AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn freshman running back Onterio McCalebb has been named the Southeastern Conference Football Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Monday. McCalebb rushed for 148 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown during Auburn's season-opening 37-13 victory over Louisiana Tech last Saturday. He also added 49 yards on two kickoff returns, giving him an SEC-leading 197 all-purpose yards. McCalebb became the first Auburn freshman to have a 100-yard rushing game in a season opener since Bo Jackson rushed for 123 yards against Wake Forest in 1982. McCalebb's total was the highest ever for an Auburn freshman in a season opener, and the seventh highest total by an Auburn freshman in any game. After totaling 40 yards on the ground during the first half in just six carries, McCalebb exploded for 108 yards on 16 rushes, including a 3-yard touchdown, in the second half. Five of his 22 carries, including four in the second half, went for at least 10 yards. Auburn (1-0) will host Mississippi State (1-0) in the SEC opener for both schools this Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by Fox Sports Net.
Hey can you give us a rundown of how you thought Auburn performed this week? I haven't even seen highlights of that game.
You can watch the highlights for free. You can even watch the game if you want to. Auburn: SEC Digital Network
Good overall performance by the offense, with the exception of a couple of turnovers and a few penalties. I was most impressed that the offense managed the game well.... very well organized with getting the plays in, playcalling, changing personnel, etc. ..... looked like they had been running Malzahn's offense much longer than actual. Chris Todd was solid at QB (now that he's finally healthy), the running backs were predictably solid, and the OL was surprisingly good considering the changes they've experienced. The defense was conservative but physical. Roof stayed vanilla mostly, with few blitzes and a lot of zone. DB Bates was outstanding and IMHO will vie for SEC defensive newcomer of the year if he remains healthy ..... he gets there with a quickness and is accompanied by a nasty attitude when he arrives. They did about what I expected them to do against a team that we were supposed to beat. I'm in the minority, but I'll pick Wes Byrum to get the gameball. He nailed his first FG of the season just seconds before the half, from something like 49 yds , and stole back the momentum from LT going into the lockeroom. Dood's had some huge moments before, so this isn't a huge surprise. But after last season's horrendous sophomore-slump, it was nice to see Byrum knocking 'em down with precision again.
