Kansas St.-Auburn Preview

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• Auburn Beats Kansas State

Top 25 Overview

AUBURN, AL - 7:45 PM ET Auburn is flying under the SEC radar after losing four linemen and running back Kenny Irons. QB Brandon Cox returns to lead the offense. K-State has won 17 straight season openers and returns exciting QB Josh Freeman.

Complete Top 25 Overview

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
KSU	0-1	13	23	0-0	0-1	0-0	0-0
AUB	1-0	23	13	1-0	0-0	0-0	0-0
· Complete Standings

Record When Scoring... (Since 2001)
	20 OR MORE	30 OR MORE	40 OR MORE	50 OR MORE
KSU	41-22-0	34-5-0	22-0-0	7-0-0
AUB	49-3-0	32-0-0	15-0-0	5-0-0
	LESS THAN 20	LESS THAN 30	LESS THAN 40	LESS THAN 50
KSU	3-9-0	10-26-0	22-31-0	37-31-0
AUB	8-16-0	25-19-0	42-19-0	52-19-0

TEAM AVERAGES & NCAA RANKS
OFFENSE	TM	PER GAME AVERAGE / NCAA RANK
Total Yards	KSU	418.2 / 42nd
	AUB	327.8 / 102nd
Passing Yards	KSU	298.2 / 20th
	AUB	188.3 / 105th
Rushing Yards	KSU	132.8 / 83rd
	AUB	154.2 / 57th
Points Scored	KSU	35.2 / 18th
	AUB	24.3 / 86th
Full Team Stats: Kansas State | Auburn

Individual Leaders

Kansas State Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Gregor... 57.1 1096 4 4 Coffma... 60.7 863 2 4

Auburn Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Todd 59.9 2196 19 5 Caudle 75.0 170 1 1

Kansas State Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Thomas 247 1265 5.1 11 Valent... 55 357 6.5 6

Auburn Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Tate 225 1209 5.4 8 McCale... 94 524 5.6 4

Kansas State Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Banks 56 705 12.6 1 Snipes 28 424 15.1 2

Auburn Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Adams 44 717 16.3 9 Zacher... 23 468 20.3 5

Full Player Stats: Kansas State | Auburn

With a curious mix of returning talent and promising yet unproven players, Auburn has not been mentioned among the elite teams of the rugged Southeastern Conference.

And that suits the 18th-ranked Tigers just fine as they open their season Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Kansas State.

Tommy Tuberville's team went 11-2 last season, capped by a 17-14 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and handed BCS champion Florida its only loss. But Auburn has some huge holes to fill, particularly along its offensive line and at tailback.

Four of the five starters from the line are gone, including NFL first-round pick Ben Grubbs, and tailback Kenny Irons was selected in the second round, leaving 24-year-old quarterback Brandon Cox the focal point of the offense.

Tuberville, though, doesn't seem to be too concerned with the lack of experience.

"The one thing I think our football team has done over the years is we've learned how to win," he said. "If you learn how to win, then sometimes it filters down to your younger guys. Sometimes even though you might not be the best team on the field, you find a way to win the game. We're going to have to do some of that this year."

With No. 2 LSU and the return of Nick Saban to the SEC at Alabama dominating the conference headlines, the Tigers are content to lurk in the background.

"I like them getting all that attention," All-SEC defensive end Quentin Groves said. "Everybody's eyes are on Alabama; whose eyes are on Auburn? While your eyes are on Alabama, we're over here doing what we have to do to get bigger, faster and stronger."

Groves, who passed up being a mid-round selection in the NFL draft, had 9 1/2 sacks last season and is four shy of breaking the school record of 26 established by Gerald Robinson. Groves, along with linebackers Merrill Johnson and Tray Blackmon, anchor a unit that allowed only 13.9 points per game in 2006.

Cox, who is 79 passing yards shy of moving ahead of Patrick Nix into fifth place on the school's all-time list, will also have to find a new favorite target following the graduation of wide receiver Courtney Taylor, who had 54 catches for 704 yards.

In the backfield, Brad Lester is expected to start at running back. He rushed for 510 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns last year, and has competed with sophomore Ben Tate and redshirt freshman Mario Fannin for the starter's role. Tuberville hasn't named a starter, which has spurred Lester throughout camp.

"(Running backs coach Eddie) Gran told me I was (first team), but I haven't heard that from Coach Tubs yet," Lester said. "That's a good thing. I'm glad he's doing that. That's going to push me to run harder and work harder. I want that No. 1 spot. Come that first game, I'm going to show I can handle that spot."

Kansas State has won 17 straight season openers since a 31-0 defeat at Arizona State in 1989, but this will be just the third time in that span it will begin on the road and the first time it will play a ranked opponent away from home in its opener since 1973.

Ron Prince guided the Wildcats to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Texas Bowl in his first year succeeding Bill Snyder, and has almost all of his key players returning on offense.

"That's one of the things that excited me about playing this opponent, having a chance to go on the road and take some of the things that we've been trying to teach and things that we're studying and put them into place," Prince said. "You have to do that if you're going to contend for a championship and play for anything significant."

Josh Freeman, who set a freshman record with 1,780 passing yards, returns at quarterback, as do running backs James Johnson and Leon Patton. The pair combined for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns, and Freeman's top target -- Jordy Neilson -- returns after posting team highs of 39 catches and 547 yards.

One player who will not be available is tight end Rashaad Norwood, who was suspended Aug. 20 following his arrest on a charge of domestic battery. He was second on the team with 36 receptions.

Defensively, Ian Campbell ranked second in the Big 12 and 10th in the nation with 11 1/2 sacks, setting a single-season school record. Safety Marcus Watts was a preseason all-Big 12 selection after intercepting three passes, forcing two fumbles and returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.

Auburn has won the only two meetings between these schools, sweeping a home-and-home series in 1978-79.