| 31 December 2011
The 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl features two teams whose primary colors are dark blue and orange.
Auburn rode Heisman winner Cam Newton to a perfect season and national championship a year ago but figured to struggle this year after Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley left for the NFL. The Tigers ended up going 7-5 (4-4 in the SEC). Unlike traditional SEC teams, Auburn struggled on defense, allowing 29.3 points and 405.8 yards a game. The Tigers also played musical chairs at quarterback with Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley, and Kiehl Frazier all seeing time behind center. In further blow to the offense, tailback Michael Dyer has been suspended for the game, depriving the offense of its leading rusher.
Virginia is on the opposite track as the defending national champions. The Cavaliers were 4-8 a year ago but turned things around this year. They won four in a row before succumbing to rival Virginia Tech in the regular season finale, a loss that prevented them from reaching the ACC championship game. Virginia features a balanced offense behind sophomore quarterback Michael Rocco and is solid on defense.
Key matchup: Auburn’s defense vs. Virginia’s offense
Virginia QB Michael Rocco
Auburn struggled on defense last year, but those problems were masked by Cam Newtown and the offense. Now that he’s gone, the defense has been exposed. Given Auburn’s questions at quarterback and the loss of Dyer, an already struggling offense will be hard-pressed to keep up with Virginia in a shootout. The defense will need to come up big and keep the game within reach. If Rocco and the Cavalier running game can get things going, it’s going to be a long day for the Tigers.
Why you should watch: Auburn is still the defending national champion, and Virginia looks like a team on the rise.
Why you shouldn’t watch: This isn’t last year’s Auburn team. The Tigers have issues at quarterback and are without their leading rusher. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof has left to take the same job at Central Florida and will not be coaching at the game, further hindering a defense that needs all the help it can get. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has agreed to become the head coach at Arkansas State but will likely stay with Auburn until after the game. Still, Auburn has struggled on both sides of the ball this year, and losing both coordinators won’t help.
Prediction: The SEC shows up more often than not in big games, but I have to give the nod to Virginia in this one. They’re too balanced for a depleted Auburn squad. The Cavaliers win.
