On the Beat: Auburn football can rise and shine, and boost not-so-good morning kickoff record
AUBURN, Ala. — An early kickoff is a sportswriter’s best friend. But for fans — at least the ones supporting Auburn football — it can cause quite a bit of groaning.
The early kickoff, which come before noon on the Plains, usually doesn’t get the same loud, energetic crowds that show up for night games. It’s an adjustment for players, too, especially ones who have been playing and practicing later in the day for a while.
And, in Auburn’s case, early kickoffs can feel downright cursed. Some of the ugliest games of the Gus Malzahn, Gene Chizik and late Tommy Tuberville eras started in the a.m. So when the SEC announced last week Auburn would play Ole Miss at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) this weekend, fans weren’t enthused.
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Not a big fan of 11 AM games. But hey, I'm still with you Auburn! pic.twitter.com/hvu9c4tGfv
— Tyler Elkins (@weatherhobbyist) September 25, 2017
11AM kick?? Bleh. Those are the worst
— Ben05AU (@ben0905SC) September 25, 2017
An 11 am Ole Miss kickoff? Who hurt you Auburn
— Jade Dalton (@jadeedalton) September 25, 2017
How valid are Auburn fans’ gripes with early kickoffs? Here is a full list of how Auburn football has done in all of its pre-noon (central time) kickoffs over the last decade:
2016
- Wins: 38-14 at Mississippi State, 23-16 vs. Vanderbilt
2015
- Wins: 27-20 (OT) vs. Jacksonville State, 31-10 vs. Memphis*
- Losses: 54-46 (4OT) at Arkansas, 27-19 vs. Ole Miss, 20-13 vs. Georgia
2014
- Loss: 34-31 (OT) vs. Wisconsin*
2013
- Win: 55-23 at Tennessee
2012
- Wins: 31-28 (OT) vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 42-7 vs. New Mexico State
- Losses: 28-10 at Mississippi State, 24-7 vs. Arkansas, 41-20 at Ole Miss, 17-13 at Vanderbilt
2011
- Wins: 42-38 vs. Utah State, 41-34 vs. Mississippi State
- Loss: 38-24 at Clemson
2010
- Win: 52-3 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
2009
- Wins: 33-20 vs. Ole Miss, 38-35 (OT) vs. Northwestern*
- Loss: 44-23 at Arkansas
2008
- Win: 27-13 vs. Southern Miss
- Losses: 17-7 at Ole Miss, 17-13 vs. Georgia
2007
- Win: 35-7 vs. Vanderbilt
- Loss: 19-14 vs. Mississippi State
* Bowl game
Add up all those results, and Auburn is 14-13 in morning kickoffs over the last decade. That’s not a great record, especially considering seven of those games came against non-Power 5 opponents.
In SEC play, the numbers get worse. Auburn is 6-11 in early conference games across the past 10 seasons. Auburn’s last three home SEC wins in those games have been mighty close, with the Tigers outscoring Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Ole Miss by a count of 97-70.
Early games in Jordan-Hare Stadium have a tendency of playing closer than expected, even when the competition isn’t SEC-caliber. Auburn barely escaped against FCS team Jacksonville State in overtime in 2015 and needed a late rally to beat Utah State in 2011.
If Auburn can move past the morning cobwebs this Saturday against Ole Miss and take care of business, it’ll be a good sign for the Tigers’ future.
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Under Malzahn, Auburn smacked Tennessee 55-23 in its only 2013 morning game of an SEC championship campaign. Last year, the Tigers set the tone for what would be an impressive midseason run with a 38-14 win at Mississippi State. Auburn cruised until its next morning game, when Vanderbilt played close against an injury-impacted team of Tigers.
This weekend, Ole Miss might be in the worst position of any recent SEC team visiting Auburn for an early game. The Rebels lost 66-3 to Alabama a week ago, and teams coming off of facing the Crimson Tide are known to be flat in their next game — also known as the “Body Blow Theory.”
Auburn is a 21-point favorite and has looked strong on both sides of the ball. No offense has been able to score more than 14 points against the Tigers, and Auburn’s own offense is firing on all cylinders heading into a matchup against the nation’s No. 92 defense.
A win with some style points could push Auburn higher in the rankings — and away from the lesser-heralded morning TV slots for future games. That’s what happened in 2013 after a successful rout on Rocky Top, and that streak carried all the way through the 2014 regular season.
Besides, it’s not like the majority of Auburn fans will complain about missing those dreaded a.m. kickoffs — even if a win Saturday means the Tigers have won four of them in a row under Malzahn.
The post On the Beat: Auburn football can rise and shine, and boost not-so-good morning kickoff record appeared first on SEC Country.
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