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If Auburn is going to
make it to the SEC
title game, it’s going
to get to Atlanta
on the ground. The
Tigers will lean on
a stable of impact
rushers, none more
explosive than
sophomore
JATARVIOUS WHITLOW,
who racked up
787 rushing yards
on 5.2 yards per
carry—and that was
in his first season
playing running
back. Whitlow
was a star QB at
LaFayette High,
25 miles from
Auburn, and signed
with the Tigers as
a three-star WR
before switching to
the backfield during
his redshirt year.
Auburn was 68th
in rushing in 2018.
With his blinding
speed—he was also
a track star in high
school—Whitlow
and 5' 7" scatback
Shaun Shivers could
turn a middling
ground game into a
strength.X-FACTOR
2019
SCHEDULE
THE BIG STORY The Tigers
entered last season as a
top 15 team and a CFP contender
but lost three of their first four
SEC games on their way to a
disappointing 8–5 finish. Even
with a QB who was good enough
to be a fourth-round draft pick—
Jarrett Stidham, now with the
Patriots—the Tigers finished 78th
in the country in total offense, and
things are not going to get any
better with more inexperience on
that side of the ball. The D will
have to carry the Tigers through a
treacherous schedule.CAN’T MISS Future NFL pick
Derrick Brown, the 318-pound
cornerstone of the defensive line,
is a dominant interior presence
with overwhelming power as a
pass rusher. A shiftier run
defender than his size would
indicate, Brown pairs with
lineman Marlon Davidson to make
up one of the SEC’s most
dominant tandems.KEY QUESTION Not only is
Stidham gone to the NFL,
but his backup Malik Willis also
transferred to Liberty. The
defections leave Malzahn with a
slate of unproven options to start
opening night against Oregon.
Which highly touted young
quarterback—redshirt freshman
Joey Gatewood or true freshman
Bo Nix—will step up and leadKEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
AUG. 31
OREGON (9)
SEPT. 7
TULANE
SEPT. 14
KENT STATE
SEPT. 21
@ TEXAS A&M (13)
SEPT. 28
MISSISSIPPI
STATE (20)
OCT. 5
@ FLORIDA
OCT. 19
@ ARKANSAS
OCT. 26
@ LSU (8)
NOV. 2
OLE MISS
NOV. 16
GEORGIA (3)
NOV. 23
SAMFORD
NOV. 30
ALABAMA (1)
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
7– 6 8 –5 10 – 4 8 –5 7–5
WINS
After signing a $49 million
deal before last season,
Malzahn faces immense
pressure after a disappointing- One thing working in his
favor: a massive buyout that’s
reportedly 75% of the money
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 left on his deal.
SI PROJECTION
5 -YEAR TREND
7. 5
It doesn’t get much
tougher than this: The
Tigers open against a Pac-12 power
before a slate of SEC opponents
that includes LSU, Florida and
Texas A&M on the road.OVER OR UNDER
FRO
M LEFT: W
ESLEY H
ITT/GETTY IM
AGES; KEVIN D. LILES
Auburn