Todd Bounces Back in Auburn Win

Chris Todd throws pass against Ole Miss (AP Photo/ Butch Dill)

I was wrong.

There, I said it, but don’t tell my wife.

Before Auburn played Ole Miss, I wrote that the Tigers should bench starting quarterback Chris Todd in favor of backup Neil Caudle if they stood any chance of upsetting the Rebels.

Well, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn stood by their man and he delivered. Todd wasn’t great, but effective, completing 12-of-22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ stirring 33-20 Southeastern Conference victory that snapped their three-game losing streak.

Senior running back Ben Tate had another big day, rushing for 144 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown jaunt, as Auburn’s offense came back to life against the nation’s ninth-ranked defense.

Auburn’s defense, which had been a sieve during the losing streak, twice came up big in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory. Ole Miss started two drives inside Auburn territory in the period, but didn’t score either time. Defensive end Antonio Coleman had his best game of the season with five tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hurries. Defensive back Walter McFadden alertly picked off a tipped pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter during a 21-point outburst in the first seven minutes of the period that gave Auburn a commanding 31-7 lead.

All-in-all, it was a very satisfying win for the Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC) as they became bowl eligible.

Moving forward, the Tigers should have an easy time with Furman in their upcoming homecoming game and then comes games against their two biggest rivals, at Georgia on Nov. 14 and at home against Alabama on Nov. 27.

Auburn already has exceeded my expectations and an upset against either Georgia or Alabama would make Chizik’s first season an even more remarkable success.

*****

Magic City Classic

A&M's Thomas Harris runs in for a TD. (Photo by Linda Stelter/Birmingham News)

Perhaps, it was the economy or maybe the NASCAR race that was being held in nearby Talladega on the same weekend or it could have been the rain. Whatever it was, attendance at the Magic City Classic was down more than 13,000 from the record crowd of 69,113 at the 2008 game.

A crowd of only 55,322 watched the Alabama A&M Bulldogs win their fifth consecutive game in the 68th Classic, defeating the rival Alabama State Hornets 21-7 Saturday at Legion Field.

A&M freshman quarterback Deaunte Mason and wide receiver Thomas Harris connected on TD passes of 57 and 22 yards to spark the victory as the Bulldogs improved to 35-30-3 in the series.

Despite the falloff in attendance, the atmosphere at Legion Field was still electric as thousands of tailgaters gathered outside without going inside the stadium for the game. And celebrities such as Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey and Brian McKnight were in town to add to the festivities.

*****

Briefly …

Troy coach Larry Blakeney earned his 150^th career win Saturday as the Trojans (6-2, 5-0) routed Louisiana-Monroe 42-21 to solidify their hold on first place in the Sun Belt Conference. Senior quarterback Levi Brown had another big game for Troy, throwing for 378 yards and four touchdowns … Joshua Harris completed 14-of-21 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns to lead Tuskegee to a 40-6 win over Lane College Saturday as the Golden Tigers (7-2, 7-1 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) moved within one win of earning their fourth consecutive SIAC title. Coach Willie Slater's four-year career record at Tuskegee is now 39-5. … Top-ranked Division II North Alabama (10-0, 7-0) defeated Arkansas-Monticello 27-13 Saturday to secure the Gulf South Conference championship in Terry Bowden's first season as head coach of the Lions … Finally, UAB quarterback Joseph Webb continues to astound. He had 304 yards total offense, while throwing for two touchdowns, rushing for a touchdown and catching a touchdown pass in the Blazers’ 38-33 win at UTEP.

Sticking with Todd Spells Auburn Defeat

Auburn backup quarterback Neil Caudle (pictured left) has spent all week saying all the right things about how he supports starter Chris Todd, about waiting his turn, about how there’s no
quarterback controvery on the Plains.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Head coach Gene Chizik defended Todd somewhat, saying he isn't solely responsible for the Tigers’ suddenly moribund offense. So, that’s why Chizik is sticking with the ineffective Todd (8-of-14 for 47 yards last week in a 31-10 loss at LSU).

“Let me tell you something, Chris Todd is a quarterback, that when it is third-and-7 and he has five guys in his lap, that's not Chris Todd, that's different people.” Chizik said in his weekly news conference. “It’s just like when in the first five games and we were throwing for this many yards, yeah he threw a nice ball, but last time we checked there were guys protecting for him or a receiver went up and caught a great ball.”

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

The fact of the matter is if Auburn (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) has any chance of snapping its three-game losing streak and upsetting Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium, they should forget all the niceties and insert Caudle as the starting quarterback.

He could be the spark to jump-start Auburn’s offense that has scored only 47 points and averaged only 103.0 yards passing during its losing streak.

Yes, it was in mop-up duty against LSU reserves, but Caudle did lead Auburn to its only touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter against LSU. He completed 3-of-5 passes for 34 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen.


So, why not let Caudle start? Is it because they are afraid to throw him out there against an Ole Miss defense that is ranked ninth in nation in total defense and is allowing only 13.6 points per game? Or are they just content to see another insufferable performance by Todd (pictured right)?

Of course, it might not make any difference who starts at quarterback for Auburn if the Tigers’ defense doesn’t keep the other team’s quarterback from looking like he’s All-SEC.

Last week, LSU sophomore Jordan Jefferson had a career game against Auburn, completing 21-of-31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks before that, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett torched the Tigers for 274 yards and two touchdowns.

Ole Miss’ suddenly rejuvenated quarterback Jevan Snead should continue to trend, especially with explosive wide receiver-running back Dexter McCluster roaming free. McCluster racked up a career-high 260 yards total offense and a touchdown in the Rebels’ 30-17 victory against Arkansas last week.

Quarterback controversy or not, look for the Tigers’ losing streak to reach four games … Ole Miss 31, Auburn 16.

Snead Is Next Up for Tide Beat Down

Jevan Snead, come on down. You’re the next highly regarded quarterback to take a crack at Alabama’s vaunted defense.

But first a word of warning: The other two took beat downs during their spin at the wheel.

Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor completed only 9-of-20 passes for 91 yards and was sacked five times as the Tide spanked the Hokies 34-24 to open the season.

Arkansas sophomore Ryan Mallett was coming off a record-setting performance against Georgia – 408 yards passing and five touchdowns – and was the nation’s top passer when he went up against the Tide two weeks ago. Alabama treated him rudely, holding Mallett to only 12 completions in 35 attempts for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked three times as the Tide rolled to a 35-7 victory.

Now, it’s Snead’s turn when he leads the No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels against the No. 3 Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.

Although Ole Miss’ junior quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass in 13 consecutive games, Snead has had a so-so start to this season. He is completing only 51.4 percent of his passes (54-of-105) for 728 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He was totally ineffective in the Rebels’ 16-10 loss at South Carolina two weeks ago, completing only 7-of-21 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Snead is going to need a career day for the Rebels to upset the Tide, whose defense is vastly superior to South Carolina’s. Consider the following:

* The Tide has 15 sacks in five games, led by defensive end Marcell Dareus with 3.5 sacks and surprisingly cornerback Javier Arenas with three. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain is next with two sacks.

* The Tide has held 16 teams under 100 yards rushing over the past 19 games and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher since Ole Miss’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis went for 131 on Oct. 13, 2007, a span of 24 games.

* The Tide defense has been strong on third down, ranking seventh nationally and allowing just a 27.14 conversion rate (19 for 70).

* The Tide forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, in its 38-20 victory at Kentucky last week. The Tide has forced eight turnovers this season and has forced 57 turnovers in the first 32 games under head coach Nick Saban, an average of 1.78 per game.

* The Tide is allowing only 222.2 total yards per game this season to rank second nationally.

"I believe they will be the best defense we’ve gone up against, and I look forward to having the opportunity to play against them.” -- Jevan Snead

Snead knows what he’s up against. In a press conference earlier this week, Snead said the Alabama defense was solid at every position. “You look at their defensive line and they’ve got some big guys up there who can make big plays. Also, their linebackers and their secondary are extremely fast and extremely physical – not to mention the fact that they’re well coached. I believe they will be the best defense we’ve gone up against, and I look forward to having the opportunity to play against them.”

Arenas expects Snead to pose a threat to the Tide.

“This will be my second year going against him,” Arenas said. “It was a good competition against him last year. He’s a great athlete, smart, a decision maker and he carries all those attributes into this year. So it will be the same type of environment, the same type of everything. It’s another test.”

Another test the Tide’s defense will pass with flying colors … Alabama 34, Ole Miss 16.