Auburn football notes for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt

http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1222938984239130.xml&coll=3

No. 13 AUBURN (4-1, 2-1) at No. 19 VANDERBILT (4-0, 2-0) 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, Tenn. — LINE: Auburn by 4cm HALF

— SERIES: Auburn leads 20-19-1.

— GAME WITHIN THE GAME: Vandy throws the ball sparingly, preferring to use option quarterback Chris Nickson and tailback Jared Hawkins to control the clock while keeping the ball on the ground. It’s a matchup made for Auburn’s run-stopping defensive line. Sen’Derrick Marks, Tez Doolittle and Antonio Coleman, still angry about LSU’s ability to run the ball up the gut two weeks ago, are eager to face a team with a run-first philosophy. The Commodores managed only 202 yards of total offense against Ole Miss two weeks ago, but

two-thirds of that came on the ground.

— STAT OF THE WEEK: Vanderbilt is 4-0 even though it ranks last in the SEC in total offense and total defense. The Commodores lead the nation in turnover margin and are tied for the national lead with 10 interceptions. They top the SEC in red-zone offense and punt-return average.

al.com
10/2/08