Position-by-position breakdown
Quarterback: If there's any position on the team that Auburn fans should feel at ease about, it's quarterback. I'm not sold on the huge hype for Jeremy Johnson as far as postseason accolades and such, but he has the talent to be a first-team All-SEC player. I just don't know if he can accumulate the stats necessary to compete for the Heisman and other awards in Gus Malzahn's run-first offense, especially in the age of other quarterbacks putting up huge numbers in spread offenses. If, God forbid, something were to happen to Jeremy, Sean White has earned high praise from Gus, offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and Jeremy throughout fall camp.
Running back: This is kind of a "wait and see" position right now. Roc Thomas was named the starter after a lengthy position battle with Peyton Barber and Jovon Robinson in fall camp, but the coaching staff said that is just a formality, which I think is true. All three (and possibly true freshman Kerryon Johnson) will get chances against Louisville to show what they can do. I've compared this running back situation to 2013. If you'll recall, Auburn played Tre Mason, Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant in the opening game versus Washington State. It took until the LSU game to really determine who "the guy" was, and I think it will be the same type of thing this season. The coaches have said that they want one guy to step up before they travel to LSU in week 3, so at that point we should have a fairly good idea of who that guy is based on performances in the first two games.
H-back: Honestly, this isn't a position I know a lot about. Redshirt freshman Kamryn Pettway and true freshman Chandler Cox have been competing for the starting job throughout fall camp, and I don't have any clue who has the leg up. Neither has game experience, and I think both will play against Louisville. What I do know is that this is a vital position in Malzahn's offense, so no matter who the starter is, they're going to need to grow up quickly.
Wide receiver: I could use all this space talking about Duke Williams, but that would do a huge disservice to a group of receivers that I think is very talented. Duke may or may not start because of his "suspension" in fall practice (Is it considered a suspension if you only miss practice?), but I expect him to see the field his normal amount, excluding possibly the first few plays of the game. The coaches are really looking for guys like Ricardo Louis, Marcus Davis and Melvin Ray to step up this year. Those three have a ton of experience, and they're going to need to be more consistent and well-rounded in this offense, which could be a bit more balanced with Jeremy at quarterback. Jason Smith, Tony Stevens, Ryan Davis and Stanton Truitt round out the two-deep depth chart at receiver. Jason Smith is one particular guy to look out for. He's not very big (6-1, 180) but everyone says he has some moves, so I think the coaches might find some creative ways to get the ball in his hands.
Tight end: True freshman Jalen Harris beat out redshirt freshman Chris Laye for the starting job, but, like with H-back, we haven't seen either in a game. tight ends have had various roles in Malzahn's offense over the years, so we'll see how it's utilized this year. Rhett Lashlee did say that they will "not put him in a position to fail" in the opening game. That seems obvious, but it's especially crucial to simplify the game as much as possible for a player in his first game. Based on that quote, I don't see Jalen getting a lot of touches in the first game, especially not if the game is close late.
Left tackle: Shon Coleman returns as the starter at left tackle this year. Coleman struggled in pass protection last season, but he said that was an emphasis in his offseason training. He'll get a good test in the first game against Louisville's talented front that really gets after opposing quarterbacks (they ranked 11th in the nation with 41 team sacks last season). Especially with Jeremy Johnson likely passing from the pocket more this season, it's crucial for Coleman to improve in defending Jeremy's blindside.
Left guard: Alex Kozan and Devonte Danzey are still competing for a starting position. The coaching staff plans to play both in the opener. I think this is a dangerous situation. Both are great players, but for the good of the line and the team, the coaching staff needs to pick one and go. I wouldn't be surprised if they do so after the first game (or even after the first half of the Louisville game) and roll with it. Chemistry is important on the offensive line more than anywhere else, so Auburn needs to pick its five and let them gel as early as possible. I think Kozan will win the job, but Danzey is a talented guy and could very well beat him out. Regardless of who wins the job, the "loser" will be the sixth lineman and the first man up if a starter goes down.
Center: Austin Golson won the job over Xavier Dampeer in fall camp. Golson was a tackle at Ole Miss before transferring to Auburn after the 2013 season, so he has SEC game experience. The only problem is that the experience is at tackle, not center. The other problem is that Auburn waited until the final week of fall camp to name Golson the starter, so he and Jeremy have not had much time to develop chemistry. I don't see that being a problem, but it's something to keep an eye on.
Right guard: Sophomore Braden Smith will be the starter at right guard. He played some as a freshman last year, but like Golson, he played at tackle. It will be interesting to see how seamless his transition to guard is. The coaching staff has expressed full confidence in Braden, but I wouldn't be shocked if the loser of the battle at left guard moves to the right side if he struggles early in the season.
Right tackle: Avery Young will be the right tackle, and I think this is the most solid position on the line. Avery has plenty of experience, and I'd be surprised if Auburn didn't run behind him quite a bit against Louisville.
Defensive tackle: The might be the weakest position on Auburn's team as far as depth goes. Montravius Adams has shown flashes of greatness but needs to be more consistent. The other three players on the two-deep depth chart are Dontavius Russell (I'm sure I won't get Montravius and Dontavious confused at any point this season), Devaroe Lawrence and Maurice Swain. We've heard especially good things about Devaroe. Defensive end DaVonte Lambert called him a "beast" and several members of the coaching staff have said he might be the best athlete on the team. However, none of the latter three have much experience.
Defensive ends: This is a position group that Auburn fans expect a lot out of, and rightfully so. Lambert was one of Auburn's best defensive linemen last season (I know that's not saying much given last year's D-line play, but still) before going down with an ACL injury, but he has fully recovered and will start at one defensive end spot. Behind him on the depth chart is vaunted freshman Byron Cowart, who has huge expectations on him this season. I would advise fans to not get too hyped up about Byron just yet. I'm not saying he's not a special talent, but only so much can be expected of freshmen. If he has five sacks this season, most people would consider it a disappointment. I think that's both a realistic and reasonable goal. But forget stats. If Cowart can help get some pressure on the quarterback, something Auburn was unable to do last year, he will help the defensive line out a lot. Opposite Lambert is Carl Lawson. Lawson will play the "Buck" position in Will Muschamp's defense, which is a "hybrid" defensive end, if you will. Lawson should have a bounce-back year after tearing his ACL last summer, but like Cowart, I would temper expectations, at least for the first few games. Keep in mind, he hasn't played a game since January 2014.
Linebackers: Oh, the linebacker situation. Two of Auburn's most consistent defenders and best tacklers over the past few years have been Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy, yet neither are starters. Both are listed on the depth chart with "or" between their names and Tre Williams, who will play inside and outside linebacker. The one linebacker spot that is locked up is the SAM linebacker (strongside), which will be manned by Justin Garrett. I expect to see Cassanova and Kris start at the other two spots, but regardless, all four will play a lot of snaps. Like defensive tackle, don't know about the depth here either.
Cornerback: Jonathan Jones returns from a year ago to start at one corner, but there will be new blood on the other side of the field for Auburn. Michigan transfer Blake Countess will start at cornerback, but he was worked at corner, safety and nickel in fall camp. He'll play all three in games as well, according to coaches. Everyone has had high praise for Countess. He started 30 games during his time at Michigan, so experience is not an issue. One person who surprised me is Josh Holsey. Holsey got extensive playing time last year at corner and nickel but is not listed as the starter for either this year. True freshman Tim Irvin is the starter at nickel. As I said earlier, you never know about freshmen, so I would stay ready if I'm Holsey. Auburn might need him to step up if Irvin falters early.
Safety: Another transfer, Tray Matthews, will start at safety alongside returner Johnathan Ford. Even though CBS will mention this SEVERAL times tomorrow, I'll go ahead and share a fun fact with you. Tray Matthews, who came to Auburn from Georgia, was one of two players on the wrong end of the Prayer in Jordan Hare as a freshman in 2013. The other, Josh Harvey-Clemons, who also transferred, now starts at safety for (drumroll, please) Louisville. Also, the Georgia defensive coordinator at the time, Todd Grantham, now holds the same position at Louisvile. Oh, and Shaq Wiggins, who was a corner on that 2013 Georgia team, now starts at corner for, well, you get the point. Lots of connections in the two secondaries. Moving on, Irvin is the backup for Ford, and Nick Ruffin, who played a lot as a freshman last year, is behind Matthews. I really like that group and think safety will be a strong point for Auburn's team this year.
Kicker: Daniel Carlson will handle the kicking duties again this year. He was solid as a true freshman last year, and I expect to see more of the same this year. Although this hasn't been clarified in any press conference, at least to my knowledge, I assume Carlson will also handle the kickoffs again in 2015.
Punter: Kevin Phillips won the job in fall camp over Ian Shannon. Shannon will be the backup at kicker and punter. The coaching staff is hoping the emergence of a punter this year will save some of Carlson's leg, because Daniel did all the kicking and punting last year. Gus Malzahn was quick to admit that punting is one of the hardest things to simulate in fall practice. Even when special teams are going live, defenders aren't going to go clock their own punter. Louisville and other teams won't mind doing so. Phillips will get the first opportunity, but if he struggles, I can't imagine the leash on him being too terribly long.
Long snapper: The most overlooked position on every single team. Auburn is no exception. Ike Powell will be the starter, and I haven't heard his name in fall camp. Auburn fans probably don't want to hear that name too much either, because usually it's not a good thing when the long snapper is being mentioned as a factor in the game.
Punt return: The coaching staff didn't name a starter on the depth chart, but apparently Marcus Davis didn't get the memo, because he told us last Sunday that he's the starter. Marcus has been compared a lot to Quan Bray, last year's punt returner. Marcus is shifty and he's got speed and good hands. Personally, I never cared much about big returns as a fan, I just wanted the returner to catch the ball. I don't think Marcus will struggle with that.
Kick return: The coaches gave no insight as to who this will be. Johnathan Ford, Roc Thomas, Ricardo Louis and Blake Countess are all listed with "or" between their names on the depth chart. I would think Roc and Ricardo will get the first shot, if only because of experience. Both of them returned kicks last year, and I don't remember Rudy (Johnathan's nickname) returning any last year. Not sure about Blake because I, admittedly, didn't watch a lot of Michigan football last year.
What to watch for
1. The line of scrimmage - This could be something to watch for in every game. All games are won or lost in the trenches, but I think that battle is especially key in this game. Louisville has one of the best front sevens in the nation, and Auburn's offensive line could be shaky early in the year, especially in the interior of the line. On the other side, I've heard that Louisville could start three freshman on the offensive line. If I'm a coach and I'm sending a freshman tackle out to block Carl Lawson all day, I don't feel so good about my chances in that matchup. I think both defenses will win the battle up front. Don't see a whole lot of rushing yards on deck for either team, and there may be more than a few sacks.
2. Fast starts - As you may have noticed, Auburn wasn't great at getting off to a good start last season. On the first offensive snap of three different games, the Tigers turned the ball over. Unsurprisingly, they went 0-3 in those games. In the first game of the season at a neutral site, it will be key for both teams to get off to a fast start. If Louisville comes out of the gate fast, Auburn could be in real trouble. But on the other side of things, it's important for Auburn to get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball to instill some confidence in Jeremy and the defenders, who are playing under Muschamp for the second time. And I hate to even count last year's Outback Bowl. He had that team for three weeks, but this is his defense now.
3. Mistakes - The first game is all about adjustments (if I had a dollar for every time I heard that line in preseason press conferences), but they're also about mistakes. As we've already seen with games this weekend, often the team to play the least sloppy is the team that will win. Once again, that sounds obvious, but it's true. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3-5 turnovers between the teams in this game. Whoever can force the opponent into mistakes and capitalize off those mistakes will have a good shot to win.
Prediction
As I mentioned above, I think the Louisville front seven will control the line of scrimmage and make plenty of plays. The game will come down to Jeremy Johnson's arm, and I think he will deliver in the second half. Louisville has not officially announced a starting quarterback, but it will be Reggie Bonnafon. He's a dual-threat guy who could cause problems if Auburn can't keep him in the pocket. Still, the fact that he didn't seize the job outright in fall camp tells me that the coaching staff is still not totally comfortable with him. I believe Auburn will force a late turnover and will win an extremely sloppy game by a field goal.
Auburn 24, Louisville 21
Enough talk, it's time to play ball.
Note/shameless plug: I'm the assistant sports editor at The Auburn Plainsman, and I'll be in Atlanta with the sports editor covering the game. Check out "theplainsman.com/section/football" to catch up on all the fall camp news, and stay tuned in the hours following the game for extensive game coverage. Also, we recorded our weekly podcast on Thursday which includes a run-down of fall practice and a Louisville preview. Give it a listen to get ready for the big game! Enjoy your day full of college football!
