By Jay Coulter
jccoulter@gmail.com
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They have a lot of respect for Auburn. After last week, I don’t think you’ll find too many betting against the Tigers.
We haven’t talked much this week about the controversy involving Chaz Ramsey and the chop block on LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. It seems that LSU fans won’t let it go.
I looked at the tape again this morning and there’s no doubt it was a chop block. I think we can all agree on that part.
But you certainly can’t say there was malice intent. Ramsey is a freshman playing for the first time at Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night. In the heat of the battle you can bet he didn’t have a clue what he was doing.
Should a flag have been thrown? Absolutely. It was a mistake and Auburn should have been called for it.
But to prove intent, you have to go back and look at history. Thankfully, Auburn doesn’t have a track record of dirty play. Offensive line coach Hugh Nall would never stand for it. You can bet nobody feels worse than Ramsey.
Dorsey is a class act. Not only is he one of the best in the SEC; he’s a super person off the field. It’s time for Auburn and LSU fans to move on. Let’s hope Dorsey is ready to go against Alabama next week.
Let’s shift gears and look at the matchup between Auburn and Ole Miss. As we’ve talked all week, this game is dangerous. Tiger coaches will earn their pay getting the players focused on the Rebels after Saturday’s close loss in Baton Rouge.
Ole Miss is a tale of two teams. They have the potential to play with anyone in the conference and then turn around and lose to most anyone in the country. What team shows up at Pat Dye Field is anyone’s guess.
Here are a few trends to be aware of heading into Saturday night’s contest...
Ole Miss is 0-5 in the SEC for the first time since 1984...
The Rebels rank last in turnover margin in the SEC at -8. Look for the Auburn defense to force turnovers...
Ole Miss has allowed only 24 first quarter point all year...
The Rebels 44-8 loss to Arkansas last week marked the first time this season they have not scored at least 17 points in a game...
While there’s somewhat of a quarterbacking controversy at Ole Miss, one thing is certain; current starter Seth Adams can throw. He’s passed for 200 yards or more in five games this year...
Nine of the last 14 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less...
The two teams have split the last four games at Jordan-Hare Stadium...
Auburn has thrown for at least 230 yards in each of the last four meetings...
Here’s a look at the television schedule for this weekend. As expected in late October, there are quite a few games on the tube (All times are Central)...
West Virginia at Rutgers – 11:00 a.m. – ABC
Miss State at Kentucky – 11:30 a.m. – Lincoln Financial Sports
USC at Oregon – 2:00 p.m. – Fox Sports Network
Florida vs. Georgia – 2:30 p.m. – CBS
Clemson at Maryland – 2:30 p.m. – ABC (Split Feed)
Nebraska at Texas – 2:30 p.m. – ABC (Split Feed)
Virginia at North Carolina State – 3:30 p.m. – ESPN U.
Ole Miss at Auburn – 5:00 p.m. – Pay-Per-View
UCLA at Washington St. – 5:30 p.m. – Fox Sports Network
Kansas at Texas A&M – 6:00 p.m. – ESPN 2
South Carolina at Tennessee – 6:45 p.m. – ESPN
Ohio State at Penn State – 7:00 p.m. - ABC