The Tigers are rebuilding after a 3-9 season, but that hasn't tempered expectations as fans aim to get back to a bowl game. The discussion will continue all month -- and into August as fall camp begins -- and will hit a fever pitch at SEC Media Days in two weeks. All 14 SEC teams will descend on Hoover to preview the season, discuss their dreams of winning the SEC and why this is the year they will overcome all the odds to do so.
Until those three days in the middle of July, AL.com's Auburn beat writers will keep the football discussion going as we preview all 12 of the Tigers' opponents, a process that continues today with a look at Auburn's Conference USA foe.
Who: Florida Atlantic
When: Saturday, Oct. 26 (Time TBA)
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium
Series history: Auburn leads 1-0. (Last meeting: Auburn beat Florida Atlantic 30-14 in Sept. 24, 2011)
Early line: No line set.?
The coach:?Carl Pelini?(3-9 overall)
Last year?s record: 3-9, 2-6.
What happened?: Hired to take over a program that is still young -- Pelini is only the
??second coach in the program's history -- Pelini struggled to mold a roster right away, and Florida Atlantic started 1-5 before turning things on in the second half of the conference season. Once the schedule turned, the Owls played inspired football against both Troy and Western Kentucky, coming up with unlikely wins to finish at 3-9 and show improvement. Following the season, Florida Atlantic took its place among the constantly shifting tectonic plates of college football, moving into Conference USA, a league that will put more emphasis on play at the line of scrimmage and less on the spread offenses favored in the Sun Belt.
Statistically speaking
- Rushing offense: 113.1?ypg (107th nationally, 9th Sun Belt)
- Passing offense: 237.6 ypg?(6th, 60th)
- Total offense:?350.7 ypg (98th, 9th)
- Scoring offense:?20.5 ppg (105th, 9th)
- Rushing defense:?202.1 ypg (102nd, 9th)
- Passing defense:?204.0 ypg (27th, 1st)
- Total defense: 406.1 ypg (70th, 4th)
- Scoring defense: 30.8 ppg (84th, 8th)
- Turnover margin:?-.17 (73rd, 7th)
Offensive starters returning/lost: 7/4
Defensive starters returning/lost: 8/3
Biggest loss: SS?Brent Harstad. On a team that had very few seniors, Harstad provided leadership and playmaking ability out of the back end, earning second team All-Sun Belt honors after making 103 tackles, a sack and forcing two fumbles out of the Owls' backfield. The rest of the secondary returns intact, and there will likely be three senior starters back there, but Harstad's leadership from the strong safety position will be missed, as well as the physical nature he brought to the position and in the running game.?
Most important piece back: WR William Dukes. A big target at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Dukes exploded onto the scene with 63 catches for 979 yards and four touchdowns despite being the Owls' No. 1 target throughout the season. In Florida Atlantic's offense, other receivers had decent seasons catching the football, but nobody can stretch the field like Dukes, a bona fide deep threat who just needs somebody to get him the ball.?
Before Auburn: Florida Atlantic takes on Marshall at home the week before making the trip to the Plains.?
Toughest test: at Miami, Sept. 14.?
The buzz: Pelini's name offers plenty of recognition, and the defensive coach should be able to work with a unit that has eight starters back and seniors all over the field. On the other hand, the road in Conference USA is expected to be tougher than it was in the Sun Belt, and a lack of size on both the offensive and defensive lines could keep Florida Atlantic from taking a step forward in the coach's second year at the helm.?
?Why the excitement: Dukes leads a receiving corps that has some nice pieces, including tight end Nexon Dorvilus, who had 30 catches for 301 yards and five touchdowns, and Daniel McKinney, who had 48 catches for 492 yards. In addition, DeAndre Richardson, Florida Atlantic's leading receiver in 2011, is back from an injury that kept him out last season. At running back, there's more talent, a committee led by Jonathan Wallace, who had 673 yards and six touchdowns last season but doesn't have any relation to the Auburn quarterback by the same name. Over on the defensive side of the ball, Florida Atlantic returns eight starters, including linebackers Andrae Kirk and Adarius Glanton, who had 70 and 75 tackles, respectively.?
Why the worries?: Florida Atlantic has a three-man battle at quarterback -- Stephen Curtis, Melvin German and Quez Johnson?-- brewing, and that always leaves room for concern after the departing Graham Wilbert turned in an 18-touchdown, six-interception season last year. In addition, Florida Atlantic only returns two starters on an offensive line that is small and inexperienced, and the interior defensive line is painfully thin across the front. Faced with a schedule that's heavily front-loaded, Florida Atlantic will likely struggle against the bigger, brawnier rushing attacks in Conference USA.?
The more you know:?Florida Atlantic had just nine seniors on the roster last season, the second-lowest number in the country.?
Source: http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/07/auburn_2013_season_preview_flo.html
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