2009 Week 2

Auburn, AL (AP)-- Behind the right arm of Junior quarterback, Neil Caudle the Auburn Tigers improved to 2-0 (1-0) on Saturday evening against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Neil Caudle passed the ball 17 times and connected on 12 of those pass attempts. He amassed 162 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air and gained 21 yards on 6 carries on the ground.

Auburn found a balanced attack to be most effective early in the game and stuck with it throughout. Once again, both Senior tailback Ben Tate and Junior tailback Mario Fannin each had over one-hundred yards.

Heading into the season, the offensive line--one of Auburn's thinnest units--was thought to be the weak link and the team can only be as good as the offensive line. Their play was stellar for the second straight week. Although they allowed three sacks, they continuously opened lanes for the running backs to skate through.

The other side of the ball was just as impressive yet again. The defense was led by the play of the secondary and safeties coach Tommy Thigpen had great things to say about the entire secondary for their combined effort.

"They were outstanding in this game. They did everything the right way and played mistake-free football. Mike (McNeil) had a big game for us. The kid that impressed me the most was (Harry) Adams. He was a receiver at the start of spring practice, but he moved back to corner. He had two interceptions today. He did a great job."

Any football fan knows, however, that defensive play starts and ends with the play of the defensive line. The Tigers did not record a sack in this game, but the front four did their job of occupying blocks in order to allow the linebackers the freedom of making plays in the open field.

Though the Auburn Tigers (2-0) (1-0) haven't been tested just yet, look for their next game to be a bit tougher as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers.