2009 Auburn Tigers football team

The 2009 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by first year head coach Gene Chizik. Despite playing the 12th toughest schedule in the nation,[1] the Tigers finished the season 8–5 (3–5 in SEC play) and won the Outback Bowl 38–35 in overtime against Northwestern.

2009 Auburn Tigers football
Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 38–35 OT vs. Northwestern
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
2009 record8–5 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGus Malzahn (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorTed Roof (1st season)
Base defense4–3, Tampa 2
Home stadiumJordan–Hare Stadium
(Capacity: 87,451)
2009 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
Eastern Division
No. 3 Florida x%  8 –0     13 –1  
Georgia  4 –4     8 –5  
Tennessee  4 –4     7 –6  
Kentucky  3 –5     7 –6  
South Carolina  3 –5     7 –6  
Vanderbilt  0 –8     2 –10  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#  8 –0     14 –0  
No. 17 LSU  5 –3     9 –4  
No. 20 Ole Miss  4 –4     9 –4  
Arkansas  3 –5     8 –5  
Auburn  3 –5     8 –5  
Mississippi State  3 –5     5 –7  
Championship: Alabama 32, Florida 13
    1. – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

While Auburn was unranked at the end of the season in both major polls, several BCS participating computer rating systems such as Sagarin (#22),[2] Massey (#22),[3] Peter Wolfe (#25),[4] Howell (#24),[5] David Wilson (#21),[6] Team Rankings (#18)[7] and the FACT Foundation (#21)[8] included the Tigers in their final top 25 rankings.

The offense finished the season ranked 2nd in the SEC and 16th in the nation (with just under 432 yards per game),[9] while the defense struggled with depth issues and finished 68th and 2nd worst in the SEC.[10] The pass efficiency defense however was 3rd best in the SEC and ranked 22nd in the nation.[11]

Coaching change

On December 3, 2008, Auburn University announced that 10-year head coach Tommy Tuberville would not return for an eleventh season. The coaching search ended less than two weeks later when Auburn announced Iowa State's second-year head coach and former Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik as the Tigers' next head coach.[12] Auburn had interviewed at least eight coaches, including Buffalo's Turner Gill and TCU's Gary Patterson.[13]

Schedule

Auburn's schedule consisted of eight Southeastern Conference opponents (four home, four away) and four non-conference opponents. Auburn opened the season against Louisiana Tech. It was the twelfth matchup between the schools and the first meeting since 2004. The Tigers also hosted Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State for the third time. Also, Football Championship Subdivision foe Furman visited for the first time since 1956. Auburn began conference play in the second week, hosting Mississippi State. The following week, the Tigers hosted West Virginia, the second game in a home-and-home series between the two teams. The Tigers had previously faced all twelve regular season opponents, with Auburn holding the all-time series lead going into the season against all but Alabama (33–39–1), LSU (19–23–1), and West Virginia (0–1).

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 56:00 pmLouisiana Tech*
ESPNUW 37–1381,143[14]
September 126:00 pmMississippi State
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
SECRNW 49–2485,269[15]
September 196:45 pmWest Virginia*
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
ESPN2W 41–3087,451[16]
September 266:00 pmBall State*
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
SECRNW 54–3083,118[17]
October 36:45 pmat Tennessee
ESPNW 26–22102,941[18]
October 1011:00 amat ArkansasNo. 17
ESPNL 23–4472,559[19]
October 176:30 pmKentucky
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
ESPNUL 14–2186,217[20]
October 246:30 pmat No. 9 LSU
ESPN2L 10–3192,654[21]
October 3111:21 amNo. 25 Ole Miss
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL (rivalry)
SECNW 33–2084,756[22]
November 712:30 pm(FCS) Furman*No. 25
  • Jordan–Hare Stadium
  • Auburn, AL
PPVW 63–3181,506[23]
November 146:00 pmat GeorgiaNo. 25
ESPN2L 24–3192,746[24]
November 271:30 pmNo. 2 Alabama
CBSL 21–2687,451[25]
January 110:00 amvs. Northwestern*
ESPNW 38–35 OT49,383[26]

[27]

Depth chart

Starters and backups.[28]

Rankings
See also: 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.
PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Final
AP – – – – – 17 – – – – – – – – – –
Coaches – – – – – 19 – – – – 25 – – – – –
Harris Not released – 19 – – – – – – – – –
BCS Not released – – – – – – – –

Coaching staff
NamePositionAlma materYear Entering
Gene ChizikHead CoachFlorida1st
Gus MalzahnOffensive Coordinator/QuarterbacksHenderson State1st
Ted RoofDefensive Coordinator/LinebackersGeorgia Tech1st
Trooper TaylorAssistant head coach/Wide receiversBaylor1st
Curtis LuperRunning backs/Recruiting CoordinatorStephen F. Austin1st
Jeff GrimesOffensive lineUTEP1st
Jay BoulwareSpecial teams Coordinator/Tight endsTexas1st
Phillip LolleyCornerbacksLivingston1st
Tommy ThigpenSafetiesNorth Carolina1st
Tracy RockerDefensive lineAuburn1st
Kevin YoxallHead Strength and Conditioning CoachTCU10th

*Entering season

Game summaries

Louisiana Tech
1 234Total
Louisiana Tech 7 330 13
• Auburn 10 31014 37
  • Source:

Mississippi State
1 234Total
Mississippi State 0 1707 24
• Auburn 14 14147 49
  • Date: September 12
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 6:07 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:25
  • Game attendance: 85,269
  • Game weather: 79°, Mostly Cloudy
  • Referee: Ken Williamson
  • TV announcers (SECRN): Bob Rathbun (play-by-play), David Archer (color), Jenn Hildreth (sidelines)
  • Source:

West Virginia
1 234Total
West Virginia 21 090 30
• Auburn 10 10714 41
  • Date: September 19
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 7:50 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:31
  • Game attendance: 87,451
  • Game weather: 71°, Light Rain
  • Referee: Dennis Hannigan
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Bob Davie (color)
  • Source:

Ball State
1 234Total
Ball State 7 3713 30
• Auburn 7 26147 54
  • Date: September 26
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 6:30 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 83,118
  • Game weather: 73°, Mostly Cloudy
  • Referee: Ken Williamson
  • TV announcers (SECRN): Bob Rathbun (play-by-play), David Archer (color), Jenn Hildreth (sidelines)
  • Source:

Tennessee
1 234Total
• Auburn 6 7310 26
Tennessee 0 6016 22
  • Source:

Arkansas
1 234Total
#17 Auburn 0 3200 23
• Arkansas 6 21710 44
  • Source:

Kentucky
1 234Total
• Kentucky 0 7014 21
Auburn 7 700 14
  • Date: October 17
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 6:35 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:24
  • Game attendance: 86,217
  • Game weather: 48°, Cloudy
  • Referee: Tom Ritter
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Eric Collins (play-by-play), Brock Huard (color)
  • Sources:

LSU
Tiger Bowl
1 234Total
Auburn 0 037 10
• #9 LSU 14 3140 31
  • Date: October 24
  • Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
  • Game start: 6:34 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 92,654
  • Game weather: 64°, 42% Humidity
  • Referee: Hubert Owens
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Bob Davie (color)
  • Sources:

Ole Miss
1 234Total
#24 Ole Miss 7 0130 20
• Auburn 3 7230 33
  • Date: October 31
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 11:21 AM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:35
  • Game attendance: 84,756
  • Game weather: 57°, Cloudy
  • Referee: Penn Wagers
  • TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Andre Ware (color), Cara Capuano (sidelines)
  • Sources:

Furman
2009 Homecoming Game
1 234Total
Furman 3 01414 31
• Auburn 21 21714 63
  • Date: November 7
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 12:35 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 2:54
  • Game attendance: 81,506
  • Game weather: 68°, Sunny
  • Referee: Hubert Owens
  • TV announcers (PPV): Andy Burcham (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (color), Melissa Lee (sidelines)
  • Sources:

Georgia
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
1 234Total
Auburn 14 037 24
• Georgia 0 71014 31
  • Date: November 14
  • Location: Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
  • Game start: 6:06 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:27
  • Game attendance: 92,746
  • Game weather: 65°, Clear
  • Referee: Matt Austin
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Bob Davie (color)
  • Sources:

Alabama
Iron Bowl
1 234Total
• #2 Alabama 0 1466 26
Auburn 14 070 21
  • Date: November 27
  • Location: Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL
  • Game start: 1:40 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 87,451
  • Game weather: 57°, Sunny
  • Referee: Penn Wagers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Craig Bolerjack (play-by-play), Steve Beuerlein (color)
  • Sources:

Northwestern
2010 Outback Bowl
1 234OTTotal
Northwestern 7 014140 35
• Auburn 14 70143 38
  • Date: January 1, 2010
  • Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
  • Game start: 10:02 AM CST
  • Elapsed time: 4:05
  • Game attendance: 49,383
  • Game weather: 63°, Cloudy
  • Referee: Greg Burks
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bob Griese and Chris Spielman (color), Rob Stone (sidelines)
  • Sources:

References
  1. http://www.andersonsports.com/football/ACF_frnk.html
  2. "Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings". USA Today. April 1, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  3. http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cf#FBS
  4. http://prwolfe.bol.ucla.edu/cfootball/ratings.htm
  5. http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf2009.htm
  6. http://homepages.cae.wisc.edu/~dwilson/byrate.html
  7. http://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/overall-power-ranking-by-team
  8. http://prwolfe.bol.ucla.edu/cfootball/rothman.txt
  9. http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2009&div=B&rpt=IA_teamtotoff&site=org
  10. http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2009&div=B&rpt=IA_teamtotdef&site=org
  11. http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2009&div=B&rpt=IA_teamdefpasseff&site=org
  12. ESPN.com: Auburn to name Chizik as coach
  13. Sporting News: Auburn hires Gene Chizik as football coach Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  15. "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  16. "West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  17. "Ball State Cardinals vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  18. "Auburn Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  19. "Auburn Tigers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  20. "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  21. "Auburn Tigers vs. LSU Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  22. "Mississippi Rebels vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  23. "Furman Paladins vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  24. "Auburn Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  25. "Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  26. "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  27. "2009 Auburn Tigers football schedule". Retrieved June 22, 2009.
  28. "Auburn Tigers Preview 2009 Depth Chart". May 25, 2009. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
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