearances. Tuberville is fourth all-time at Auburn in wins, and is the fifth-longest tenured coach in school history. CENTURY MARK APPROACHES Tommy Tuberville needs just three more wins to amass 100 victories during his career as a head coach. Tuberville currently owns a career record of in 13 seasons as a head coach. He would become the fifth active SEC coach to have 100 career victories, joining Steve Spurrier, Phillip Fulmer, Rich Brooks and Houston Nutt, and just the third to earn 100 victories while coaching at an SEC school (Spurrier and Fulmer). YOUTHISSERVED Auburn has a lot of young talent on the squad this season, and to illustrate this point, one need look no further than the scoring column on the statistics sheet. All 46 of Auburn s points this 2007 Auburn Football Game Notes season have been scored by freshmen and sophomores. True freshman Wes Byrum leads the team with 22 points, while sophomore tight end Gabe McKenzie has two touchdowns for 12 points. Auburn s other two touchdowns have been scored by redshirt freshman Mario Fannin and sophomore Antonio Coleman. GROVES IN A GROOVE Senior defensive end Quentin Groves was named to preseason watch lists for the Lombardi Award, the Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Hendricks Award, and his play through the first two games has shown why. Groves is tied for second on the team with 14 tackles in the first two games, including a career-best nine against South Florida, and leads the SEC and ranks tied for sixth nationally with five tackles for losses. Groves also has two sacks, a forced fumble and 12 quarterback hurries through two games played. FILLING IN ADMIRABLY Junior linebacker Chris Evans earned his first career start against South Florida, filling in for an injured Tray Blackmon. The result was the highest tackles total by an Auburn player in almost five years. Evans tallied 14 tackles (five solo, nine assists), which was the most by an Auburn player since Karlos Dansby had 14 tackles at Florida on Oct. 19, STEPPING UP Senior Prechae Rodriguez leads Auburn with nine receptions for 108 yards through the first two games of the season. Last year, it was seven games into the season before Rodriguez had nine catches, and it took eight games before he reached 108 receiving yards. FRESHMAN KICKERS SHINE Auburn was forced to replace perhaps the nation s top kicking trio after all three kickers from last season graduated. The Tigers lost Lou Groza finalist John Vaughn, the team s all-time leading scorer with 312 career points; Kody Bliss, who ranked third in the nation in punting with a 45.7-yard average; and Matt Clark, who led the nation last season with 51 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs (77 percent). But the newcomers have excelled in the first two games. True freshman Wes Byrum is tied for the national lead with Georgia Tech s Travis Bell with six made field goals. Byrum had made three field goals in each of the first two games, including a season-long 49-yard field goal against South Florida. Redshirt freshman Ryan Shoemaker is currently leading the SEC and ranks 13th nationally, averaging 45.1 yards per punt. Shoemaker had two punts of over 50 yards against South Florida before leaving with an elbow injury suffered while making a tackle. SEC SUCCESS Auburn has won 22 of its last 25 Southeastern Conference games and 23 of its last 26 games against SEC schools, including the 2004 SEC Championship game victory over Tennessee. Auburn s success against conference schools dates back to more than just the previous three seasons, as since the start of the 2000 season, the Tigers have the best record among the 12 league schools in regular season conference games. The following are the combined conference records of the 12 SEC schools from W-L Pct. Auburn LSU Florida Georgia Tennessee Arkansas South Carolina Alabama Ole Miss Kentucky Mississippi State Vanderbilt TIGERS TERRIFIC SINCE 2000 Since the start of the 2000 season, Auburn has one of the best records in all of Division I-A football. The Tigers record of (.736) ranks 13th among all 119 programs. The list of the top 20 programs since 2000 in terms of winning percentage follows: W-L Pct. 1. Boise State Texas Oklahoma Miami (Fla.) Ohio State USC LSU Louisville Georgia Virginia Tech TCU Florida Auburn Michigan Boston College Tennessee Florida State Oregon Toledo Nebraska

4 AUBURN IN 2007 BY THE NUMBERS CATEGORY 2007 Record SEC West East Non-Conference Home Away Neutral Day Night (5 p.m. or later) TV Games CBS FOX ESPN ESPN Lincoln Financial Scoring First Opponent Scoring First Leading at Half Trailing at Half Tied at Half Leading after Third Trailing after Third Tied after Third Overtime Games Scoring less than 20 pts Scoring 20+ points Scoring 30+ points Allowing less than 20 pts Allowing 20+ points Allowing 30+ points Rushing for less than 100 yds Rushing for over 100 yds Rushing for 200+ yds Passing for 200+ yds Passing for 300+ yds Totaling less than 300 yds yds. of total offense yds. of total offense Allowing less than 100 yds. rushing Allowing less than 300 yds. total off Allowing 300+ yds. total offense Having 100-yd. rusher Opp. have 100-yd. rusher No turnovers Less than 3 turnovers or more turnovers No takeaways or more takeaways More than 30:00 of possession Less than 30:00 of possession Auburn Football Game Notes DEFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS Auburn s first two opponents have had strong starts, but the Tigers have been able to make quick adjustments. In the first two games, Kansas State and South Florida combined for 239 yards of offense in the first quarter and 17 points scored, but in the second quarter, Auburn allowed those two squads a combined total of just 55 yards and no points. REVERSAL OF FORTUNE Last season, in all 13 of Auburn s games, the team leading at the end of the third quarter won the game, as the Tigers were 11-0 when leading after three periods and 0-2 when trailing at that point. But in the first two games this season, the team leading after three quarters has lost. Auburn trailed Kansas State 13-9 after three quarters in the season opener before rallying to win Last Saturday vs. South Florida, Auburn led after three periods but fell in overtime, Auburn has not had many chances to rally for wins when trailing after three quarters, as the Tigers have trailed after three periods in just six of their last 37 games. TERRIFIC TIGHT END TRIO Sophomore tight end Gabe McKenzie has been a key performer early this year with two touchdown catches including the go-ahead touchdown pass from Brandon Cox with just 2:01 left in the season opener against Kansas State. McKenzie is just one of three tight ends that see significant playing time for Auburn, as the Tigers boast perhaps the best trio of tight ends in the game. Senior Cole Bennett, who returned for a second senior season after suffering an ankle injury in the third game of the 2006 season against LSU, was a Coaches Preseason First-Team All-SEC selection in 2006 and has 18 career catches while also serving as the team s top blocking tight end. Bennett s injury last season opened the door for McKenzie and Tommy Trott to blossom. McKenzie, who has seven catches already this year, tied for fourth on the team last year with 13 catches for 137 yards and a score, while Trott, also just a sophomore, had 10 catches for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns. GROVES NEARING SACKS RECORD Quentin Groves had two sacks in the season-opening victory against Kansas State, pushing his career sacks total to 25. His second sack with just over a minute left and Auburn clinging to a lead forced a fumble that was returned 34 yards for a touchdown by Antonio Coleman, sealing the victory. Groves needs just one more sack to tie the Auburn all-time record of 26 sacks held by Gerald Robinson ( ). COX LEADS ALL SEC QBs IN WINS Brandon Cox earned his 20th career victory as a starting quarterback during Auburn s victory over Kansas State in the season opener. Cox, who is now 20-6 as a starter, leads all SEC quarterbacks in career victories. Tennessee s Erik Ainge is second with 18, followed by Kentucky s Andre Woodson (13). Cox s.769 winning percentage is also the best in the league among quarterbacks with at least five starts. SENIOR SIGNAL CALLER = SUCCESS With senior Brandon Cox returning for his third season as Auburn s starting quarterback this fall, history would suggest that the Tigers are primed for a successful season. The last 10 seasons that Auburn has had a senior returning as the starter at quarterback, the Tigers have won at least eight games every year, averaging 9.7 wins per season during those campaigns. Auburn s combined record during those 10 seasons is , and the Tigers won SEC Championships in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 2004 and SEC Western Division Championships in 1997 and Incidentally, Auburn went 10-0 against Georgia during those 10 seasons, and 8-2 against Alabama with seven straight wins. Below are the last 10 seasons that Auburn has had a senior returning as the starter at quarterback: Year Quarterback Record Notes 1979 Charlie Trotman Randy Campbell 11-1 SEC Champs 1985 Pat Washington 8-4 Cotton Bowl 1987 Jeff Burger SEC Champs 1989 Reggie Slack 10-2 SEC Champs 1993 Stan White st 11-win season 1995 Patrick Nix 8-4 Outback Bowl 1997 Dameyune Craig 10-3 SEC West Champs 2000 Ben Leard 9-4 SEC West Champs 2004 Jason Campbell 13-0 SEC Champs ELDER STATESMAN Senior quarterback Brandon Cox is not only the oldest player on the Auburn team, he s older than 18 quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters. Cox, who will turn 24 on Oct. 31, is nearly two full years older than the No. 1 pick in last year s NFL draft, JaMarcus Russell, who was born Aug. 9, NEAR THE TOP SINCE 2004 Auburn has posted a record of 34-6 (.850) since the 2004 season, tying the Tigers for the third-best record in the NCAA during that period. Only USC (37-3,.925) and Texas (36-4,.900) have better winning percentages than Auburn during that span, while Boise State has an identical 34-6 mark.

5 FIRST-TIMERS Eight players made their first career starts in the season opener against Kansas State, and 10 players played in their first collegiate games. Starting for the first time were OG Mike Berry, SS Zac Etheridge, OG Tyronne Green, CB Jerraud Powers, WR Prechae Rodriguez, DT Pat Sims, RB Ben Tate and OT Lee Ziemba. Berry, Etheridge and Ziemba played in their first collegiate games, as did K Wes Byrum, DE Antoine Carter, LB Bo Harris, WR Tim Hawthorne, K Morgan Hull, FS Mike McNeil, and P Ryan Shoemaker. AIR ASSAULT Kansas State attempted 58 passes in the season opener, completing 33. Those numbers are the most for an Auburn opponent since Louisiana Tech s Luke McCown completed 47- of-65 passes for four touchdowns with two interceptions during a Auburn victory Oct. 21, Auburn threw only 18 passes in that game, but Rudi Johnson rushed 33 times for 249 yards and four scores. IN THE POLLS Auburn dropped out of the national rankings following the Tigers loss to South Florida, marking the first time Auburn has not been ranked since the 2005 season. That season, Auburn dropped out of the polls after a seasonopening loss to Georgia Tech, but jumped back in four weeks later after thumping South Carolina, The Tigers climbed as high as No. 7 later that season prior to falling to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. A TOUGH ROAD AHEAD Auburn may have the toughest road schedule of any team in the country this year, as the Tigers four road opponents are all ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including two in the top five. Auburn opens its road schedule at No. 5 Florida Sept. 29, plays at No. 16 Arkansas and No. 2 LSU in back-to-back weeks Oct. 13 and 20 and finishes the road schedule at No. 23 Georgia. Only two other teams (South Carolina and Oklahoma State) play four road games against teams ranked in the AP poll, and the combined rankings of Auburn s four opponents is the lowest of the three teams. Auburn South Carolina Oklahoma No. 2 No. 2 No. 3 No. 5 No. 16 No. 14 No. 16 No. 22 No. 23 No. 23 No. 23 No. 25 Texas A&M Avg. = 11.5 Avg. = 15.8 Avg. = 16.3 OL THIN ON EXPERIENCE One concern entering the 2007 season for Auburn is a lack of experience on the offensive line. The Tigers lost four senior starters from last year s team, including first-round NFL draft pick Ben Grubbs. Senior tackle King Dunlap is the only returning starter, and his 14 career starts 2007 Auburn Football Game Notes entering the season accounted for 70 percent of the just 20 career starts made by Auburn s entire offensive line unit prior to Junior Jason Bosley started four games at center last season, while Leon Hart had made the other two starts. By comparison, Auburn s starting offensive line during the 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic vs. Nebraska had combined for 110 career starts (Grubbs - 38; Tim Duckworth - 22; Joe Cope - 20; Jonathan Palmer - 16; Dunlap - 14). 17 OR LESS Since Will Muschamp took over as defensive coordinator prior to the 2006 season, Auburn has held 12 of its 15 opponents to 17 points or less. The Tigers, who have allowed just 14.7 points per game since Muschamp s arrival, are 12-0 in those games. UNDER THE LIGHTS AT JORDAN-HARE Auburn has been tough to beat in night games at Jordan-Hare Stadium in recent seasons, accumulating a record of 12-2 since the 2000 season in home games starting at 6 p.m. or later. That stretch includes a 4-0 record against ranked opponents, with wins over No. 1 Florida in 2001, No. 2 Florida in 2006, No. 7 Tennessee in 2003 and No. 14 Georgia in The Tigers had a four-game winning streak in home night games snapped with a overtime loss to South Florida Sept. 8. GONE ON D Defensively in 2006, Auburn must replace four starters from last year s squad that ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense (13.9), including the two leading tacklers on last year s team. Linebackers Will Herring and Karibi Dede, defensive end Marquis Gunn and cornerback David Irons combined for 208 tackles including 23 for losses and 6.5 sacks, five interceptions and 15 pass break-ups. Herring led the squad with 72 tackles, while Dede was second with 59. Irons had a team-best 12 pass break-ups and tied with Herring and Eric Brock with a team-high two interceptions. Gunn ranked second on the team with four sacks and was third with 8.5 tackles for losses. AUBURN BY THE NUMBERS The Tigers return 49 lettermen from last season, including 21 on offense, 26 on defense and two specialists. Auburn returns five starters on offense and seven on defense. Auburn s roster of 119 players includes 17 seniors, 23 juniors, 23 sophomores, 22 redshirt freshmen and 34 freshmen. The underclassmen (79) represent 66.4 percent of the Tigers roster. A number of walk-ons joined the program after the first day of classes on August 16. AROUND THE SEC SEC STANDINGS Eastern Division SEC Overall W L W L South Carolina Florida Kentucky Tennessee Georgia Vanderbilt Western Division SEC Overall W L W L Alabama LSU Arkansas Auburn Ole Miss Mississippi State LAST WEEK S RESULTS Saturday, Sept. 8 Alabama 24, VANDERBILT 10 South Carolina 16, GEORGIA 12 FLORIDA 59, Troy 31 KENTUCKY 56, Kent State 20 Missouri 38, OLE MISS 25 TENNESSEE 39, Southern Miss 19 Mississippi State 38, TULANE 17 South Florida 26, AUBURN 23 (OT) LSU 48, Virginia Tech 7 Home team in CAPS THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE Saturday, Sept. 15 Mississippi St. at Auburn, 11:30 a.m. CT [LFS] Western Carolina at Georgia, 1 p.m. ET Tennessee at Florida, 3:30 p.m. ET [CBS] Arkansas at Alabama, 5:45 p.m. CT [ESPN] South Carolina St. at South Carolina, 7 p.m. ET Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. CT Louisville at Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET [ESPN Classic] Middle Tennessee at LSU, 7 p.m. CT

6 2007 Auburn Football Game Notes AUBURN IN THE SEC/NCAA STATS (Through games played 9/8) TEAM SEC Red Zone Defense (55.6)...1st Opponent Penalties (100.5)...1st Tackles For Loss (8.0)...2nd Sacks By (2.5)...3rd Net Punting (37.2)...3rd Rushing Defense (81.0)...4th Opponent 3rd-Down Conv. (25.7)...4th Field Goals (.857)...5th Punt Returns (13.0)...6th Total Defense (317.5)...6th Kickoff Return (23.1)...6th Opponent First Downs (17.0)...6th Pass Def. Efficiency (109.80)...7th Scoring Defense (19.5)...7th Time Of Possession (29:46)...8th Red Zone Offense (85.7)...9th Scoring Offense (23.0)...10th Pass Defense (236.5)...10th Pass Offense (197.0)...10th First Downs (16.5)...10th Pass Efficiency (99.56)...11th Turnover Margin (-2.0)...11th Penalities (63.0)...11th Rushing Offense (93.5)...12th Total Offense (290.5)...12th Sacks Allowed (3.5)...12th Third-Down Conversions (17.9)...12th Kickoff Coverage (31.7)...12th NCAA T20th T32nd 35th 31st 36th 43rd 45th 39th 44th 75th 76th 84th 97th 102nd 93rd 102nd 104th INDIVIDUAL SEC NCAA Q. Groves, Tackles for Loss (2.5)...1st T6th R. Shoemaker, Punting (45.1)...1st 13th Q. Groves, Sacks (1.0)...T1st T10th W. Byrum, Field Goals (3.0)...2nd T2nd M. Fannin, Kickoff Returns (28.7)...3rd T19th R. Dunn, Punt Returns (13.0)...4th 27th W. Byrum, Scoring (11.0)...6th T37th B. Cox, Passing Average (197.0)...6th B. Cox, Total Offense (188.5)...8th 83rd P. Lee, Kickoff Returns (22.0)...9th T76th C. Evans, Tackles (7.5)...T9th P. Rodriguez, Receptions (4.5)...T10th 13 AND COUNTING In his 13th year as a head coach, Tommy Tuberville has five assistant coaches who have been with him all 13 years. That group includes: defensive tackles/ noseguard coach Don Dunn, running backs/special teams coach Eddie Gran, wide receivers coach Greg Knox, offensive line coach Hugh Nall and defensive ends coach Terry Price. THE SENIOR CLASS Head Coach Tommy Tuberville has a senior class that includes 17 players this season. The Tigers group of 17 seniors is the third most during the Tuberville era, falling behind the group of 21 from last season and the 2004 group that had 18. During Tuberville s tenure, Auburn s other senior classes have consisted of: 15 in 2005, 13 in 2003, 15 in 2002, 10 in 2001, 14 in 2000 and 14 in The 2007 seniors include: TE Cole Bennett, SS Eric Brock, QB Brandon Cox, OT King Dunlap, DT Tez Doolittle, DB Zach Gilbert, DE Quentin Groves, DE Brandon Haley, OL Leon Hart, DB Josh Hebert, CB Patrick Lee, H Matthew Motley, RB Danny Perry, WR Prechae Rodriguez, RB Carl Stewart, DT Josh Thompson and CB Jonathan Wilhite. IRON MEN Of Auburn s 17 seniors, 10 have seen time in more than 30 games during their careers. Quentin Groves leads the group with 42 career games played, and is the only member of the team to have played in every game over the past four seasons. Groves is followed closely by Cole Bennett and Eric Brock with 41 games each, while King Dunlap has seen action in 40 games. Josh Thompson and Patrick Lee are next with 38 games played, followed by Leon Hart (37), Zach Gilbert (37), Carl Stewart (36) and Brandon Cox (33). IN THE RED ZONE Times Times Rush Pass Made FGs Opponent In RZ Scored TD TD TD FG Missed Downs Int. Fum. Half Kansas State South Florida Mississippi State New Mexico State Florida Vanderbilt Arkansas LSU Ole Miss Tennessee Tech Georgia Alabama Total Auburn Scoring Pct.: 83.3 (6-7) Auburn Points Scored: 30 Opponents Scoring Pct.: 55.6 (5-9) Opponents Points Scored: 26 STARTS STREAK Brandon Cox is the lone member of the team to have a starts streak that dates back to the 2005 season. Cox has started 23 consecutive games at quarterback, missing only the fourth game (Western Kentucky) from 2005 over the past three seasons. Five other players on this year s team started all 13 games last year and the first two games this season. Seniors King Dunlap, Quentin Groves and Josh Thompson, junior Rodgeriqus Smith and sophomore Sen Derrick Marks all have started the last 15 games. FRESH FACES Freshmen will play a key role in determining Auburn s level of success this year, as 21 redshirt and true freshmen are listed on the depth chart, including six starters. The depth chart lists 12 redshirt freshmen, including OG Mike Berry, DT Mike Blanc, DS Rick Cherry, DT Zach Clayton, SS Zac Etheridge, TB Mario Fannin, DE Michael Goggans, WR Tim Hawthorne, OG Byron Isom, P Ryan Shoemaker, LB Craig Stevens and WR Terrell Zachery. Nine true freshman are listed on the depth chart, including K Wes Byrum, LB Bo Harris, S Mike McNeil, C Ryan Pugh, OG Chaz Ramsey, WR Chris Slaughter, K Graham Sutter, P Patrick Tatum and OT Lee Ziemba. POSITION CHANGES A number of players have changed positions from last year entering the 2007 season. Sen Derrick Marks, who started all 13 games at defensive tackle last season, has moved outside to a defensive end position. Tristan Davis, who saw time at running back in 2005 before moving to safety last year, is once again a running back for the Tigers. Bart Eddins has moved from the defensive line back to the offensive line, while Michael Goggans has moved from tight end to defensive end.

7 NO SHUTOUTS ALLOWED Auburn has scored in 52 consecutive games, which is the fourth-longest streak in school history. The Tigers have not been shut out since a 23-0 loss to USC to open the 2003 season. The third-longest streak without being shut out is 54 games and the second-longest is 58, but it would be quite a while before Auburn could challenge the school record. The Tigers scored in 149 straight games from Oct. 4, 1980 through Nov. 14, EXTRA POINTS Kicker John Vaughn, who finished his career last season as Auburn s all-time leading scorer with 312 points, made his final 107 consecutive PATs dating back to the 2004 season, and was 162-of-163 for his career. Wes Byrum has made his first four extra point attempts, pushing Auburn s streak of consecutive PATs to 111. Prior to Vaughn s only miss, Auburn had made an SEC record 209 consecutive PATs from Auburn has made 320 of its last 321 PATs. 50-YEAR ANNIVERSARY The 2007 season marks the 50-year anniversary of Auburn s 1957 National Championship team. The 57 Tigers finished with a perfect 10-0 record, including a 7-0 mark in the SEC, and was selected as the national champion following the season by the Associated Press. Auburn outscored its opponents that season by a combined score of , posting six shutouts and ending the season with a 40-0 whitewashing of Alabama. WINNING THE CLOSE ONES Auburn has had a knack for winning close ball games since Tommy Tuberville arrived as the Tigers head coach. In his previous eight seasons at the helm, Auburn is in games decided by seven points or less and has won 12 of its last 15, including all five games last season. SENIORS GO FOR NEW MARK Each of Auburn s last two senior classes have established new school records for victories in a four-year period, and this year s class has a chance to extend that streak. The 2005 senior class tied the old mark of 39 wins in four years, before last year s class finished with a new record of 41 victories in the last four years. With 33 of those wins coming in the last three seasons, this year s class needs eight wins to tie that record and nine to become the winningest senior class in Auburn history. FATHERS AND SONS Senior fullback Danny Perry is the son of Director of Football Operations Jimmy Perry. The younger Perry is the first Tiger to have his father on the football staff since Joe Whitt, Jr., played wide receiver from while Joe Whitt, Sr., who coached at Auburn from Auburn Football Game Notes 2005, was a linebackers coach. Previously, Gene Lorendo, an assistant coach from , saw his son, Mac, letter at offensive tackle from , earning All-SEC honors as a senior, and Paul Davis, an assistant coach from and , watched his son, Rhett, letter at split end from In addition, Auburn freshman linebacker Adam Herring is the son of Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring. TIGER GRADS Auburn begins the season with nine graduates on the roster, which is tied for the third most of any Football Bowl Subdivision team. The Tiger graduates include: TE Cole Bennett (business administration), SS Eric Brock (public administration), QB Brandon Cox (business administration), DT Tez Doolittle (criminology), DB Zach Gilbert (public administration), DE Quentin Groves (criminology), CB Patrick Lee (criminology), RB Carl Stewart (political science) and NG Josh Thompson (physical education). Listed are the top 10 programs in terms of number of players who have completed their bachelor s degrees prior to the start of the 2007 season. 1. Boston College Washington Auburn...9 Notre Dame Arizona State...8 Pittsburgh Ole Miss...5 USC...5 Virginia Memphis...4 TCU...4 TIGERS GO HIGH DEFINITION The most notable change to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the 2007 season is a new high definition video board above the south end zone. The $2.9 million board is the first true HD video display in the SEC and makes Auburn just the second NCAA member institution to invest in true high definition LED video capabilities. The display measure approximately 30 feet high by 74 feet wide, and exceeds 2,200 square feet. It has the capability to show a single, wide screen image, and can also be split into multiple windows to show lineups, game statistics, out-oftown game information and much more. TIGER PROS Auburn has demonstrated a proficiency for placing players in the National Football League. As of Aug. 21, 38 former Auburn Tigers were listed on NFL rosters. The Seattle Seahawks have the most former Tigers, with five former Auburn players on the roster, while the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons have four each. WHEN SCORING 20+ POINTS Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 63-5 when scoring 20 or more points in a game, including a 61-4 mark in the regular season. Dating back to 1995, Auburn is when scoring 20 or more points in a game. 30+ POINTS EQUALS VICTORY Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 41-0 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn has won 46 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points. The last time the Tigers lost when registering at least 30 points was a 56-49, four overtime loss to Georgia in In the last 22 years, Auburn is when scoring 30 points. BRAMBLETT RECEIVES SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD Rod Bramblett, who handles the play-byplay duties of Auburn football, men's basketball and baseball on the Auburn ISP Sports Network, has been named the 2007 Sportscaster of the Year in the state of Alabama by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. A Valley, Ala., native, Bramblett became Auburn s lead announcer for football and men s basketball in Bramblett, 41, has served as the voice of Auburn baseball since This is the first time he has received this Sportscaster of the Year honor. Bramblett is a 1988 graduate of Auburn. TIGERS ON CSS Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) will broadcast encore presentations of Auburn football every Sunday at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT with Andy Burcham handling play-by-play duties and Cole Cubelic doing color commentary. CSS will also air the Auburn Football Review every Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT and the Auburn Football Preview every Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT. CSS is a 24-hour regional sports network serving approximately 5.8 million households across 12 Southeastern states. DID YOU KNOW? Cole Bennett started his freshman year at Auburn already having accumulated 27 credit hours Bennett was also married during the summer of 2007, joining Quentin Groves as married players on the Tigers squad... Oscar Gonzalez is originally from Cuba and is bilingual... Linebacker Courtney Harden and defensive tackle Jake Ricks are brothers... Brad Lester was a high school teammate of the Atlanta Braves Jeff Francoeur... Carl Stewart plays the violin.

8 CAREER STATS VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE 2007 Auburn Football Game Notes THE LAST MEETING PASSING Player C-A-I TD Yds Yds/Gm Brandon Cox Blake Field RUSHING Player No. Yds Avg. TD Brad Lester Carl Stewart Ben Tate Brandon Cox RECEIVING Player No. Yds Avg. TD Gabe McKenzie Rodgeriqus Smith Cole Bennett Carl Stewart Robert Dunn Brad Lester Prechae Rodriguez DEFENSIVE Player UA A Tot. Misc. Eric Brock INT Patrick Lee PBU Josh Thompson TFL Quentin Groves Sacks Merrill Johnson Craig Stevens TFL Tristan Davis TFL Jonathan Wilhite SenDerrick Marks Sack, FF Chris Evans Zach Gilbert Pat Sims sacks, FF Lorenzo Ferguson PBU Courtney Harden FR Antonio Coleman Walter McFadden Jerraud Powers Zach Kutch Jermarcus Ricks FR AUBURN 34 MISSISSIPPI STATE 0 September 9, 2006 Davis Wade Stadium (43,460) Starkville, Miss. Brad Lester ran for two touchdowns and Courtney Taylor led all receivers with nine catches for 103 yards as fourth-ranked Auburn defeated Mississippi State, 34-0, at Davis Wade Stadium. Auburn improved to 17-1 in its last 18 Southeastern Conference games and has won 18 of its last 19 games against conference opponents. The win marked the sixth straight for the Tigers over the Bulldogs and the second straight by shutout. Over the past two games against Mississippi State, the Tigers have outscored the Bulldogs, Lester s two touchdowns gave him two multiple-score efforts this year and four in two seasons. He rushed for a two-yard touchdown less than four minutes in the second quarter, and started the third quarter with a 20-yard run to put Auburn up, Taylor, meanwhile, surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark for the second time in his career. The SCORING SUMMARY Auburn Mississippi State AU McKenzie 6 pass from Cox (Vaughn kick), 1:07, 1st AU Lester 2 run (Vaughn kick), 11:35, 2nd AU Vaughn 55 field goal, 0:07, 2nd AU Lester 20 run (Vaughn kick), 13:12, 3rd AU R. Smith 20 pass from Cox (Vaughn kick), 1:45, 3rd AU Vaughn 22 field goal, 3:49, 4th TEAM STATISTICS AU MSU First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing Yards Comp-Att-Int Total Yards Punts-Avg Fumbles/Lost 3/2 3/2 Penalties-Yards rd Down Conv. 6-of-13 5-of-15 Time of Possession 30:26 29:34 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING: (AU) K. Irons 21-69, Lester 5-40 (2TD), Stewart 3-7, Tate 4-1, T. Smith 1-(-2), Cox 2-(-4); (MSU) Dixon 15-69, Thornton 6-19, Stallworth 2-16, Davis 1-4, Williams 1-1, Long 1-(-1), Ambrose 1-(- 6), Rutland 6-(-23). PASSING: (AU) Cox , 249 (2TD), Field 4-4-0, 28, Team 1-0-0, 0; (MSU) Rutland , 82. RECEIVING: (AU) Taylor 9-103, McKenzie 4-42 (TD), R. Smith 2-85 (TD), Bennett 1-18, Lester 1-12, Rodriguez 1-9, Guess 1-8, T. Smith 1-5, Stewart 1-(-1), K. Irons 1-(-4); (MSU) Conner 6-49, Burks 2-19, Husband 1-9, Thornton 1-3, Ambrose 1-2, Stallworth 1-0 senior has now caught at least one pass in 35 of his 39 career games. Junior quarterback Brandon Cox was 18-of-27 for 249 yards and two touchdowns the 12th time in his career he threw at least one TD in the win. He connected with Gabe McKenzie for a 6- yard touchdown to end the first half, then found Rodgeriqus Smith for a 20- yard score with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. The touchdowns for McKenzie and Smith represented the first of their careers. Senior kicker John Vaughn set a career-high for the third time in two games when he booted a 55-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the second quarter. The field goal was his second of 50 yards or better in 2006 and tied the fourth-longest distance in Auburn (2-0 overall, 1-0 SEC) history. He finished the game 2-for-2, also making a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter. Auburn dominated defensively, limiting Mississippi State to 161 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were able to rush for just 79 yards and pass for 82. Mississippi State had a chance to get on the board for the first time this season in the fourth quarter on a 37-yard field goal, but Adam Carlson s kick was blocked by senior defensive end Marquies Gunn.

9 2007 Auburn Football Game Notes AUBURN-MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES SERIES RESULTS (Auburn leads, ) YEAR SCORE SITE DATE 1905: AU, 18-0 at Columbus, MS Oct : AU, 6-0 at Auburn Oct : AU, 11-5 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 7-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 34-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 19-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 26-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 7-3 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 13-6 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 7-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 7-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 13-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 7-6 at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, 33-7 at Birmingham, AL Oct : AU, 20-6 at Montgomery, AL Oct : AU, 7-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : Tie, 7-7 at Birmingham, AL Oct : MSU, 14-7 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 6-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : MSU, at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 20-0 at Birmingham, AL Oct : MSU, 33-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 14-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : MSU, 20-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, 25-6 at Auburn Nov : MSU, 27-0 at Starkville Nov : MSU, at Auburn Nov : Tie, at Starkville Oct : AU, at Auburn Nov : AU, at Auburn Nov. 10 YEAR SCORE SITE DATE 1957: AU, 15-7 at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, at Auburn Nov : AU, 31-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, at Auburn Nov : MSU, at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, 9-3 at Auburn Nov : MSU, at Jackson, MS Nov : AU, 12-3 at Auburn Nov : AU, at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, 13-0 at Jackson, MS Nov : AU, 36-0 at Auburn Nov : AU, 26-0 at Jackson, MS Sept : AU, at Auburn Nov : AU, 56-0 at Birmingham, AL Nov : AU, at Auburn Nov : AU, 14-3 at Jackson, MS Sept : AU, at Auburn Nov : AU, at Jackson, MS Nov : *Tie, at Auburn Nov : *MSU, at Jackson, MS Nov : *MSU, at Auburn Nov : AU, 6-0 at Starkville Nov : AU, 14-3 at Auburn Nov : MSU, at Jackson, MS Oct : MSU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Oct : AU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Oct : AU, 21-9 at Auburn Oct : AU, 35-6 at Starkville Oct. 25 YEAR SCORE SITE DATE 1987: AU, 38-7 at Auburn Oct : AU, 33-0 at Auburn Oct : AU, 14-0 at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Oct : MSU, at Auburn Oct : MSU, 14-7 at Starkville Oct : AU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Oct : AU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Oct : MSU, 20-0 at Auburn Nov : MSU, at Starkville Oct : MSU, at Auburn Oct : MSU, at Starkville Oct : AU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Sept : AU, at Auburn Oct : AU, at Starkville Sept : AU, 28-0 at Auburn Sept : AU, 34-0 at Starkville Sept. 9 at Auburn: AU leads, 25-5 at Starkville: AU leads, at Neutral Sites: AU leads, at Birmingham, AL: AU leads, at Columbus, MS: AU leads, 1-0 at Jackson, MS: AU leads, 5-2 at Montgomery, AL: AU leads, 1-0 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS LAST 15 MEETINGS Rank AU Rushing Passing Tot Off MSU Rushing Passing Tot Off Date Site Result Attend AU MSU FD No Yds TD C- A- I Yds TD No Yds FD No Yds TD C- A- I Yds TD No Yds Starkville L , Auburn W , Starkville W , Auburn W , Starkville W , Auburn L , Starkville L , Auburn L , Starkville L , Auburn W , Starkville W , Auburn W , Starkville W , Auburn W , Starkville W ,