Jan. 25, 2007
2006 Auburn Football Season In Review
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COACH:
Tommy Tuberville (Southern Arkansas, 1976)
Auburn Record: 71-29 (8th year)
Overall Record: 96-49 (12th year)
FINAL RANKINGS:
USA Today:8
Associated Press:9
2006 Results (11-2, 6-2 SEC)
Date Opponent Score
Sept. 2 WASHINGTON ST. [ESPN2] W, 40-14
Sept. 9 at Mississippi State [LFS] W, 34-0
Sept. 16 #6/7 LSU [CBS] W, 7-3
Sept. 23 BUFFALO W, 38-7
Sept. 28 at South Carolina [ESPN] W, 24-17
Oct. 7 ARKANSAS [CBS] L, 10-27
Oct. 14 #2/3 FLORIDA [ESPN] W, 27-17
Oct. 21 TULANE (HC) W, 38-13
Oct. 28 at Ole Miss [LFS] W, 23-17
Nov. 4 ARKANSAS STATE W, 27-0
Nov. 11 GEORGIA [LFS] L, 15-37
Nov. 19 at Alabama [CBS] W, 22-15
Jan. 1 vs. #22/22 Nebraska [FOX] W, 17-14
STATISTICAL LEADERS:
Statistic Leader
Rushing Att. 198, Kenny Irons
Rushing Yards 893, Kenny Irons
Rushing TD 9, Brad Lester
Passing Yards 2,198, Brandon Cox
Completions 163, Brandon Cox
Passing Att. 271, Brandon Cox
Passing TD 14, Brandon Cox
Receptions 54, Courtney Taylor
Receiving Yards 704, Courtney Taylor
Receiving TD 4, Rodgeriqus Smith
Kickoff Return Avg. 27.0, Tristan Davis
Punt Return Avg. 5.5, Robert Dunn
Points Scoring 94, John Vaughn
Punting Avg. 45.7, Kody Bliss
Tackles 72, Will Herring
Tackles for Loss 12.0, Quentin Groves
Sacks 9.5, Quentin Groves
Pass Defended 14, David Irons
Interceptions 2, Will Herring, Eric Brock, David Irons
2006 HEADLINES
* Auburn's 11 victories tied for second-most in a season in school history. The Tigers won 13 games in 2004 and 11 in both 1983 and 1993.
* Auburn posted its seventh consecutive winning season and its seventh straight trip to a bowl game.
* Auburn ranked seventh nationally in scoring defense this season, allowing just 13.9 points per game, and ranked 19th in total defense (292.3).
* Auburn outscored its opponents 162-57 in the second half this season, including a 102-33 advantage in the third quarter. Auburn held Florida, LSU and Nebraska scoreless in the second half this season.
* Auburn went a perfect 5-0 in games away from home, winning SEC games at Mississippi State, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas against Nebraska.
* Auburn was the only team in the country to defeat national champion Florida, earning a 27-17 victory over the then-No. 2 Gators on Oct. 14.
* Auburn was also the only team in the country to beat two teams that finished the season ranked in the top five, beating No. 3 LSU 7-3 on Sept. 16.
* Auburn allowed the fewest kickoff return yards in the nation (237), ahead of second-place Arizona, which allowed 276 yards despite kicking off 17 fewer times than Auburn.
* Auburn won its 18th bowl game in 33 career bowl appearances with a 17-14 victory over No. 23 Nebraska in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day. Auburn's 18 career bowl victories is tied with Ohio State, Michigan and Miami (Fla.) for 13th most in NCAA history.
* The Tigers won six games in come-from-behind fashion, the most in a single-season since the 1993 Tigers, who also posted six comebacks.
* Auburn's senior class established a new school record with 41 victories over the past four seasons, while the 33 victories in the last three years is also a new school mark.
* Auburn has posted a record of 33-5 over the past three seasons, which is tied for third best in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision during that span.
* Auburn has the best record among SEC teams in regular season conference games since 2000 with a record of 42-14 (.750) over the past seven seasons.
* Auburn's victories over Florida and then-No. 6 LSU pushed the Tigers' win streak against top-10 teams to four in a row and eight of their last nine.
* Auburn recorded its first five-game winning streak against Alabama since 1954-58 with a 22-15 victory in Tuscaloosa Nov. 19.
* Auburn's blocked punt against Florida netted the Tigers the Pontiac Game Changing Peformance Play of the Year Award on Jan. 8.
* Courtney Taylor became Auburn's all-time leading receiver, finishing his career with a school-record 153 catches.
* John Vaughn became Auburn's all-time leading scorer, finishing his career with 312 points, which is tied for 12th in SEC history.
* Vaughn tied for seventh nationally with 20 field goals made this season, becoming just the second Auburn player to make at least 20 field goals in a single season, and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award.
* Tristan Davis led the SEC in kickoff return average (27.0) and set a new school single-season record with 756 kickoff return yards.
* Will Herring set a new school record by pushing his consecutive games started streak to 49, breaking the old record of 47 set by Jeno James (1996-99).
* Kody Bliss finished the season ranked third nationally in punting, averaging 45.7 yards per punt.
* Senior kicker Matt Clark led the nation with 51 touchbacks (out of 66 attempts, 77 percent) on kickoffs this season.
* For the first time in school history, Auburn had both a career 2,000-yard rusher (Kenny Irons) and a career 2,000-yard receiver (Courtney Taylor) on the same team.
* Guard Ben Grubbs was named a first-team All-American by ESPN.com and Pro Football Weekly.
THE WRAPUP
Auburn finished the season with an 11-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers earned a trip to their seventh straight bowl game, defeating Nebraska, 17-14, in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
THREE-YEAR DOMINATION
Auburn has posted a record of 33-5 (.868) since the start of the 2004 season, tying the Tigers for the third-best record in the NCAA over the past three seasons. Only USC (36-3, .923) and Texas (34-4, .895) have better winning percentages than Auburn during that span, while Boise State has an identical 33-5 mark.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON
With 11 victories this year, Auburn finished with another winning season. It marked the seventh consecutive winning season for Auburn, and the 76th in school history. Auburn, which has had just three losing seasons in the last 25 years, has now won at least 10 games 11 times in its history. The Tigers' 11 victories this year was tied for second best in school history, trailing on the 13-0 2004 squad and tying the number of wins by the 1983 and 1993 teams.
100TH GAME AT AUBURN
Auburn's appearance in the Cotton Bowl marked Tommy Tuberville's 100th game as Auburn head coach. Tuberville, who owns a 71-29 record in his 100 games heading the Tigers, became just the fourth coach in Auburn history to coach 100 games. Ralph "Shug" Jordan has coached the most games at Auburn, leading the Tigers for 265 games over 25 seasons from 1951-75 while compiling a 176-83-6 record. Pat Dye (1981-92) was the head coach for 142 games, posting a mark of 99-39-4, while Mike Donahue (1904-06, 1908-22) headed the squad for 139 games, recording a ledger of 99-35-5.
DID YOU KNOW?
Auburn was the only team in the country to defeat two teams ranked in the top five of the final regular season Associated Press top 25 poll, as well as the only team to win two regular season games against teams that played in BCS bowl games. Auburn beat national champion Florida (27-17) on Oct. 14, and beat No. 3 LSU (7-3) on Sept. 16.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Auburn has had a knack for winning close ball games since Tommy Tuberville arrived as the Tigers' head coach. In his seven seasons at the helm, Auburn is 24-10 in games decided by seven points or less and has won 12 of its last 14, including all five games this season. Counting his four seasons at Ole Miss, Tuberville has a 24-15 record as a head coach in games decided by seven points or less.
ROAD WARRIORS
Auburn posted a perfect 5-0 mark in games away from Jordan-Hare Stadium, including a 4-0 mark in SEC road games and a victory in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas. It marked the second time in three seasons that Auburn went 4-0 in SEC road games, and the Tigers are now 11-1 in SEC road games over the past three seasons, with the only loss coming in overtime at LSU in 2005.
SENIORS BREAK FOUR-YEAR MARK
Auburn broke the mark for most victories over a four-year period in Auburn history with 41, and also broke the three-year mark with 33 wins. The 2005 senior class had previously set the four-year mark with 39 victories, the three-year mark (30) and the two-year record (22).
IRON MEN
Of Auburn's 21 seniors, 11 saw time in more than 40 games during their careers, including three who played in more than 50. Tre Smith and Will Herring, who both had redshirted during seasons in which they saw limited action, played in 54 and 53 games, respectively, to lead the group. Kody Bliss joined Smith and Herring as players who played in all 51 games over the past four seasons. Karibi Dede, Courtney Taylor and Ben Grubbs played in 50 games, followed by John Vaughn (48), Marquies Gunn (47), Jonathan Palmer (46), Tim Duckworth (43) and Kevin Sears (41).
STARTS STREAK
Will Herring set a new school record for consecutive starts at Alabama Nov. 18, marking his 48th consecutive start, and finished his career with 49 straight starts. He broke the record of 47 set by OL Jeno James (1996-99). Herring passed former QB Stan White (45 games from 1990-93) for the second-longest starting streak in Auburn history Nov. 4 vs. Arkansas State.
Senior offensive guard Ben Grubbs had the second-longest active streak, having started 38 straight games.
SECOND-HALF STALWARTS
Auburn has shown ability to make necessary adjustments at the half, as evidenced by the Tigers rallying from halftime deficits to beat both LSU (trailed 3-0, won 7-3) and Florida (trailed 17-11, won 27-17) this season, and breaking a 7-7 halftime tie to beat Ole Miss and a 14-14 halftime tie to beat Nebraska in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Auburn outscored its opponents 102-33 in the third quarter this year, and 60-24 in the fourth period, for a total advantage of 162-57 in the second half. Auburn also held its opponents to 11-of-36 third-down conversions in the third quarter (30.6 percent), while converting 55.8 percent (24-of-43) of its own third down chances in the third period.
KEEPING IT UNDER 20
Auburn, which ranked seventh in the NCAA in scoring defense at 13.9 points per game, allowed 20 or more points in a game just twice this season, and has held its opponents to less than 20 points 29 times in its last 38 games (76.3 percent). Only Georgia (37 points) and Arkansas (27) reached the 20-point mark against Auburn this season.
The chart below illustrates the number of times Auburn's opponents scored 20+ points since Tommy Tuberville's arrival in 1999.
Year 20+ Games
2006 2
2005 5
2004 2
2003 6
2002 6
2001 8
2000 7
1999 6
TIGERS TOUGH ON TOP TEN
Auburn has won eight of its last nine games against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 10, including a 7-3 victory over then-No. 6 LSU on Sept. 16 and a 27-17 win against then-No. 2 Florida Oct. 14. The Tigers have won six straight home games against Top-10 squads.
In 2005, Auburn posted victories at No. 9 Georgia (31-30) and against No. 8 Alabama (28-18). In 2004, the Tigers defeated No. 5 LSU (10-9), No. 10 Tennessee (34-10), No. 8 Georgia (24-6) and No. 9 Virginia Tech (16-13) in the NOKIA Sugar Bowl.
During the Tommy Tuberville era, Auburn is 14-10 in games played against top 10 teams, and has won 14 of its last 19 games dating back to a 23-20 upset of No. 1-ranked Florida Oct. 13, 2001.
Dating back to the 2002 season, Auburn has played 18 games against top 10 teams.
NO RETURN POLICY
Auburn allowed the fewest kickoff return yards in the nation this season, and with very few teams even close to the Tigers' number. Auburn surrendered just 237 kickoff return yards, while the next lowest total was 276 by Arizona, despite the fact that the Wildcats kicked off 17 fewer times than Auburn this season. And the team that surrendered the third-fewest return yards, Colorado, has allowed almost twice as many yards as Auburn (392). The second-lowest total in the SEC belonged to Ole Miss with 583 yards, and the Rebels kicked off 22 fewer times than Auburn.
Most of the credit goes to senior kicker Matt Clark, who led the SEC with 49 touchbacks on 66 kickoffs this season (77.3 percent), and had streaks of 16 in a row and 13 in a row this year. Clark, who also successfully converted an onsides kick in the third quarter at South Carolina, was named SEC Special teams Player of the Week Sept. 25.
TWO THOUSAND TIMES TWO
For the first time in school history, Auburn had both a career 2,000-yard rusher and career 2,000-yard receiver on the same team. Courtney Taylor surpassed the 2,000-yard mark in receiving during Auburn's victory over Arkansas State Nov. 4, and the following Saturday against Georgia, Kenny Irons went over the 2,000-yard mark in rushing. Irons, who finished his career with 2,186 career rushing yards, became the 12th Auburn player to pass the 2,000-yard mark in rushing, but Taylor, who posted 2,098 career receiving yards, is one of just four Tigers to reach 2,000 yards receiving.
TAYLOR SETS NEW RECEIVING MARK
Courtney Taylor grabbed six passes for 70 yards during the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, and in the process, broke the Auburn record for career receptions on his fourth catch of the game, a 9-yarder deep in Auburn territory. Taylor pushed his career total to 153 catches, surpassing the previous record of 150 set by Karsten Bailey (1995-98). Of his 153 catches, 103 resulted in first downs (67.3 percent). Taylor also finished fourth in Auburn history in career receiving yards with 2,098.
Taylor stepped up his production during his senior season, posting a career-best 54 catches, which is the fifth-best single-season total in school history. Taylor grabbed at least three passes in 10 games this year.
JUST FOR KICKS
John Vaughn had a stellar senior season, and was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award. Vaughn, who broke Auburn's career scoring record with 312 career points, led the SEC and finished tied for seventh nationally with 20 field goals made (in 24 attempts) and ranked second in the SEC in scoring (7.2). Vaughn, whose field goal percentage of .833 was sixth in the nation among kickers with at least 20 attempts, twice made four field goals in a game this season (Sept. 2 vs. Washington State and Oct. 14 vs. Florida). He had two field goals this year of over 50 yards.
Vaughn's 20 field goals this season was the second-highest single-season total in school history.
NO SHUTOUTS ALLOWED
Auburn has scored in 50 consecutive games, which is the third-longest streak in school history. The Tigers have not been shut out since a 23-0 loss to USC to open the 2003 season. The second-longest streak without being shut out is 58 games, but it would be quite a while before Auburn could challenge the school record. The Tigers scored in 149 straight games from Oct. 4, 1980 through Nov. 14, 1992.
IRONS IN THE FIRE
Kenny Irons, who ranked No. 4 in the SEC averaging 81.2 yards rushing per game, eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark 11 times in his two seasons playing for Auburn. During his final 21 games, Irons totaled 2,153 yards rushing (102.5 yards per game). Although he played only two seasons at Auburn, Irons finished his career ranked 10th in Auburn history with 2,186 career yards rushing.
LETHAL WEAPONS
True freshman Ben Tate had a pair of 100-yard rushing games (156 vs. Tulane, 114 vs. Buffalo), becoming the latest Tiger to post a big rushing total. In fact, Auburn had six different players on the roster who have rushed for at least 90 yards in a single game, including four that have topped the century mark.
Kenny Irons leads the list with 11 career 100-yard games including a high of 218 in 2005 at LSU. Sophomore Tristan Davis, now playing safety, rushed for 162 yards in 2005 at Kentucky, while Tate's 156-yard effort is third best among current Tigers. Senior Tre Smith had a career-best 126-yard effort as a freshman in 2002 at Alabama. Sophomore Brad Lester had a career-high 94-yard performance Oct. 14 vs. Florida, while junior Carl Stewart had 91 yards rushing in 2004 vs. the Citadel.
RUNNING BACK U.
Auburn has more running backs on NFL rosters than any other college, according to data distributed by the NFL. There are six former Tigers who played running back in the NFL in 2006, including: Ronnie Brown (Dolphins), Stephen Davis (Rams), Heath Evans (Patriots), Rudi Johnson (Bengals), Tony Richardson (Vikings) and Carnell Williams (Buccaneers).
FRESH MEAT
A number of true and redshirt freshmen contributed greatly for Auburn this season. Redshirt freshmen DL Sen'Derrick Marks, S Aairon Savage, LB Tray Blackmon and TEs Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie all started games this season. Savage ranked third on the team with 53 tackles, Marks had 38 tackles and ranks second on the team with 11 tackles for loss, McKenzie tied for fourth on the team with 13 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown and Trott tied for fifth with 10 catches for 94 yards including two scores.
In addition, true freshman RB Ben Tate rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown Oct. 21 vs. Tulane and 114 yards and two scores Sept. 23 vs. Buffalo. Redshirt freshman DB Jerraud Powers had 26 tackles, redshirt freshman DE Antonio Coleman had 18 stops and redshirt freshman LB Patrick Trahan had 14 tackles.
OL HAS EXPERIENCE
Although they hadn't started a game as a group prior to the season opener vs. Washington State, Auburn had five offensive linemen who have a wealth of experience, combining for 188 games played and 110 starts. Senior guard Ben Grubbs played in 50 games, starting the last 38, while his counterpart at guard, senior Tim Duckworth, played in 32 games on the offensive side, making 22 starts. Senior center Joe Cope started 20 of his 23 career games played, while senior tackle Jonathan Palmer (46 games, 16 starts) and junior tackle King Dunlap (37 games played, 14 starts) were new to the starting lineup this year but have seen extensive action.
GROVES IN A GROOVE
Junior defensive end Quentin Groves, who tied for third in the SEC with 9.5 sacks this season, twice earned SEC weekly honors this year. Groves had three sacks in the second half of Auburn's 27-17 victory over Florida Oct. 14, which earned him SEC Defensive Player of the week honors. He had two sacks that both resulted in fumbles recovered by Auburn and eventually to Auburn touchdowns in the Tigers' 22-15 win at Alabama Nov. 18, earning him SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week accolades. Groves is tied for second in Auburn history with 23 career sacks, and shares the school record for sacks in a game, with four in a 2004 game vs. Kentucky.
SMOOTH TRANSITION
One of the more notable changes to the Auburn defense was the move of Will Herring, a three-year starter at free safety, to linebacker. The results were good, as Herring led the team with 72 tackles this season, including 9.5 for losses, and shared the team lead with two interceptions plus two forced fumbles. He was named Defensive MVP of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic after collecting a game-high seven tackles including two tackles for losses. He also took a direct snap on a fake punt in the season opener against Washington State and rushed 42 yards in the third quarter vs. Washington State.
MORE THAN ONE IRONS EXCELLING
Senior cornerback David Irons was granted a sixth-year of eligibility prior to this season, and the extra year paid dividends. Irons was sixth on the team with 42 tackles (23 solo, 19 assists) this season, including a team-high 10 stops during Auburn's 24-17 victory at South Carolina Sept. 28. Irons tied for sixth in the SEC with 14 passes defended this season (two interceptions, 12 pass break-ups).
SENIOR STEPS UP
Karibi Dede, the only returning starting linebacker for Auburn this season, stepped up during his senior season, ranking second on the team with 59 tackles, including 30 solo stops. He also recovered two fumbles, giving him seven for his career. Dede started 31 games for Auburn during his career, although he had a streak of 15 straight starts snapped when he sat out the Buffalo game Sept. 23.
D-LINE IS DELIGHTFUL
Auburn replaced three starters on the defensive line this season, but the results were favorable. This season, ends Quentin Groves, Marquies Gunn and Christopher Browder and interior linemen Pat Sims, Sen'Derrick Marks and Josh Thompson combined for 193 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and 23 sacks. Groves had team highs of 12.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, while Thompson led all defensive linemen with 44 tackles.
HEAVENLY BLISS
Senior Kody Bliss averaged 45.7 yards per kick, which ranked third nationally. Nineteen of Bliss' 47 punts traveled more than 50 yards, including four over 60, and he placed 13 punts inside the opponents' 20. Bliss was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week Sept. 18 following Auburn's 7-3 victory over LSU after averaging 48.2 yards on six punts. He had kicks of 62, 61, 51 and 50 yards, as well as punts of 34 and 31 yards that both pinned LSU inside its own 20-yard-line. He had a 69-yard punt at South Carolina Sept. 28 and a career-long 71-yard boot Oct. 21 vs. Tulane.
EXTRA POINTS
John Vaughn made his final 107 consecutive PATs dating back to the 2004 season, and was 162-of-163 for his career. Prior to his only miss, Auburn had made an SEC record 209 consecutive PATs from 1999-2004. Auburn has made 316 of its last 317 PATs.
DAVIS DOING DAMAGE
Tristan Davis led the SEC and ranked 15th in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 27.0 yards per return while setting a new Auburn record for kickoff return yardage in a single season. Davis, who had at least one return of 30 yards or more in 10 of his 12 games played, accumulated 756 kickoff return yards, and his 27.0-yard average ranked fourth best in school history.
WHEN SCORING 20+ POINTS
Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 62-4 when scoring 20 or more points in a game, including a 60-3 mark in the regular season. Dating back to 1995, Auburn is 83-11 when scoring 20 or more points in a game.
30+ POINTS EQUALS VICTORY
Under Tommy Tuberville, Auburn is 41-0 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. Auburn has won 46 consecutive games when scoring 30 or more points.
The last time the Tigers lost when registering at least 30 points was a 56-49, four overtime loss to Georgia in 1996.
In the last 22 years, Auburn is 115-2 when scoring 30 points.
JORDAN-HARE STADIUM
Now in its 67th year as home to the Auburn football team, Jordan-Hare Stadium is the nation's ninth-largest on-campus stadium, with a capacity of 87,451 fans. The Tigers are 255-62-7 (.798) at Jordan-Hare Stadium, including a 41-8 (.837) mark in the last seven years. AU went 7-0 at home in both 2000 and 2004, and posted a 6-1 mark in 2005.
Auburn has won 12 of its last 14 games at home and 20 of its last 23 games at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
TIGER PROS
Auburn has demonstrated a proficiency for placing players in the National Football League. Auburn had 27 players listed on opening day NFL rosters, which was 11th most of any college in the nation. The Washington Redskins have the most former Tigers, with five former Auburn players on the roster.
TUBERVILLE IN EIGHTH SEASON
Tommy Tuberville completed his eighth season at Auburn in 2006 and his 12th as a head coach in the Southeastern Conference. Tuberville has the third-longest tenure in the SEC (second-longest active streak) behind Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, who each coached his 14th season in the league this year.
Tuberville has amassed a record of 71-29 in eight seasons at Auburn and an overall mark of 96-49. He has led the Tigers to seven straight bowl appearances.
Tuberville is fourth all-time at Auburn in wins, and is the fifth-longest tenured coach in school history.
12 AND COUNTING
In his 12th year as a head coach, Tommy Tuberville has five assistant coaches who have been with him all 12 years. The group includes: defensive tackles/ noseguard coach Don Dunn, running backs/special teams coach Eddie Gran, wide receivers coach Greg Knox, offensive line coach Hugh Nall and defensive ends coach Terry Price.
THE TIME HAS COME
Prior to this season, new timing rules were put into effect to reduce the length of college football games. For Auburn, there were indeed fewer plays this season. In the previous five seasons, Auburn averaged between 66.2 and 68.3 plays per game, but this year the Tigers ran just 57.8 plays per game. Auburn games averaged between 126.2 and 134.9 total plays per game over the previous five seasons, but this year, Tiger games averaged 117.3 plays per contest.
The following chart shows the average plays run in games this season compared to the averages from the previous five seasons.
Year Auburn Opponent Total
2006 57.8 59.5 117.3
2005 68.3 63.0 131.3
2004 66.2 60.0 126.2
2003 66.5 61.7 128.2
2002 66.3 68.6 134.9
2001 66.7 65.7 132.3
TIGER GRADS
Auburn began the season with 11 graduates on the roster, which was the most of any Division I-A football team. At the conclusion of the 2006 regular season, five more Tigers had earned their diploma.
The Tiger graduates include: TE Cole Bennett (business administration), P Kody Bliss (business marketing), DB Eric Brock (public administration), RB C Joe Cope (economics), LB Karibi Dede (rehab special education), DE Quentin Groves (criminology), OG Ben Grubbs (public administration), WR Lee Guess (business marketing), DB Brant Haynie (building sciences), LB Will Herring (exercise science), CB David Irons (Sociology), Kenny Irons (economics), CB Patrick Lee (criminology), P Patrick Martyn (business), RB Tre Smith (business) and RB Carl Stewart (political science).
Listed are the top 10 programs in terms of number of players who completed their bachelor's degrees prior to the start of the 2006 season.
1. Auburn 11
2. Notre Dame 9
Miami (Fla.) 9
4. Texas Tech 8
5. Boston College 7
Louisiana Tech 7
Penn State 7
8. Baylor 6
West Virginia 6
10. Kentucky 5
Memphis 5
Nebraska 5
Virginia 5
FATHERS AND SONS
Auburn tight ends coach Steve Ensminger is the father of Auburn freshman quarterback Steven Ensminger, while junior fullback Danny Perry is the son of Director of Football Operations Jimmy Perry. The younger Ensminger is the first Tiger to have his father on the coaching staff since Joe Whitt, Jr., played wide receiver from 1998-99 while Joe Whitt, Sr., who coached at Auburn from 1981-2005, was a linebackers coach.
Previously, Gene Lorendo, an assistant coach from 1951-75, saw his son Mac letter at offensive tackle from 1970-72, earning All-SEC honors as a senior, and Paul Davis, an assistant coach from 1967-80 and 1987-90, watched his son Rhett letter at split end from 1972-73.
TIGERS SWITCH TO UNDER ARMOUR
The Auburn football uniforms may have looked the same in 2006 to the casual observer, but the Tigers made one key change to the uniforms. The uniforms are now made by Under Armour Performance Apparel as part of a five-year contract signed in December of 2005 that makes Under Armour the official outfitter of all of Auburn's athletic teams. The contract, worth $10.6 million in sponsorship, product and additional benefits, will see Auburn's athletic teams wearing Under Armour uniforms, cleats, apparel and accessories beginning in the 2006-07 academic year.
